Lord Drake Kustoms opens a specialized Harley Davidson workshop in Malaga; where we will offer repair, maintenance, reviews, remapping and diagnosis, customization and any other service that your Harley or custom motorcycle needs.
For this we have a team of highly qualified and experienced professionals in the world of Harley mechanics and the high-displacement motorcycle in general.
Some of our new
team members are well known to many of the area’s Harley Davidson motorcycle
owners.
We also offer sales and installation service for parts and accessories of the main brands in the market and we probably have the largest range of parts and accessories for Harley Davidson in Malaga.
We also offer free motorcycle pick-up and delivery service in Malaga and all its coast for all our workshop customers who need it.
Of course, we continue with our motorcycle transformation service in Malaga, where you can customize your motorcycle and turn it into a cafe racer, bobber, scrambler, custom or any other style.
We are one of the leading companies in the sector of motorcycle personalization in Malaga and for this reason and due to the demand of our clients we have decided to expand our facilities and begin to offer a motorcycle workshop service, specialized in Harley motorcycles and all kinds of custom or high displacement motorcycles.
In order to better
serve our customers and provide the best possible service; we only work by
appointment.
So, if you have a Harley Davidson motorcycle in Malaga and you are looking for a trustworthy and guaranteed specialized motorcycle workshop at a reasonable price; do not hesitate, contact us and ask us for an appointment.
To request a workshop appointment or contact us click here:
Lord Drake Kustoms has contributed by donating 1,000 masks and 70 medical gowns to help fight COVID-19 to the Velez Malaga City Council so that they can be used in those areas of the Municipality where they are most needed.
Fran Manen met with the mayor of Vรฉlez-Mรกlaga, respecting all the security measures decreed by the Spanish government, to deliver this essential material.
We all must contribute what we can to fight the situation caused by COVID-19. For this reason and because in life there are more important things than motorcycles … #stayathome
In addition to being a mandatory element, the motorcycle helmet is our best ally to avoid lesions and even death in case of accidents. In today’s article, we will see the essential characteristics that helmets must have for any type of custom motorcycle.
Buying a motorcycle helmet is an important decision for any biker. There are many types and a variety of helmet on the market, each one focused on certain circumstances. Today we are going to see which are the best helmets if you already own or are going to buy a custom motorcycle, be it Cafe Racer, Bobber, Brat or Scrambler.
What to keep in mind when buying a motorcycle helmet
There are many factors why choosing a helmet or another can be decisive when it comes to optimal driving on a custom motorcycle. In addition to protecting our lives, a helmet can prevent us from poor visibility, environmental noise caused by the wind or that all kinds of insects crash against our face.
Let’s look at some aspects to consider when purchasing a helmet.
That are homologated
This is a very important aspect and mainly affects the quality of the helmet. That this object has passed all security controls by an official body potentially increases our security. Keep in mind that for them to be officially approved, the helmets have undergone several stress tests. Each manufacturer is required to perform various durability and safety tests on each of its products.
Therefore it is very important that you look whenever the helmet has an official identifier or seal. In the case of the European Union, said seal is ECE 22-05. In other countries like the US they will carry others like DOT and Snell.
Helmet with a good fixation
It is useless to wear a good helmet if the fixation fails, that is, the straps and anchors are not good and the helmet can get out of the head.
It is essential that you check that the fasteners are reliable and fasten well to the chin.
Custom motorcycle helmets, as we will see later, are usually open. So good support is indispensable.
Choose helmet size
Like the support you have to choose the correct size. The helmet should fit us well in the head, without tightening, but without being too baggy so that we can get out. In addition, it must be comfortable to wear.
Helmet comfort
Other aspects to take into account regarding the comfort of a helmet for a custom motorcycle are ventilation and padding.
Many helmets have ventilation systems that allow air to enter inside. In this way we avoid excessive heat and sweat, especially on long trips.
Another interesting aspect is the inner padding. Ideally, this padding should be as comfortable as possible and sweat repellent. In addition, if it can be removed and put in order to wash it from time to time much better.
Visibility
Good visibility is a very important aspect also linked to safety. However, here we find a paradox; And the greater the visibility, the less secure the helmet is.
Open helmets or Jet type, are usually the most used in custom motorcycles. These helmets, having our face exposed, offer excellent visibility. However, for the same reason it exposes us to greater damage to our face.
On the contrary, full or closed helmets, protect us much better from any blow, but subtract us from the visibility field. With these helmets, the pilot should move his neck further to see at the sides or up and down.
Our advice is that depending on the trip to be made on your custom motorcycle, you use one or the other. That is, for short trips and at low speed, a Jet helmet can be more than enough.
But for long trips on the road or off-road and higher speeds it is much better to use a full-face helmet or one focused on enduro for motocross.
