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Story by Vincent Stemp Photos by Francisco Manen he last time we saw a new bike roll out of Lord Drake Kustoms in Miami, Florida, it was a striking Dynabased cafe racer, with the stance and lines that recall a very European tradition of riding to the track and tearing up some corners. While bikes like those reflect the old world mentality of owner Francisco A. Manen, his shop isn’t just a one-trick pony. Not wanting to be accused of “just doing cafe racers,” Francisco decided that it was time to build something with a distinctly American vibe: a rigidstyle sled with a springer front end, in the classic tradition of
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the original post-war bobber builders. With that look in mind, he searched for a donor bike. Classic styling doesn’t necessarily demand classic performance shortfalls or maintenance demands, so he turned up a late model Springer Softail to undergo the same stripping and lightening that has been a part of customizing Harley-Davidsons for nearly half a century. Packing a stout 88” Twin Cam power plant, there were other reasons to use the Softail as a platform for this custom. “I didn’t want to use the typical and cheap aftermarket springer forks for this build,” Francisco recalls, so the all-American H-D Springer already on the bike was the perfect piece to lead the way. The teardown commenced, with many original parts left on the table in the pursuit of a minimal, “bobbed” profile. While the bike was mostly naked, Francisco and his crew took the opportunity to dress up the