When was the last time you saw a motorcycle inspired by a car, and that too one enthused by a mega-buck, limited edition supercar? The automobile in this case is the fabulous Porsche 918 Spyder, which Southern England-based Shaw Speed & Custom have distilled the essence on to a Harley-Davidson Softail. The UK’s number one and Europe’s leading customizer of modified Harley-Davidsons has built yet another Harley-Davidson Softail with their recognisable detail and working yet again with the parts from both Roland Sands Design and Performance Machine.

The bike, dubbed “Drey”, was inspired originally by the Porsche 918 prototype. Shaw’s custom shop, based in southern UK, worked closely with the customer, and being a distant relationship, it was very important that it was understood what the customer’s expectations were. Eventually, the brief became clear with the client’s passions for cars, watches, fashion and vintage to name a few, which enabled the team to build a platform that mirrored these areas. The bike needed to fit with the customer’s lifestyle, a bike that was all about him and his personality.

The fresh silver of the Porsche 918 Spyder concept, accentuated with tasty green detailing on the badges and brake callipers were the first inspiring influences on the bike from the car. Speed Shop set about reflecting these areas, with the Performance Machine-upgraded callipers stripped and sent off for anodising with the open primary clutch plate, along with silver paint on the frame, fork, triple tree and swingarm, which has been replaced with a Performance Machine Phatail kit.

Performance Machine Contrast Cut Boss wheels are used on the project with a 21” front and 18” rear with a 240mm width. The Boss theme runs along with the belt sprocket and brake rotors, the Boss wheels again mirroring the look from the 918. A Roland Sands rear fender is also used in the project, along with a Vintage Gas Tank that was fabricated in-house by the Shaw Speed & Custom team and top fabricator Dave Rollison. The side scoops and side vents were, again, taken from the rear end of the supercar, with the handlebars fitted with the full Performance Machine package with master cylinder and switchgear, and a small digital speedo, which helps to endow the custom with a super clean look.

The headlight comes off a Harley-Davidson VROD, giving the Softail an original. The forks are stripped, with the inner legs nitraded and lower legs painted in pearl silver.

The engine has been upgraded to 1690cc from the original 1584cc, along with the addition of Clarity line of Roland Sands engine covers; the Contrast Cut covers flow well with the wheels and the Clarity covers, which allow a visual at the moving engine components, give the customer the same feeling that watch connoisseurs experience when viewing the exquisite movements on expensive Swiss watches.

Vance and Hines Competition pipes in black and a Performance Machine air breather with Screamin’ Eagle Race Fueller endow the bike with extra horses and the sound to add to the look. And the Roland Sands Design seat (which is tailored in black leather with the customer’s lucky number “7”) and seat pan make for comfortable riding.

Steve Willis the Team Principal of Shaw Speed & Custom says, “We always strive to give the customer what he or she wants and if not more. With this project, it was essential we understood the client’s passions, and worked these areas into the build. The Porsche details were excellent as we wanted to mirror the beauty of four wheels into two, and silver is always a pleasure to use as it’s a perennial favourite and manages to impart a fresh look to any custom. With the Porsche inspiration, we did not want to be pretending that the bike was from that brand, but detail it in a way that anyone who was in the know might recognise the font used on the oil tank or the fabrication on the tank. We, by no means, wanted to do an American Chopper on the bike.”

Tech Spec:
Motorcycle: Harley-Davidson Softail Blackline
Engine capacity: 1690cc
Transmission: 6-speed
Wheels: Performance Machine Boss Contrast Cut
Front: 21”
Rear: 18”
Brake Rotors: Boss Contrast Cut
Rear Fender: RSD
Gas tank: RSD, fabricated in-house by Shaw Speed & Custom
Callipers: Performance Machine
Brake lines: Goodridge
Oil lines: Goodridge
Forward controls: Performance Machine
Rear swingarm: Performance Machine Phatail kit
Engine rocker covers: Roland Sands Design Contrast Cut Clarity
Transmission cover top: Roland Sands Design Contrast Cut
Transmission cover side: Roland Sands Design
Seat and seat pan: Roland Sands Design
Headlight: Harley-Davidson VROD
Exhaust system: Vance & Hines Competition Pipe
Fueller: Screamin’ Eagle
Air breather: Performance Machine
Mirror: Performance Machine
Gas cap Roland Sands Design
Handgrips Roland Sands Design
Speedo Moto gadget
Rear indicators relocated to swingarm LED
Custom paint by Image Design Custom