Helmets visors
Like the helmet itself all must be approved. There are many models according to the manufacturer’s brand, but they should all be protected against UV rays, be resistant to scratches and not soak easily.
Types of helmets for custom motorcycles
Although any approved helmet is used to drive a custom motorcycle, the truth is that aesthetics is important when we drive. After all, we have invested in giving a unique and special image to our cafe racer motorcycle. Are we not going to take care that the helmet is consistent with our motorcycle?
So, finally fashion generally imposes three types of custom motorcycle helmets that we will see below:
Jet type helmets
They are the most common in the custom world. Almost all the best known brands have models of this type. They are ideal to personalize them by painting or stickers.
Also and, as we have already mentioned above, they are the least safe. So it is advisable to use them at not very high speeds and on short distances.
These helmets have a very good visibility, since they keep our face exposed. They can be used comfortably with glasses and screens or protective masks can also be attached.
The integral helmets are closed. Offer a better protection of our head since they protect our face from possible blows.
They usually carry the retractable visor already incorporated into the same body. There are also many brands and variants. They are designed for longer trips and higher speeds.
In Lord Drake Kustoms we are fans of Steve McQueen. There has been no other actor in Hollywood who better embodies that love for the engine. He said on many occasions that he did not know if he was a competing actor or a acting pilot.
The fact is that Steve McQueen owes scenes that are already mythical in the history of cinema and motorcycling. That is the case of the famous final scene of The Great Escape, where he tries to escape with a Triumph (actually camouflaged as a German motorcycle of the time).
Final scene of “The Great Escape”
It was precisely during the filming of this film in the Bavarian region of Germany, when the causes for which, two years later in 1964, Steve McQueen and a group of friends participated in a motorcycle race in the German Democratic Republic.
The race in East Germany
Bud Ekins was a great film specialist and a great friend of Steve McQueen. They met when the famous actor moved to live in Hollywood. Ekins then had a small mechanical workshop in the San Fernando Valley, where he rented motorcycles to film studios.
Steve McQueen had him double for the most dangerous action scenes in many of his films. For example, Bud Ekins is in charge of making the jumps between the fences in the previous scene of The Great Escape.
It was during filming of that scene in the fall of 1962, when Ekins obtained permission to participate in the ISDT, a race organized in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, very close to Munich. In that race, Bud won his first gold medal.
When he returned to the shooting set, he told his friend Steve McQueen his exploits during the race and he was impressed. That was when they decided to set up an American team for the next race.
This team materialized two years later, in 1964. It was during the 39th edition of the International Six Days of Trials, held from September 7 to 12 in Erfurt, in East Germany.
The North American team was formed by Bud Ekins, Steve McQueen himself, Cliff Coleman and Dave Ekins (Bud’s brother). John Steen completed the group as a replacement pilot.
Steve McQueen with number 278 competing in the Erfurt ISDT in 1964
They brought the Triumphs from England, scrambler models adapted for that kind of motocross Olympiad.
The weather was very bad, with a lot of rain and cold. A very different environment than this team normally enjoyed in California. Nevertheless, the first two days of the championship managed to finish all their careers.
The third day, despite an improvement in time, was fatal for Bud Ekins and Steve McQueen, both had to leave. Ekins for breaking his ankle when he hit a rock and McQueen for smashing the front tire with another crash.
Coleman and Dave Ekins had more luck and managed to finish the race with a gold medal each.
Steve McQueen’s discovered photos.
This famous motorcycle race was widely documented in its day, especially by the French photographer Franรงois Gragnon and also by Lynn Wineland, one of the most famous racing photographers.
Recently, and through a German collector, new photographs of that event have been found. The photographer’s name is unfortunately unknown, but these images help us get a better idea of those days.
In its latest issue, the French magazine Cafe Racer on the world of custom motorcycle, has published a special report on Steve McQueen. In this dossier he develops several related articles and the publication of these anonymous photos.
Some of the unseen images published by the French magazine Cafe Racer
Our tribute to Steve McQueen
As we talked at the beginning, we are big fans of Steve McQueen. A few years ago we made a custom motorcycle tribute to his figure. For this we rely on his film about Le Mans.
In this film he was driving a Porche 917 K with the number 20. We wanted to pay tribute to him with a Harley Sportster converted to Cafe Racer. His name: Racing is Life.
“Racing is Life” next to Porche 917 piloted Steve McQueen in Le Mans.
This name is based on one of the most famous phrases of that movie: “Racing is life … anything that happens before or after is just waiting”.
We continue with our new batch of articles where we try to offer an answer to the different styles of custom motorcycles. Today we have to talk about one of the most demanded styles in recent years: that of Scrambler motorcycles.
“Scramble” is a term that means mixing, but also “fighting” or “short path”.
Thus, it is easy to assume that this word defines a type of motorcycle that serves both road or unpaved roads (offroad).
