Wouldn’t it be cool to build a Harley-Davidson into a motocross bike?
After the Eimca show in 2016, the crew at RD Custombikes had one serious wallop of an idea:
“We…said how cool it would be with Mel Pocock’s vast motocross career and the fact that it is totally outside the box to build a Harley-Davidson into a motocross bike and for Mel to ride it around his own private track, have some fun and make some cool videos!”
Mel Pocock, for the uninitiated, was the 2012 European Motocross Champion. In 2015, he suffered a horrific hand injury in a MX2 race, when his right hand came into contact with the rear sprocket of a competitor’s crashed bike, severing his thumb and tearing his hand to shreds. Mel has since recovered to race for the REVO Husqvarna team. You read the story of Mel’s recovery here at Doc Edwards Fitness.
Harley-Davidson Motocross Bike?
The crew at RD Custombikes thought their idea of a Harley-Davidson dirt bike was a pipe dream until they heard whispers of the Street Rod 750 being launched. The Street Rod 750, or Street Rod XG750A, is a hot-rodded version of the Street 750, with a “High Output” version of the liquid-cooled Revolution motor making 69 hp — 18% more than the original.
The bike has an overhauled chassis, sharper steering head angle, upside down forks, sexy tail section, and more. Bike EXIF’s Wesley Reyneke has a full review of the Street Rod 750 here.
RD Custombikes got with Steve Willis of Shaw Speed and Custom — one of our favorite builders. Luckily, Steve and head design guru Simon Pocock loved the idea. Harley-Davidson Europe was game, but there was a catch: they wanted the bike ready for a press launch in Marbella, Spain…just ten days away!
“We got on with the task in hand and pulled out all the favours, and our thanks go to Öhlins Suspension, Race FX, Image Design and Custom, HGS Exhaust Systems and Sids Wheels for working hard to making it all possible. The guys at Shaw Speed and Custom were able to work their magic and bring the idea to life. The bike was completed with one day to spare before specialist bike transporters Ideliver were due to take the bike to the press launch ready to be shown to the world!”
The bike was christened “MP119,” after Mel Pocock #119. The bike actually has a Daytime MOT — meaning it’s street-legal for day riding!
MP119 Street Rod 750 Dirt Bike: Video!
Below, we have an awesome video by vlogger Motonewbrider, who says:
I was invited by Shaw Speed & Custom to photograph their new version of the HD Street Rod 750. However there was a massive twist! The bike is modelled on a moto-x setup and will be demo’d by Mel Pocock and I in the next few weeks on a Moto-x track which I will be filming. The Street Rod MP119 is also a one-off for Harley Davidson Europe, so you will not see this bike created in any other custom dealership.
We will post that video as soon as it shows up!
Great intrigue for the bike, crappy write-up and video. No information whatsoever on specs, mods, etc… apart from references to sponsors, which lead to inferences about parts swapped out on the bike. But seriously, missing is weight, power, handling, braking figures or at least assessments. I actually do not care for HD bikes in general, but I do like this one. I am probably not alone here. I bet if HD actually offered this, it would sell along with all the other mid weight dual sports such as the Triumph 800, Ducati Desert Sled, BMW 800, and so on. Posting really let this bike down, and that is really lame.
Did you watch the 10-min video of the bike in action?
The video here is of the blogger yap yapping. Is there a link to the video of the actual bike here in action?
I agree with Michael, above: most customizers give very little actual specs. The exception are the guys doing serious two-stroke tuning, who actually dyno their bikes and give weight specs. Otherwise the majority give anecdotal quips about their bikes, such as oh I removed 20 kilos so the bike now weighs somewhere somewhere. Of course they never weighed the thing to begin with (nor actually weighed what they removed), and we all know manufacturer specs don’t always correspond to reality, which leaves us with somewhere something oh its a ripper! Maybe? I come here to look at interesting designs, but most customizers are artists, who aren’t actually too interested in hard numbers.
Someone needs to put a parts list together or put a kit together and sell because I need one for my wife’s bike that’s just sitting in the corner.