Harley-Davidson V-Racer

IT was September 2023, and the Australian custom motorcycle scene was pulsating with the highly anticipated revival of Throttle Roll. 50 of the country’s most ambitious custom builds were making their way to be staged for thousands of motorcycle and music lovers to gaze and drool over. Founder and Director of Throttle Roll, Mark Hawwa, had the unique pleasure of approving (and the displeasure of rejecting) these builds to enter the show. One name stood out amongst the entrants—Black Cycles Australia who entered a staggering six bikes into the show—all exceptionally built and exclusively designed.

There was always a particular bike that often drew Mark’s attention, but his love of cafe racers always kept his dream at bay. The Harley-Davidson V-Rod. Often seen customised into modern muscle choppers, large front wheels, huge rear tyres, lots of gold, lots of chrome; and never seen as anything else. So when Noel of Black Cycles Australia turned up on the doorstep of the now-home of Donut Garage after driving from Brisbane to Sydney to hand-deliver his prized possessions in a single trip, Mark knew from the moment Noel rolled out his creations that this was the man who would covert the always gold into an untold (and aptly named) V-Racer.

“In September 2023 I met Mark Hawwa when delivering bikes entering in Throttle Roll,” said Noel. “He asked me if I’d ever be interested in building a V-Rod. I said it’s not really my thing, but then he said ‘A V-Rod Cafe Racer’ and I said ‘Hell yeah!’ Mark had this project in his head for eight years since his first ride on a V-Rod and wanted one transformed into more of a cafe/sport’s bike feel. He fell in love with a turbo Ducati Monster I’d built & decided Black Cycles Australia was the place for this task.”

So later in 2023, Noel found what Mark was looking for—a low kilometre VRSCD 2006 import from Japan. After a few months of searching, Noel half-expected Mark to turn around and say that he was no longer interested. After all, it had taken some time maybe he had a change of heart? Noel couldn’t have been more wrong. Mark jumped on it and the build plans begun!

The concept was simple but daring—a fusion of Harley-Davidson’s iconic V-Rod with the aggressive lines of a café racer. The love of cafe racers is what got Mark into motorcycling, and what inspired the phenomenon of the worldwide motorcycle charity event, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. The event was founded on classic and custom bikes, and that same love inspired the latest build from Black Cycles Australia.

The Build: A Marriage of Power and Precision

What followed was months of hard work, innovation, and a deep collaboration between Mark and Noel, culminating in the V-Racer—a custom machine that blends the raw power of the V-Rod engine with the sleek, minimalist lines of a café racer.

Knowing the V-Rod’s powerful engine was a solid foundation, the focus shifted to rider position and aesthetics. The bike was stripped down and Noel’s first major task was addressing the 38-degree rake which had to be reduced to achieve a sportier, more aggressive stance. 2006 GSX-R inverted forks, which were completely rebuilt by Ride Dynamics to lower the fork internals, were paired with custom triple trees machined by Michael from MDS Fab who cad-designed and fabricated them from 50 mm 6061 aluminium to adjust the angle to 34 degrees, and billet clip-on bars, Reinard switches, Beringer brakes and levers, and Motogadget electronics brought the build to life.

Adrian from Canyon TT Wheels contributed to the transformation with custom 18-inch tubeless spoked wheels with billet hubs and also supplied the ultra high-performance Beringer brakes.

The rear drive pulley was beautifully designed and built by Justin from Popbang Classics from an original stock pulley. Expertly crafted to mimic the intricate spoked design of the custom wheels and reconfigured to resolve the swingarm clearance issues commonly plaguing the V-Rod. These were finished with a set of Metzeler Marathon Ultra tyres for maximum performance, adding a 120 front and 200 rear to enhance the bike’s road-hugging feel.

Justin also spent many hours preparing the bike for paint. As we all know, painting is 99 percent preparation, identifying every little pinhole and imperfection to eradicate before laying the paint down. If you look close enough you’ll find that many parts of the bike were crafted in chopped and twilled carbon-fibre, along with the fairing windshield and top panels. A painstaking job that took a god-level amount of time and precision for Noel.

A subtle throw-back to the production matte sand colour that these bikes were presented in, now revised in an understated and sleek gloss finish, paired with a warming grey accent colour. Delicately topped off with the V-Racer logo (or more accurately painted around it leaving the logo in fine carbon detail) while paying homage to all hands that laid work on this masterpiece along the panel-work.

