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Baden-Baden, Germany is home of the European custom parts manufacturer and distributor, Rick’s Motorcycles. Rick has specialized in creating highly modified Harley-Davidsons, both with custom builds such as this bike done at his shop, and by producing parts and wheels for other Harley-Davidson shops and builders to use on their project bikes. This 2009 Harley-Davidson Night Train was built in house to show off all the company’s skills as well as to display their parts. Rick’s modified Harleys often compete head-to-head with top one-off customs in shows all around the world.

“What we are looking at is a motorcycle that has been completely torn apart bolt by bolt and every detail refined and improved and then put back together again,” explained Patrick Knoerzer of Rick’s Motorcycles. This included molding the frame, stretching the gas tank, modifying the oil tank, installing flush gas caps and the speedometer into the gas tank, and fitting Rick’s Motorcycles custom fenders.

After the sheet metal was finished, one of Rick’s easy-to-mount Trick’n’roll Fat Ass swingarm kits was installed. What is special about this kit is that it allows the use of the stock transmission and primary driving, lowering costs. The wheel stays in the center and the belt is moved outboard by using a second belt and jackshaft. Forged, one-piece Freestyle wheels produced by Rick’s were bolted up, along with a Jorn fork assembly adorned by a V-Rod headlight for a super clean look.

As the frame and sheet metal was being massaged, the engine was sent to the V-twin engine building wizard, Gunther Sohn of G&R. He installed one of his stage II kits with big bore cylinders bring displacement and horsepower up to 1,920cc and 122, respectively. AS Industries provided the exhaust pipes and Rick’s crew handcrafted the heat shields.

“We offer our customers a very fast and practical customizing system; this has been especially welcomed by Harley-Davidson dealers,” says Rick. “We can deliver the components for self-mounting or do the work in our highly specialized shop.” Rick’s Motorcycles even offers seminars for dealer staff explaining the installations in detail. Overall, Rick’s bikes seem to bridge the gap between the high-end $70,000 and up one-of customs of yesteryear and the more practical and price-conscious goal of creating a highly modified Harley-Davidson. His bikes are at the uppermost end of the modified Harley spectrum and his store aims to help others join him, providing a wide array of custom parts and do-it-yourself kits. Check out his website www.houseofcustom.de and you can look at several other modified Harleys along with his parts.