Bender Built by Fine Custom Mechanics, a Custom Shop based in Moscow, Russia

THE sight and sound of a Harley-Davidson are for many people a symbol of freedom, a true American Icon. Such is the power of the image it projects and the accompanying sense of anything being possible when riding an H-D in the land of the free that the bikes can now be found in every corner of the globe.

Harley-Davidsons have found there way to Russia and not only that but the lifestyle that goes with them has seeped into the consciousness of the riders there too and in particular Dmitry Motkov of Fine Custom Mechanics, a custom shop in Moscow.

While Russia may not have the rich heritage of custom bike building that the US does, it does have access to the Internet and that can prove a mine of information about how customs have developed. There is no doubt that Dmitry has immersed himself in discovering all he can about how custom bikes have developed and has gone back to the early days for his inspiration for his World Championship entry – Bender.

Talking the ever popular board tracker look as his starting point, Dmitry began the build by welding up his own single loop gooseneck rigid frame. Keeping a close eye on current trends he designed it to carry the oil in the main tubes too. The chassis package was then completed by bolting on a reproduction Springer fork.

When it came to sourcing an engine to use in the build there were a few issues. Give that communism restricted a lot of older Harleys being imported into Russia in the past there are not a lot of older V-twin motors about. However, thanks to today’s openness and easy access to US suppliers thanks to the Internet Dmitry was able to source a Pandemonium 88ci engine, which gives a suitable period look to the bike. Similarly, the transmission all needed to be sorted from aftermarket supplier and is made up of a BDL primary and a RevTech six-speed gearbox.

To get the bike rolling Dmitry looked closer to home for the wheels and had Germany’s Rick’s supply a 19in front and 16in rear wheel. To these he added a 360 Brake front brake and a combined brake disc and rotor for the rear.

When it came to bodywork for Bender the gas tank and rear fender were all made in-house at Fine Custom Mechanics, as was the sprung solo seat, which acts on a pull shock below the frame’s upper tube.

The building of Bender by Dmitry at Fine Custom Mechanics demonstrates not only the universal popularity of Harleys and custom ones in particular but also the importance of the World Championship of Custom Bike Building in bringing custom bike enthusiasts from around the world together.