Photo: Kate Miller
Based on a Harley Sportster XL1200C, the breathtaking cafe racer we’re about to look at goes by the name of BAR!STA, hailing from Frankfurt, Germany. It is the work of Mainhattan Choppers, a shop whose name doesn’t quite conjure up visions of caffeinated one-offs. Still, that’s not to say Harald Geiger and Martin Lison haven’t knocked it out of the park, because this older project of theirs is absolutely incredible.
As it has been shown time and time again, Harley-Davidson's XL1200C can be a solid basis for projects of various genres, from scramblers to choppers and just about everything in between. Equipped with a V-twin colossus displacing around 1,200cc, the Sportster has 79 pound-feet (107 Nm) of low-end torque at its disposal. Power makes its way to the rear wheel through a five-speed gearbox and a belt final drive.
That being said, let’s go ahead and see what BAR!STA is all about. Harald and Martin deleted all the factory bodywork during the initial teardown, as none of the stock parts matched their vision. Then, they enrolled the help of Ian Alderton, a guy with over 19 years of experience at Honda Europe's R&D department and a track record of impressive builds of his own. Ian was, of course, happy to lend his expertise.
The sharp bodywork he came up with is what really sets this specimen apart, adding a nice bit of refinement to the Sportster formula. We notice a sizeable fuel tank in the center, with three wings making their way forward to meet the headlight. They go around a pair of clip-on handlebars in seamless fashion, and the whole design looks superb from every angle.
At the back, the bike carries a new subframe topped with a handsome cafe-style tail section. Suspension duties in that area are assigned to premium aftermarket shock absorbers, but the Sportster’s OEM forks are still present at the front. The Germans did away with its standard hoops, though, installing laced substitutes enveloped in Metzeler rubber.
As a cool little touch, the tire sidewalls are embellished with the motorcycle’s sobriquet up front and the workshop’s name out back. Other bits and pieces scattered throughout this build include billet aluminum rearsets, a swingarm-mounted license plate holder, and multi-function LEDs fitted near the upper shock mounts. Then there is the stainless-steel exhaust pipework built in-house.
It ends nice and high on both sides of the tail, joined by a fresh air cleaner on the intake side of things. Unsurprisingly, BAR!STA has garnered a ton of attention back when it was released, so Mainhattan Choppers began offering body kits with pricing that starts at €10,200 (about $11k at current exchange rates) for the base package. Available in three variations, these kits can transform any Sportster into a mouth-watering cafe racer.
That being said, let’s go ahead and see what BAR!STA is all about. Harald and Martin deleted all the factory bodywork during the initial teardown, as none of the stock parts matched their vision. Then, they enrolled the help of Ian Alderton, a guy with over 19 years of experience at Honda Europe's R&D department and a track record of impressive builds of his own. Ian was, of course, happy to lend his expertise.
The sharp bodywork he came up with is what really sets this specimen apart, adding a nice bit of refinement to the Sportster formula. We notice a sizeable fuel tank in the center, with three wings making their way forward to meet the headlight. They go around a pair of clip-on handlebars in seamless fashion, and the whole design looks superb from every angle.
At the back, the bike carries a new subframe topped with a handsome cafe-style tail section. Suspension duties in that area are assigned to premium aftermarket shock absorbers, but the Sportster’s OEM forks are still present at the front. The Germans did away with its standard hoops, though, installing laced substitutes enveloped in Metzeler rubber.
As a cool little touch, the tire sidewalls are embellished with the motorcycle’s sobriquet up front and the workshop’s name out back. Other bits and pieces scattered throughout this build include billet aluminum rearsets, a swingarm-mounted license plate holder, and multi-function LEDs fitted near the upper shock mounts. Then there is the stainless-steel exhaust pipework built in-house.
It ends nice and high on both sides of the tail, joined by a fresh air cleaner on the intake side of things. Unsurprisingly, BAR!STA has garnered a ton of attention back when it was released, so Mainhattan Choppers began offering body kits with pricing that starts at €10,200 (about $11k at current exchange rates) for the base package. Available in three variations, these kits can transform any Sportster into a mouth-watering cafe racer.
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