Italian distillery Martini & Rossi, makers of the well-known Martini vermouth, began sponsoring motor racing teams way back in 1958, when Count Metello Rossi di Montelera founded the Martini International Club. During the 1970s, Martini Racing became famous for their association with Porsche, sponsoring the Porsche 917 that won the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1982, Martini signed with the works Lancia team for the World Rally Championship, beginning a storied and highly successful partnership in which the Lancia Delta HF Integrale would become the winningest machine ever to wear the illustrious Martini livery.
Martini race cars typically have dark blue, light blue, and red stripes on white- or silver-bodied cars — one of the most recognizable paint schemes in the history of motor racing.
Fran Manen, the owner of Lord Drake Kustoms, is a long-time fan of the Martini Racing cars, and the Harley-Davidson Sportster is one of his favorite donor models for custom transformations. Today, we have the new “Martini” Sportster scrambler from the Miami/Malaga-based workshop — one of 10 limited edition models that LDK plans to build.
With the “Hooligan Enduro” classes rising in popularity in events like the Mint 400 and National Hare and Hound Championship, featuring +750cc twins in off-road racing, perhaps it’s not such a great stretch to imagine a Sportster bearing the historic Martini livery as it would have been just a few years ago.
Below, we get the full story on the build from LDK themselves.
Martini Scrambler Sportster: In the Builder’s Words
“Martini” is the name of this customized Sportster Scrambler by Lord Drake Kustoms — it is the first unit of a limited series of 10 units.
This scrambler motorcycle is not just any custom Harley Davidson — it is a completely transformed 883 Sportster that has resulted in a spectacular looking Harley scrambler.
At Lord Drake Kustoms we are lovers of the Sportsters models and they are Fran Manen’s (owner of LDK) favorite custom motorcycles when it comes to making a transformation, especially when it comes to making a cafe racer motorcycle or scrambler.
This Harley, we started it in our motorcycle modification workshop, installing a Biltwell BMX type handlebar and we have continued, modifying all the front suspension that has been adjusted in measurements and preload and the appearance has been improved with some fork shrouds.
In the rear, we have chosen to replace the original Harley Davidson shock absorbers with new ones — scrambler shocks with air reservoirs. Subsequently we have cut the entire subframe, made the scrambler fenders in metal. We kept the Sportster peanut gas tank and made a custom scrambler seat.
To give it the finishing touch, we have installed BIG SPOKE wheels and Continental TKC 80 tires, which together with the handcrafted side number plates, the Tracker 2:1 exhaust system, and the air filter have created the brutal look of this Sportster “Martini.”
The name Martini obviously comes from the theme of the paint, which is inspired by the graphics of the rally cars that carried the famous Italian brand of vermouth. This motorcycle paint job has been accompanied by black pieces painted with electrostatic powder paint and some details in red.
This is the unit 1 of 10 of a limited edition. This first unit will go to Germany and now Lord Drake Kustoms are taking orders for the other units that can be shipped worldwide. For more info you can contact us by email: [email protected] or via our website: www.lorddrakekustoms.com.
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It looks like a toy, and I actually like it for that! I’m not a fan of Lord Drake’s work, it’s not my style (different strokes for different folks), but this bike is distinctive in how it looks. I’ve never seen any other bike that has given me such a toy vibe, and that’s a good vibe. When I say this it’s not some cheap, passive-aggressive way of me saying I think this thing is a dud, it really is different, and it works. If they have a problem with me saying it looks like a toy, then they don’t understand what they’ve built.
Coolest Sportster I’ve ever seen. Love those white handlebars. Who does that? Genius.