As part of our daily coverage of cool Harley-Davidson builds from around the world, we brought before you on Saturday a 2016 Breakout we nicknamed Metal Flake. It’s a project put together in France by a garage called Melk, and it is based on a 2016 Breakout. Which is exactly the same base model we have here, only interpreted a little differently by the same crew.
Melk is primarily a paint shop, but one that doesn’t shy away from giving its builds that extra touch of uniqueness only the careful fitting of custom parts can produce. The bike we have here is more than ample proof of that, perhaps even more so than the Metal Flake we mentioned.
Like all other jobs Melk performs, this 2016 Breakout does not wear a proper post-conversion name, so we had to pick one for it. We went for Dark Cloak with this one, once again referencing the choice of color used on the build.
It may not look like it, but there are two shades of black in there, both of them of the Harley Vivid variety. There’s the glossy version of the shade and the matt one, chasing each other on the body parts of the machine in selective varnish to create the desired contrasting effect, while apparently dressing the entire two-wheeler under a dark cloak that’ll make it indistinguishable from the night itself.
Under this dark cloak of darkness a world of custom wonders is hidden, connected to the ground by means of custom wheels front and rear (the latter 260 mm wide and wrapped in Metzeler rubber), shielded by a cut and lowered fender up front and a LED-carrying one out back.
Photo: Melk
An adjustable lowering kit changed the stance of the stock Breakout and made it a touch more aggressive. And that’s not only for show, as unlike what happens with most custom Harleys, this one had its engine pumped as well.
The increase in power may not be massive by some standards (up from 79 to 84 hp and from 132 Nm of torque to 138), but it is enough for the purpose of this particular ride. And there are a few more engine upgrades thrown in there by Melk. The first is the fitting of a Bassani exhaust system that will surely make this invisible-in-the-dark bike’s presence known even during moonless nights, and the second is the Machine Performance air filter that helps the powerplant breathe air in.
The Dark Cloak is bike number 20 in Melk’s lineup of 36 customs, and as a more recent one, it comes with a price tag. The shop says it can deliver this or similar Breakout conversions in exchange for 28,000 euros. That is $29,800 at current exchange rates, and just a tad over the price of a brand new, 2023 Breakout 117, which sells for $20,999.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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