The bodywork was another feat of engineering. Noel combined parts from a Honda CB and Ducati Monster to create a unique tank cover, with further modifications to the frame to enhance visual flow. The rear frame was raised by 60 mm, giving the bike an elongated, sleeker profile, while the tail section was crafted from an Harley-Davidson Street 500 tail shroud and aluminium seat that flips up for access to the newly-designed fuel tank to replace the stock under-seat tank. 

Attention to Detail

At the rear, the black leather seat was crafted by Carman’s Auto Trimmers, and aluminium panels were shaped up to completely infill the rear and continue out to the number plate mount which uses Kellerman micro all-in-ones. And finally, the aluminium top fairing, which took three rotations of creation and destruction until Noel was satisfied with the result. All these metal parts were tediously shaped by hand after countless iterations until it was no less than perfect.

A hallmark of any custom build is the attention to detail, and the V-Racer is no exception. The front fairing went through three iterations before Noel was satisfied with the final look. The cooling system was a particular challenge, with custom aluminium radiator covers and oil cooler modifications to ensure a perfect intersection of performance and style creating a more aerodynamic and stylistic aesthetic.

“The trademark V-Rod radiator/oil cooler covers were a challenge, so I’ve made up a more flowing aluminium full length covers including a full aluminium and stainless mesh front piece which fully encloses the cooling system and wiring and modified the oil cooler to narrow the lower section.”

The fully adjustable rear shocks were pieced together by YSS Australia, built precisely to Noel’s specifications to factor in the rider and the bike. Even the stainless steel bolts were given special treatment—each one machined at a 10-degree taper to enhance the bike’s sleek appearance, a task that took more than 20 hours.

With the goal of creating something that was engineered to a showroom production standard, Noel crafted handmade aluminium belt guard, front pulley guard, lower front frame fillers, overflow bottle, air box, horn cover, keyless start cover, and many more fillers and parts to create a seamless and cohesive build that would make this seem like Harley-Davidson’s never–released prototype cafe racer.

The outer engine covers were designed with ‘clear view’ window stator cover by DGD Custom’s in Sydney, to give a peek into the belly of the beast, allowing an unobstructed view as the stator spins. These along with the handmade spacers, covers, foot controls, triple trees and more were blasted and coated in a satin black ‘heat dispersant’ Cerakote by Competition Coatings.

The pièce de résistance of the build is the full handmade 316 stainless steel exhaust, which consists of more than 45 pieces and incorporates a flex joint to accommodate the rubber-mounted engine. It’s not just about performance but about creating something visually stunning, functional, and entirely one-of-a-kind.

The Grand Reveal

The V-Racer was revealed at its home at Donut Garage in Sydney, Australia. Donut Garage, launched by Mark Hawwa and Simon Francis, is a space for automotive enthusiasts of all types, with a number of in-house vehicles from iconic rotary’s like the 1967 13B Mazda Cosmo, 20B Cosmo, and series 3 RX7; as well as a fan-favourite DeLorean. Amongst the display cars, you’ll also find the next custom project the team are building, an ultimate sleeper soccer-mum SUV. But more on that later!

Building the V-Racer wasn’t just about creating another custom bike; it was about setting the tone for Donut Garage, a new space that merges automotive culture with the irresistible aroma of fresh donuts. Donut Garage is a hub for automotive enthusiasts of all kinds, and the V-Racer is the first in a series of unique vehicles to launch from its doors.

Donut Garage provided the perfect backdrop for this ambitious build. More than just a place to grab sweet treats from, it’s a space that hosts vehicle launches, events, and meet-ups for gear-heads who appreciate the art of custom builds. And the V-Racer is the first of many ‘house vehicles’ that will be built and unveiled at Donut Garage. Whether you’re into bikes, cars, or anything that rolls on wheels, Donut Garage is a place to celebrate innovation, craftsmanship, and a shared love for vehicles of all kinds.

The V-Racer showcases what’s possible when passion, creativity, and engineering excellence come together, setting the stage for future weird and wonderful house vehicles that will push the boundaries of what a custom build can be.

Mark’s V-Rod café racer might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who appreciate the art of the custom build, it’s a masterpiece. The attention to detail, the craftsmanship, and the vision of this build resulted in a bike that’s as functional as it is beautiful. And while the V-Racer may be the first, it certainly won’t be the last unique vehicle to roll out of Donut Garage.

Stay tuned for future builds and launches, because this is just the beginning.

Special thanks to:

Black Cycles Australia, Popbang Classics, MDS Fab, Carman’s Auto Trimmers, Motogadget, Canyon TT wheels, Beringer Brakes, YSS suspension, Oberon, Hel performance, DGD Custom’s, Metzeler, Motul, Competition Coatings, Ride Dynamis

Photography by: Pat Stevenson | @patstevenson