I already introduced you to the brothers duo Justin and Jarrod Del Prado at DP Custom Cycles. They love to restore or modify classic motorcycles to turn them in very raw/naked bikes. And since their passion is also auto racing, not surprisingly, many of their 2-wheel creations have a Hot Rod flair. This Bobber named “Mele” could have been only a very cool Bobber, but still similar to many, but the addition of typically racing world details gives it a very unique personality. Built around a rebuilt hopped-up 1000cc Harley Ironhead, on this project Justin and Jarrod first re-worked the traditional lines of the Bobber, never betraying its proportions, but rejuvenating them with extremely simplified and very symmetric lines. A geometry to make you want to do a little bit more than cruising the streets, if you know what I mean…
To reach a very sanitary design, like they always do, the brothers restored some original parts, removed many and added a few of their custom made ones. A hand made rigid frame gives the “Mele” its new stance. A vertical torpedo oil tank under the solo seat, a rear fender tiny spoiler, powder coated rims and raised white letters on Pirelli tire, all state “I want to race you.” And I hear that the bike was just put for sale for $19,000. Not bad for a one-off custom classic Harley ready to show to other bikes what the streets are made for. DP Customs. http://dpcustomcycles.com (Jeff Strahm pictures)
Nice piece of work. Price is pretty darn good as well. Not sure I love the wing on the fender but I do love the paint combo and the overall look.
Bill, I’m with you on all points.
Lose the wing and the iron head and I like it!
…quick aside here;
Cyril, m8, time to archive some stuff and clean house!
I’ve got a fast connect and still takes forever to load. 😉
Point of information. A “bobber” is a float on a fishing line. The turm has nothing to do with motorcycles. At one time H-D made a “cut down” or “bobbed” version of the Sportster called the XLCH.
Just looking at the photos makes my back hurt. Clip-on on a bike with mid-controls? I don’t think so.
I like LOUD pipes!
Very nice! I like most of the stuff coming out of the DP Customs shop!
That being said, I guess it would have paid off to get on the DPC train before all of the popularity… The Top Fuel II was priced in the $10-$12K range if I’m not mistaken but the Mele is $19K??? Nonetheless, nice work but unfortunately getting to expensive for my pocketbook…
Nice Chopper. Oh yes, don’t be ashamed of your chopper. Don’t call it a bobber when it’s not.
bobber, chopper, rat bike, brat bike (ugh!), digger, bagger, cafe racer, barn stormer, bar hopper, muscle bike, whatever….. jesus…. when did it all get so label crazy? Its a motorcycle…. some are good, some are bad, some are snowmobiles 🙂 but as long as it has two wheels (3 is ok if its a has a side car 🙂 its all good and we should just enjoy them.
I am starting a new label…. “UM” uncategorized motorcycle.
UMbuilder out!
btw… I love this bike! Nice work.
A for originality with the wing. All Sportsters are cool some more than others. ..Z
2 Words………….Bad-ass…….!
Stay tuned, got one coming soon……
Steve Carr
Lightning Rod Motorcycles
@Bleeding Ears-
No disrespect, but “Bobber” is a very historic term in the world of custom motorcycles. Bobbers were prevalent in the 40’s and into the 50’s.
Guys back then would strip all the weight they could off of a bike to make it go faster. Typically, the very first thing they did was to remove the rear portion of the hinged rear fender, hence “bobbing” the fender.
They started calling them “Bob Jobs” which evolved into Bobbers, much like “Rail Jobs” became “Rails” in the automotive world.
So yes, there were many thousands of Bobbers “back in the day” but the motorcycle pictured above, although quite tasty, isn’t one of them. Not even close.
Again, I mean no disrespect.
Nice bike, the wing is a bit much but overall it’s hot. Bobber??? definitely not….maybe a cafe or boardtrack feel
Hey MostChillin, this bike has over $5k of engine/driveline mods to it. Otherwise it would be around $14k, like most of our bikes. We aren’t getting greedy I promise!
Thanks for chiming in DPC. I hope my comments weren’t taken the wrong way… As I mentioned, I love everything you guys are doing. I appreciate the clarification for the Mele and look forward to your next bike!
Thanks MostChillin, we appreciate the kind words man!
Excellent…
Such a great bike, usually I wouldn’t approve of a spoiler on a bike but on this one, it just works.
I dig it. Not a fan of the wing but they did a hell of a job on the rest of the bike.
yeah,,,,
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whats the problem ,,,,