Let’s see below how and why these custom bikes were born.
Origins of Scrambler motorcycles
Although its origin can be traced to the Second World War, it was in England in the 60s when we witnessed its rise. The stage was the same where the famous Cafe Racer were born.
As we explained in a previous article about the history of the Cafe Racers, in the 50s and 60s an urban tribe of young rebels appeared in London who modified their bikes to win competitions. They were the Rockers.
These boys competed with each other with their custom bikes both in short journeys and in more official competitions, many of them held on the Isle of Man.
Many of them thought about shortening cross-country paths in their careers. That is why they put their bikes back in their garages to adapt them to the country environment.
It was in this way that those motorcycles evolved to what is now known as Scrambler style.
Already in the 60s and 70s, official motocross, enduro and trial competitions began to be held. These competitions help you to the popularity of this type of motorcycle.
Also recognized brands of motorcycle manufacturers began to market models based on this style such as Ducati or Triumph.
Cinema and music also helped to make Scrambler motorcycles known. It is only necessary to think about the famous scene of the escape of Steve McQueen in the movie The Great Escape or Elvis Presley playing an advertisement for Triumph Scrambler.
Steve McQueen in one of his races with a Scrambler
Elvis Presley poses for a Triumph Scrambler ad
Let us now know the characteristics that define this style.
Scrambler style features
We have already seen that to be a Scrambler motorcycle it is necessary to be modified for offroad roads. But for this to be possible, it is necessary that this motorcycle be light, robust and reliable.
Let’s see how these three essential factors are achieved:
Simplicity. Scrambler motorcycles are not designed to have all the details, their adventurous character drives them to keep only those essential details.
Weight reduction. Like their cousins, the cafe racers, these bikes need to do without unnecessary items.
Reduced tank. It is one more way to reduce the weight of the motorcycle.
Taco wheels. It is logical that a motorcycle that is destined to roll on dirt, dust, water or mud roads should have an excellent grip.
Padded seat. The comfort and the reduction of the impact before the bumps of the road are grateful for the pilot.
Wide handlebars. The maneuverability and a more comfortable position for the pilot was improved.
Exhaust pipe elevated. In this way it is avoided that you can suffer damage from the impact of stones due to the irregularity of the terrain.
Raised fenders. To prevent dirt and dirt from accumulating on the wheels.
Number plate. This detail is given by its competitive nature.
Today, custom motorcycles in Scrambler style are still one of the most demanded by our customers. This is due to its versatility by being able to have a motorcycle valid for both road and to get lost on unexplored roads.
Are you a Scrambler motorcycle lover? Tell us in the comments.
And if you want to have a motorcycle like this, we can help you with the project. You can bring us your motorcycle to do the transformation or we can also look for one. Contact us and we will advise you without any commitment.
The Brat style was born in Japan in the 90s, so it is also known as Japan Style. Its creator, Go Takamine, mixed the concepts of the english Cafe Racer and american Bobber to create a lighter and more urban motorcycle.
They are usually custom motorcycles with a retro or vintage air, although today it is usual that this rule does not have to be fulfilled. Like Cafe Racer, they dispense with any added element, maintaining a minimalist appearance. However, it differs from the latter in that the comfort of the pilot also prevails.
Already in his workshop, Takamine developed a “modus operandi” of a different design than usual that ended up being imitated throughout the world.
This style was democratized under the name of bratstyle, so the name of its store “Brat Style” ended up becoming generic.
Brat style features
As we have said before, the Brat style collects elements of both Cafe Racer and Bobber. However, it brings its own differences, which makes these custom bikes a style in its own right.
Let’s look at some of the common features of Brat style motorcycles below.
Based on medium displacement motorcycles. The first Brat-style models that Takamine manufactured, were based on Japanese brand bikes. But the main reason for choosing medium displacement bikes is that the result is as light as possible.
Low Bikes. It is usual to lower the suspensions to balance the shape of the motorcycle, so that the line under the tank and the seat is as parallel to the ground as possible.
Wide tires and equal diameter to each other.
Spoke wheels.
Small diameter headlights.
Fine and flat two-seater seat. These bikes admit companion, since their seat is quite elongated and flat. They also tend to dispense with any type of tail.
The handlebars are usually higher than those of the Cafe Racer (designed for better aerodynamics with the inclined position of the pilot). In the case of Brat Style motorcycles, enjoyment and driving comfort prevail.
In summary, the Brat style looks for a fun, urban motorcycle with good maneuverability and retro look.
Brat Bikes today
As with other styles such as Cafe Racer, Bobber or Scrambler, today they mix with each other or provide new details.
This custom Triumph motorcycle like Cafe Racer and Brat was commissioned by Tom Kaulitz (leader of the Tokio Hotel group) and made a video where you can see him in action.
