Customs built in the ‘bobber’ or hardtail style. On the typical bobber motorcycle, excess bodywork has been stripped away, and the fenders are usually removed or shortened.
All unnecessary hardware has been removed to cut weight—including the mufflers in many cases—and a single seat is usually fitted. Old-school handlebars are often installed too, with the wiring run inside for a clean look, along with classic ‘Bates’ style lighting.
For owners of bobber motorcycles, these custom bikes are the purest form of motorcycling.
Harley is the brand most commonly associated with the bobber style, but we’re also seeing many Triumph and Indian motorcycles—especially since those two brands have factory bobbers in their range.
The Japanese custom scene has its leading lights; superstar builders with résumés that include coveted show trophies and high-profile OEM collaborations. But there are also highly skilled craftsmen who manage to fly under the radar—like the builder of this captivating Harley Electra Glide bobber, Shintaro Kido. Kido-san runs his one-man shop, Kid Custom Factory, out…
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In Egyptian mythology, Bennu is an ancient deity associated with creation and rebirth. Depicted as a bird, it is believed that he may have been the original inspiration for the legend of the phoenix—which is exactly why the owner of this enchanting 1978 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead named it after him. Even though the donor bike was…
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A completely bespoke vintage American V-twin takes center stage this week, built by the folks at Competition Distributing in the USA. Our list also includes a Suzuki GN400 bobber from Poland, a look at the new Indian Challenger Elite and Pursuit Elite, and the production-ready Trevor DTRe Vince electric scrambler.
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Even though Rough Crafts frontman Winston Yeh is happy to build custom bikes that fall outside of his purview, his bread and butter are sleek and bold Harley-Davidsons swathed in black. He does it so well, that most customers request ‘a Rough Crafts-style Harley’ and leave it at that. That was almost the story with…
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As a bustling custom motorcycle business, Purpose Built Moto isn’t above taking on jobs that require minimal fettling. But it’s when the…
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Located in Sydney, Australia, Zen Motorcycles is as eclectic as the burgeoning motorcycle scene it serves. The shop sells brand new electric…
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The German custom powerhouse WalzWerk has just marked its 35th birthday in the best way it knows—with a handsome BMW boxer bobber.…
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The Yamaha SR150 is Taiwan’s best-kept secret. Exclusively manufactured and sold locally, the cheap and cheerful single sold in droves in its…
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Once I’ve completed the arduous task of poring over our statistics to compile our list of the year’s most popular custom motorcycles,…
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STG Tracker is one of the most versatile custom workshops in operation today. The Argentine duo of Marcelo Obarrio and Germán Karp…
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The two custom motorcycles that headline this week’s edition of Speed Read couldn’t be more different. One is a Harley Pan America…
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Some custom motorcycle builders are drawn to the simplicity of vintage machines, while others favor the performance and reliability of modern motorcycles.…
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