Following on from the massive success that was the ‘Number One’ bike building competition, run by Harley Davidson Australia and New Zealand, the company decided to do it all again, just bigger and better for 2025. This year’s competition earned the title ‘Custom Kings’ and welcomed motorcycles from the full 122 years of Harley-Davidson production, with four categories, public voting and one expert judging panel to determine the overall winner. And incredibly, Canberra’s John Cage has made it two for two, having taken out the top trophy in 2024 and now in 2025 winning it all again and taking the crown. His 1987 FXR is a brilliant mix of custom parts and genuine Harley components, and twin-cam swapped, this Club-Style machine is seriously quick.

To win such a prestigious competition two years in a row is an incredible effort and each time, John has chosen the FXR platform on which to base his build. But he faced serious opposition, four categories – Milwaukee Eight, Twin Cam, Evolution and Vintage (anything pre-Evolution) – saw ten finalists chosen in each and the public was tasked with picking the winners, with the final four being judged by an esteemed panel of the industry’s leading experts to come away with an overall champion. In the Vintage category, it was the stripped-back bobbers that proved to be the favourite, while all of the modern categories were filled with that unmistakable style of the Cholo HD and all the bling that comes with it.

But John’s decision to utilise the FXR and ensure there is just the right mix of visual porn and potent performance is clearly a winning formula, and for 2025 he knew he had to go one step further if he was to achieve back-to-back trophies. But the donor bike was no prize, sourced locally in the nation’s capital, the ’87 FXR came with a cracked tranny, non-running motor and a tank that was more builder’s bog than metal. None of this was a problem, however, as John only wanted the frame and set about modifying it for all of the changes he had planned. The next step was to smooth it all out and then hit it with a smooth as silk black powder coat to give the old steel a factory-fresh appearance.

Time to power things up, and the clapped-out EVO was sent to the back of the workshop and bolted into the frame is a brand new HD Twin-Cam 88. Once fitment was sorted out, the engine work could commence and the bottom end is packed with a 95ci big bore kit, Timken bearing cases and a 4.00” stroke. A pair of black and contrast machined 3.875” cylinders were filled up with Screamin’ Eagle forged pistons featuring 10.25:1 compression and a .030 head gasket ensures perfect numbers. To bring the top end up to the same standard, later model 96ci heads are used and prove a popular upgrade thanks to their larger exhaust ports and ability to support higher lift. Then to address the known weak area of the TC, a Feuling OE+ cam chest and upgraded hydraulic tensioner sort things out.

To give a broad power band and take a little stress off the components used to fire the engine into life, John made the wise choice to select the S&S 570 easy start cams. To provide the fuelling to the potent package, the carb is a Mikuni HSR42 that draws its air via an S&S Stealth intake, which matched with the blacked-out rocker boxers and pushrod tubes gives the engine a really clean look. Taking care of the ignition, a Daytona TwinTec system adds adjustability to the package and lets the tuner really dial things in, and on the exhaust side it’s a thing of beauty, with the Bassani Lutzka Edition 2 into 1 system making a hell of a sound. The primary has been upgraded and slightly modified, and the power is fed via an HD factory 5-speed gearbox to a new chain and sprocket setup.

Now, all of that American muscle is really only useful if the bike can actually handle and stop, and it’s hear that the FXR is one of the best. And to take it to the next level, John grabbed all of the best bits from an FXDX. The front forks feature Showa cartridges and are given a stiffen-up thanks to a Big Al’s billet brace. The rear end features a Chopper Guys swingarm, upgraded bearings, Alloy Art pivot blocks and a set of 13.5” adjustable shocks to keep it all under control. The braking is just as impressive too, with Chopper Haus 11.8” floating discs, clamped by big Brembo calipers, with a single of the same kind for the rear, and Hel brake lines all around. Controlling it all are those true ‘club-style’ risers, 8in items from V2 Speed Co, with MX bars and Brembo masters.

Those bars set the theme for the visuals and you simply have to have the HD quarter fairing, which is mounted on a brilliant custom bracket and sports a laminar lip. Moving further back and the V2 Speed Co high-mounted crash bars are another staple of the club-style vibe, as is that stunning Saddleman Step-up seat, all in black and finished with a diamond stitch. A blade-style front fender keeps things looking uber clean and the rear fender is held up by black billet struts from FXR Divison. The paint plays a crucial roll in bringing it all together, and fellow Canberra local David ‘Naz’ Narik used his years of experience to mix up a custom PPG metallic purple, which fades to black in low light, and gets a pop from the home anodised bolts in a bright purple finish.

Then there is the detail work, some of which you don’t see, like all of the beautifully run wiring and the MotoGadget hardware to control the show. The same company’s MotoScope Pro dash takes pride of place and looks bang on, while a matching red display on the Intellitronix digital fuel gauge and a billet MX filler cap give the tank some more standout features. The headlight is an LED item, actually taken straight from the HD catalogue, coming courtesy of the current model Low Rider ST, and there are tiny indicators from MotoGadget and Brown Industries, the rears beautifully integrated into the rear struts. A bunch of custom machined parts add a one-off touch and it all adds up to a Twin-Cam swapped FXR that’s stunning to look at, scintillating to ride, and the clear 2025 Custom King.

[ Images from Harley-Davidson ANZ ]