MELVILLE - KING OF KINGS FORTY-EIGHT FROM JAPAN | Harleysite.com

Melville Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Shizuoka

Harleysite
Apr, Sun, 2020
King of Kings , Latest news , Custombikes - Technology & Parts

MELVILLE - KING OF KINGS FORTY-EIGHT FROM JAPAN

MELVILLE - FORTY-EIGHT KING OF KINGS FROM JAPAN

The Melville based on the Sportster Forty-Eight from Japan

KING OF KINGS SERIES - MELVILLE

From Harley-Davidson Shizuoka in Japan comes a spectacular Sportster conversion based on the Forty-Eight. The machine was built by the Japanese Hiromi Arai, He is the manager of Harley-Davidson Shizuoka, which is located southwest of Yokohama. The owner is Kenji Watanabe, who has given Hiromi the honorable task of building a Japan-style bobber from the Sportster.

MELVILLE - KING OF KINGS FORTY-EIGHT FROM JAPAN

Last week Hiromi told me that he got the information from the company that he made the fourth place with his conversion.

He is really proud of this, because at the end of the day, all of the King of Kings participants are really good customizers. He has already won the „Battle Of The Kings“ in succession in 2018 and 2019.

It wasn't just a case of screwing something together in the workshop; the team thought about it for a long time until the basic idea was clear and then worked intensively on the project.

JAPANESE CULTIVATE THEIR TRADITION

It was already clear to the Japanese beforehand that they wanted to transfer the spirit of their Japanese tradition to the custom bike. The ornaments „Prayer“, „Death“ and „Reverence“ of the old Japanese school convey this. You have to say, that is Hiromi really successful, the Japanese have a knack for it.

*Hiromi Arai - Melville Sportster King Of Kings Shizuoka*

The Harley conversion stands out, it is not overdriven and you can still recognize the basis of the Sporty-Eight. From the parts list you can see that even many OEM custom parts from Harley-Davidson have been installed and it is not a bike made of nothing but special parts.

*Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Melville Hiromi Arai Shizuoka*

Despite the conversion, the Forty-Eight genes are still clearly recognizable

It has a deep black color balance and is almost silver-colored with the silver-colored ornaments. But only almost, with good lighting it must look insanely good. This combination of eye-catching ornaments matches the Old Shool saddle and the Springer fork. He didn't tell me why some of the Bar & Shield logos are upside down, perhaps it's a sign that everything is going haywire at the moment.

Air cleaner and engine view Melville Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Shizuoka

LED indicators Melville Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Shizuoka

Speedometer Melville Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Shizuoka

The narrow line of the Sportster has remained

The chizeled handlebars keep the narrow line of the Sportster, the suspended mirrors are on the handlebars and the small LED indicators indicate the direction well hidden. All in all, it is a beautiful bobber style that the Japanese have built.

I am sure that if Hiromi Arai on the European Bike Week would take part in the bike show with the device, he would be able to compete with the Forty-Eight on the podium.

Tank view Melville Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight Custom - Shizuoka

Japan generally has very good customizers, especially in the area of Old Shool bikes, where your eyes sometimes pop open at what's riding around there and can be seen at the well-known trade fairs.

Hiromi has chosen the Sportster Forty-Eight as the basis for the conversion, the first thing you notice are the fat tires, around which the design is basically built, otherwise it would make no sense to take the Forty-Eight.

The land of the rising sun

In the land of the rising sun, they put all their energy into creating a strikingly beautiful Sportster. I don't want to rate them, because all the participants in the King of Kings have built beautiful Harleys to a high standard, sometimes with very different results. And that is the real fascination, basically they are all winners.

Some of the conversions can be easily rebuilt, because various parts come from the accessories catalog, something like this can be realized. With de Melville the costs could be a bit high, with the Springer fork and the paint kit you will certainly end up with more than 20,000€, but that's how it is when you build a custom bike without limits.

In any case, they have done an excellent job of turning the Forty-Eight into a traditional Japanese bobber!