Harley-Davidson motorcycles, be they stock or modified, are a lot of things, but most of the time elegant they are not. That’s because something that was built to shock through capabilities and looks rarely has time to play the social game. Yet this machine here seems to be managing just that, despite its muscular stance, potent demeanor, and strong lineage. This H-D Softail Nicknamed Ride to Live Looks Like the Rock in a Tuxedo, AMERiders explains.
It’s a former Softail we’re looking at, one of the families that are most desirable in the eyes of custom garages, especially the ones in Europe. And that’s exactly from there that this build, nicknamed Live to Ride, comes from, having rolled out the doors of a Swiss garage called Bundnerbike.
Having already talked about three of the close to 200 conversions these guys are responsible for, one thing is already clear: the Swiss do have a way with paint, unlike anything we’ve seen so far. And by that we don’t mean they use some intricate technique or design, but that they sure know how to blend a hue or two to make their two-wheelers real head-turners.
For this one, black and white are enough to achieve something akin to visual perfection. The former was generously splashes by the shop in charge with the paint, Carrosserie Ludwig, on pretty much all bits of the bike, while the latter carefully splattered on the rims of the wheels, rear fender (there is none at the front), fuel tank, and parts of the engine.
The Ride to Live also impresses with the visual disconnect achieved by the different-width wheels, with the front one seemingly flimsy compared to the rear, 300 mm-wide one, but backed by Brembo braking hardware and Ohlins suspension to be able to hold its ground.
The changes made to the Softail are not limited to the wheels and paint, of course. The frame itself got modified by the shop to be able to accommodate the added bits, including the ones which come in the form of a new tank, straight and long handlebars, a custom triple clamp, and a new saddle.
Engine-wise, we’re not told if any significant modifications have been made, other than the fitting of a new exhaust system, sourced from one of Europe’s favorite suppliers of such things, Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde.
As for the price of the build, we’re as clueless as ever, because Bundnerbike, just like many others on the continent, is very cautious about revealing such things. They do say “we would be happy to advise you” on the cost of a build, provided one, of course, has a Harley sitting around and in need of a major overhaul.
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
and
AMERiders This H-D Softail Nicknamed Ride to Live Looks Like the Rock in a Tuxedo.
Don’t forget to come visit us for all your Motorcycle Apparel needs.
And as always don’t forget to send us your stories, pictures, and events for posting to GALLERY.AMERIDERS @ GMAIL.COM and we will post them for you. The more people that know about your event the better and we are offering free advertising. We would also love to hear about your rides and love to see those bikes so send those stories and pictures.
Like what you just read? Share it on social media ( Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram) with others and let them get the information and benefit from it as well.