A few years ago, Harley Davidson used to sell the XR 1200, as a sporty alternative to its cruisers. The XR1200 is no longer built now. Mumbai based motorcycle customizer MotoMiu has now stepped in to fill this void. Here’s a beautifully done up Sportster 48 based cafe racer custom from this outfit.
Gone are the cruiser lines of the Sportster 48, which are now replaced by a much more aggressive form. The custom bike also gets rear set foot pegs and clip-on handlebars to make for a sporty riding posture. Other key changes include a massaged 1,200 cc V-Twin engine for more grunt.
The bike runs a free flow stainless steel 2X1 exhaust with a nice looking upswept muffler. The stock air intake is replaced with a Screaming Eagle unit. These changes liberate a few extra ponies. The real deal on this bike is the suspension and wheels.
The telescopic front forks are replaced by upside down forks from WP while the rear twin shock absorber based suspension is swapped in favour of a monoshock unit, which also allows for a single side swing arm. Wheels are now 17 inch alloys that wear sticky Pirelli Diablo rubber. The front brake is an upgraded 300 mm floating disc unit.
Other changes on the motorcycle include a bunch of custom fabricated parts from Motomiu such as the fuel tank, rear subframe and stainless steel oil tank, a digital instrument cluster from Daytona and RSD clutch and brake levers. The whole bike took about 8 lakh rupees to customize, and this doesn’t include the cost of the donor bike.
So, if you want a muscular Harley Davidson that can handle well and still retain the brute low end torque that a big air cooled V-Twin is known for, going the custom route makes a lot of sense. You’ll only need deep pockets though, for the taste bit is taken care of by Motomiu.
Images courtesy VipulPrasad on Behance