An advantage to this bike is it will never rust as rain is a word they do not know in the Arabian Sheikdom of Abu Dhabi. Another advantage is with petrol prices at 30-cents a litre, one can make a detour in this fantastic metropolis to take in all the highlights, which seems to grow daily. In 1960’s as the first oil was found, there were in some parts no electricity or running water. Now the peninsula is full of manmade islands as a sign of prestige and authority in innovation to the region and in the eyes of the world. In the meantime the city has grown to around one million inhabitants, and having no rail network, it’s sometimes wise to take the long way ‘round to get to Mario’s shop just to avoid the traffic jams.

Bike builder Mario Kyprianides from Chopper Kultcha has had his custom shop in Abu Dhabi for years and found it was time for a new project: a show bike which he could present on the international scene. Mario is a biker with heart and soul so the requirements were obvious. It must be a bike he could ride in this environment of extreme temperatures and sand, but also a bike that would be an eye catcher at the custom shows. His idea for the company bike was a bunch of self-made parts and a Chopper Kultcha gooseneck wishbone signature rigid frame for a very cool looking bike. Two years ago, Mario was in Sturgis with his friend Warren, who rode a 1969 Shovel. The look and the sound of Warren’s bike was exactly what Mario had been looking for. After some intensive thinking he started to build the 93” Shovel engine with his buddy Billy at BB Racing in New Orleans. The engine and some other parts from S&S arrived in Abu Dhabi where Mario finished it and checked them all on the test stand. He had also ordered a frame from Maximum Metalworks when he was in the USA, which he also modified to give it a clean Old School look and then added springer forks, copper oil lines and spoke wheels. He then thought of a name for his bike. It had to be something special to keep it apart from all the other bikes. Mario chose Courtesan, an Italian word meaning “the ruler’s mistress.” He ordered forks from CCI, which are 2” longer than the normal mass product. The wheels are 2.75 x 21 front and 5.5 x 18 back and are the big spoke one-off wheels from RRW. The spokes were removed before assembly and have been powdercoated with a touch of gold plating: For the power he needed for the road the 93” engine has been modified with an Andrews camshaft, S&S Super E Carburetor, Rowe USA valves and a self-made exhaust that makes the desert tremble. The power transmission from the engine to the gearbox, which is a 6 gear in a classical 4 gear casing, with an open belt is only 2” wide to keep the bike slim looking. The braking system had to be of modern standards. Here in Abu Dhabi, camels do not know the Highway Code, so just in case one of those humpy creatures decided to cross the road, Mario decided to go for 4 piston brakes from HHI. Building a custom bike entails more than buying a few parts and putting them together. The tank, fender, seat pan and the oil tank under the gearbox port hole sight fuel gauge were all handmade by Mario in his shop. A highlight is the tank and fender connected in the middle with butterfly nuts. All of the pipelines were made of copper. The fuel tank cap, the fuel tap, foot pegs and the manual shift were also handmade by the European customizer. After 10 long months of blood, sweat, and tears Courtesan was starting to come together. A real custom bike made in Abu Dhabi. Last but not least it was time for the paintjob. Mario sent the parts to painter and friend Robert Pradke in the USA who, without any computer help, fulfilled Mario’s wildest dreams. Old School at its best.