Daily Slideshow: Riot in Germany

Riotworthy Build

 First of all, when I think of American iron, I'm not immediately reminded of Germany for obvious reasons. But luckily for us, when Julian von Oheimb of One Way Machine builds a custom bike, that's exactly what he does. Julian only seeks out the cleanest, lowest mileage, unmolested bikes he can find in order to use as the foundations for his builds.  

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Flagship Softail

One Way Machine's Iron Riot was built in 2016 and quickly took its place as their flagship bike. For good reason, too. It is a beautifully crafted machine. It started its life, like so many others, in Milwaukee, WI, USA in 2001 as a basic, carbureted, Softail Standard that only rolled 1,400 miles before becoming a garage queen at a hot rod and sports car shop here in the States. Julian knew it was just the bike he needed for his industrial themed build, so he immediately ordered it and had it shipped to his shop in Germany.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Right to Work

When the bike arrived at his shop in Staufenberg, Julian went right to work on it, tearing it apart. He cleaned the frame and swingarm, then started modifying the engine, transmission and oil tank. He fitted an old 1930’s era DKW fuel tank and massaged it to fit the H-D frame. He used an old hood ornament to make the gas cap.

The seat is a one-off custom from the US and the rear fender is a heavily modified aftermarket piece. The rear fender brackets and battery cover were custom-built by hand by Julian.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Nothing Untouched

With a back rim from W&W, a hub from Lowbrow and spokes from TTS, Julian had the perfect wheel to fit his very own OWM perimeter brake to. The front rim is Harley-Davidson, with a Lowbrow hub in the middle and TTS spokes tying them together. He installed a matching OWM perimeter brake up front, then wrapped both wheels in vintage rubber, a Firestone up front with an Avon trailing behind.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Lean and Mean

The bike is very lean and definitely mean looking thanks to the Narrowglide front forks from a Sportster, handlebars from LSL, and pegs and grips from Rough Crafts (who is an official sponsor of One Way Machine). The instruments and brakes are from Beringer, but those slick exhaust pipes were hand-built by Julian.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Cut-Away

Yes, your eyes don’t deceive you, that primary cover is cut-away. But, have no worries, because that isn’t your typical cut-away… That is a functional primary drive. The stock H-D cover was cut open to show off those cool internals but a belt-drive primary was used so that the bike could be ridden. Besides the cool, industrial “sample machine” effect it has, it also keeps your pants from getting chewed up by the belt. While the whole machine looks like it is raw steel, it’s actually covered in a custom paint by Cocobreezé of Frankfurt, Germany using a secret process to get that raw steel look.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

Award Winning Riot

Julian von Oheimb set out to build an industrial-themed bike for a competition. He knew that to do it right, he was going to have to throw out his budget cap and go for broke, in order to bring home the trophies and get his shop the recognition it deserves. So that’s just what he did. In this writer’s opinion, this bike turned out beautiful. It is classic, yet modern, and it is exemplary of an industrial engineered machine. Apparently, I’m not the only one that thinks so, either, as the One Way Machine flagship Softail has been awarded a myriad of prizes: 

• Vize-Worldchampion Modified Harley Class - AMD Show / Germany 2016
• Editors Choice  Custombike Magazine – Custombike Show / Bad Salzuflen - Germany 2016
• Best Custombike –Lakeside Bike Days 2017 / Mainhausen – Germany 2017
• Best of Show - Harley Dome Cologne 2017 / Germany 2017
• Best of Show - X-Over Bikeshow Frankfurt / Germany 2017
• Best of Show - Magic Bike Ründesheim / Germany 2017 

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

The Best Prize

There is just something special in a custom bike. Maybe it’s how the bike assumes some of the builder’s personality or maybe it’s nothing more than the creation of something different, but it’s something we can all relate to. Most of us, if not all of us, tweak and customize our bikes to our own individual tastes. I think that’s why the motorcycle community is so close, why we wave at complete strangers on bikes as we pass by and why we can sit down and have a full conversation over nothing more than these simple, two-wheeled machines we ride. After all, it’s those conversations where friendships are born and the camaraderie among fellow motorcycle riders and builders really is the best prize of all.

>>Join the conversation about this German-built Softail right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum.

For help with your Harley maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.