Lord Drake Kustoms builds a burly Sportster…
The Sportster continues to be one of our favorite platforms for custom builds. Our own “Blitzen Tracker” is a favored steed in the stable, and in 2022 alone, we’ve seen everything from Rusty Butcher’s wild Hooligan Enduro Sportster to Fangster Parts’ Fangster Tracker to one of our favorite builds of the year, Jake Vintage’s XL1200 Adventure Sport.
One of the prolific Sportster customizers is Fran Manen and the crew of Lord Drake Kustoms (LDK). Fran spent his twenties as a mountain climber and high-rise structure worker. However, a bad fall while training for a Himalayan climb helped him decide it was time to pursue another dream of his: opening his workshop.
In the intervening years, he’s gained a great deal of notoriety for his bold, eye-catching customs. Lately, he’s turned his hand to a series of Sportster street scramblers. This latest, the “Sportracker 05,” might be our favorite, simply because it’s a more streamlined, down-to-earth build, which we would be afraid to rip through the dirt. Also, there’s a family element:
“The colors (white, black, and orange details) were chosen by Fran’s eldest son (born in 2005), hence the number “05” on the side plates.”
Fran says LDK plans to start producing Sportster Scrambler Kits, which will enable owners to transform their own bikes into one of these knobby-tired ground-pounders. That seems like a good investment to us!
In the Builder’s Words…
The new scrambler from Lord Drake Kustoms is the “SPORTRACKER 05,” a Harley-Davidson scrambler with a V-Twin soul and a 1200cc carburetted engine. Manufactured by Lord Drake Kustoms in their workshop in Malaga, which is probably one of the best motorcycle transformation workshops in Spain.
Following the success of the Sportster Scrambler “Soulbreaker” series, (a Harley Scrambler built on top of a Sportster 1200), Francisco Manen (owner of Lord Drake Kustoms) decided to make a new version of this bike but a little less sophisticated.
The Creation Process…
The chosen base is a 2005 carburetted Sportster. It started using very simple rims, with 40 spokes in gloss black, and we kept the odometer on the handlebars like the older bikes, without any digital elements like in the previous Scrambler.
All the graphic design and painting and airbrushing work on this bike is as simple as it gets. The colors (white, black, and orange details) were chosen by Fran’s eldest son (born in 2005), hence the number “05” on the side plates. The rear fender with the integrated light, as well as the front fender and the side number holders are the work of Lord Drake Kustoms.
Upcoming Sportster Kits…
Soon LDK will begin to market Scrambler kits for the Sportster platform, with parts manufactured by LDK, so that any owner of a Sportster can convert it into a Street Tracker, Scrambler, or Flat Track motorcycle.
Follow Lord Drake Kustoms
Website: www.lorddrakekustoms.com
Instagram: @lorddrakekustoms
Facebook: @lorddrakekustoms
Youtube: LDK TV
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