Like any master of their craft, Julian von Oheimb has a distinctive style that makes his work easy to identify. His sultry Harley-Davidson bobbers have put his workshop, One Way Machine, on the map—and they’ve secured multiple wins and podiums at the prestigious AMD World Championships. But the German custom bike builder has been operating outside of his comfort zone lately.
This custom Street Bob is the biggest departure from his signature aesthetic yet. Based on a brand new Harley-Davidson Softail Street Bob 114, it eschews One Way Machine’s typical classic bobber vibe for a more aggressive, streetfighter-inspired look.
It’s also notable for being a modern Harley-Davidson, rather than a classic one. For the first decade of running One Way Machine, Julian exclusively worked on older bikes—but he’s added the Motor Co.’s contemporary Milwaukee-Eight Softails to his remit in recent years. Despite those differences, Julian’s hand is still evident in every inch of this custom Street Bob.
The concept for this build first started percolating in Julian’s head in the early 2000s, when an episode of the television series, Biker Build-Off, featured a Harley-Davidson streetfighter from Exile Cycles. Julian hated it at first—but found himself admiring it by the end of the episode. When an image of that bike popped up on the internet recently, he felt inspired to build his own Harley ‘streetfighter.’
As luck would have it, Julian was between customer projects and had time on his hands. So he bought a new Harley Street Bob from his local dealer, picking it over its stablemates for its punchier motor, barebones layout, and light(er) weight.
Since this was a personal project, Julian had complete artistic freedom. He started sketching out his ideas and quickly decided to denude the bike of its stock bodywork. But remarkably, there was no need to hack into the Street Bob’s frame; a testament to how versatile it is as a platform for customization.
A new fuel tank is perched atop the Harley, handmade by Julian. Set skinny and slim, it’s juxtaposed against the swooping, flared tail section.
Regular readers should recognize the tailpiece. It comes from Winston Yeh’s Taiwanese shop, Rough Crafts, and bolts to the OEM strut mounts on any Harley-Davidson Softail. The seat wears a stylish Nappa leather cover, courtesy of regular OWM collaborator, Spirit Leather.
There’s more custom metalwork up front, where Julian fabricated a new front fender, headlight nacelle, and fork shrouds. A pair of recessed LED projectors light the way, covered by a custom-made grill. It’s a riff on the grill-covered headlight design that dominated OWM’s early work, but with a modern twist.
The stock forks and 19” front wheel are still in play, but the forks have been lowered by way of a kit from Thunderbike. It’s a different story out back though, where Julian wanted to run something burlier than the stock 150-wide tire, without going overboard.
The solution came in the form of a solid 18” Harley-Davidson rear wheel, which was machined down to fit the Street Bob’s narrow swingarm. The setup can accommodate a 200-wide tire; wide enough to get the look Julian wanted, but narrow enough that the bike can still be thrown around. “After all,” says Julian, “what would be the point of building a fighter that you can’t bang through corners?”
Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra tires offer sporty grip, while Zodiac brake discs and Probake hoses improve the Street Bob’s stopping power.
The bike’s finished off with an enviable list of aftermarket parts. OWM handlebars are fitted with Wunderkind levers and Rough Crafts grips. Rough Crafts supplied the footpegs too, along with the ribbed handlebar clamps that double as a housing for the Street Bob’s tiny digital speedo.
The engine wears a Thunderbike air filter, a cam cover and rocker boxes from EMD in France, and a blacked-out exhaust system from MCJ. The exhaust is particularly crafty, with a switch that activates an electronically-actuated valve to adjust its volume. An OWM radiator cover and Kellermann LED turn signals round out the package.
Although Julian deliberately opted for a contemporary look for the Street Bob, he could resist adding a few vintage touches. His affinity for older machines is hard to shake—especially since he spends every Saturday working on pre-1960 Harleys and Indians with his father.
The Mooneyes hot rod fuel filler cap and 1920s Harley-Davidson logos are obvious nods to the past, as is the bike’s timeless livery. Julian opted for a mostly-black layout, with double pinstripes added by Chiko’s Pinstriping.
The result is a purposeful custom Street Bob that’s surprisingly lithe for a cruiser, beautifully finished, and begging to be ridden in anger. If this is OWM’s new direction, we can’t wait to see what Julian cooks up next.
One Way Machine | Instagram | Images by Pixel Fetisch
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