Over the past fifteen years, Martin Becker of MB Cycles has carved out a reputation as one of the best custom Harley builders in Germany. He?s a regular at shows and in magazines such as Custombike, but you don?t need to be a V-twin enthusiast to spot that his work is something special.
A few months ago, we were entranced by Martin?s S&S-powered ?Dr Skin? bobber. We?re now drooling over this follow-up build called ?Bonneville GS.? And just to clear up any confusion, the name is a nod to the salt flats rather than the iconic Triumph model.

?The rolling chassis of this bike was standing around in my shop for quite a while,? says Martin. ?The plan was to build a race bike for myself and take it to the Bonneville Salt Flats.?
Then Guido Sommer, a customer and friend, visited Martin?s Heidelberg workshop for a beer and to discuss another project. ?He saw the rolling chassis and immediately fell in love.
“Two or three beers later, he had talked me into selling it to him. You can?t say no to such an amazing customer, and it?s also my job to build motorbikes!?
Guido usually gives Martin a free rein with his commissions, so Martin decided to go for a sporty, low-slung look. The 2002-vintage HPU Softail frame sits low, and is luckily road legal. ?You need a frame which is already registered in Germany,? Martin explains. ?It?s not possible any more to build a ?new? bike with a new manufacturing date.?

There are so many details and mods on this Softail, we could wr...