It’s happened to the best of us, you’re walking around a store and see a product that catches your eye. You know deep down that you don’t really need it, but you’re in a spending mood and before you know it the sales staff are handing you the item, an invoice, and you’re walking out the door as buyer’s remorse begins to fall over you. For Aussie biker Josh, he’d just done exactly that, although his purchase was a little larger than most, in the form of a 2022 Harley-Davidson Pan America. The thing is, he’s not really an adventure bike kind of guy, but to remedy the situation he knew exactly who to call. And rather than dodge the epic challenge, Noel Muller of Black Cycles Australia was ready as always to take on all comers, and in just six months, he’s produced the ultimate American Super-Scrambler.

Adventure bikes are all the rage in new bike sales at the moment, and you can see why. There are smaller offerings from Yamaha and Honda that provide entry-level access to endless escapades. You can also step up to machines like the BMW GS that can literally take you around the world and do it in comfort and style. But, they’re certainly not everyone’s cup of tea and as Noel explains, Josh realised that not long after he’d purchased the big American. “He had bought it on the spur of the moment & wasn’t actually an adventure bike person and asked if I could do anything cool with it. I said of course, let’s do it!”

Now, ordinarily, I’d say a builder taking on such a project would be crazy, but as he’s proven time and again, Noel is a genius, who can turn any bike into any custom your heart desires; as he recently showed off with the V-Rod Cafe Racer we featured a fortnight ago. For his part, Josh was happy to let Noel lead the dance, he simply wanted something stripped back and matte black. “So once we received the bike a week later we stripped it of its plastics & bash guards etc to see what we’re dealing with. I could then see that the base is actually very compact. I suggested a modern scrambler style as if Harley Davidson had made a prototype for real motocross racing & Josh loved the idea!” Noel explains.

But there were some big challenges to overcome, the first of which was that massive fuel tank, which holds a very healthy 21.2 litres, but would never look right for the design Noel had in mind. The Pan America also offers up other obstacles to rectifying this problem, such as the fact the engine is a stressed member. Noel worked on a solution, which would involve a long fuel tank running from the front of the bike to the back, dropping the overall height and slimming things down. But to achieve this, he first had to build an all-new subframe, which is not only shorter to get the scrambler look but can accept the rear of the new tank.

The fuel cell itself is completely concealed and sits just below the neck, running nearly a metre rearward and holding a very respectable 8.5 litres. Even with aggressive riding, that’s still good for more than 150km, but ever the innovator, Noel then built an auxiliary tank which holds another 2.4 litres and sits nice and low below the engine. “The auxiliary tank can be removed easily without tools to top up the fuel if necessary.” Now all of this work had to be covered up with stylish panels, and aluminium was chosen to bring the shapes to life. The result is simply incredible, this genuinely looks like a factory machine, with flawless execution and a real mix of scrambler and motocross styling.

The huge screen and odd factory headlight are gone, and the whole look is lowered with Noel brilliantly integrating the multi function screen into the top of the faux tank panels. The front end now consists of a custom number board with a pair of vertically stacked Highsider satellite LEDs serving as the headlight, and a superbly sculpted high-mount front fender. The tail section is another sensation, aluminium number boards and tail, all beautifully moulded, but with the sort of bulk required to match the remainder of the bike. “The paint was done beautifully once again by Justin at Popbang Classics in matte black with some bar n’ shield logos, oversized HD font, the new name of Super-Scrambler and the number 25 which is just the 25 from the 1250 motor size.”

The seat fits in perfectly with the style, and the long custom aluminium base has had just the right amount of foam added in all the right places, so that Josh has a comfortable ride, but can also shift his weight around when really throwing the big HD into a turn. The finished product was then sent out to Adam at Carman’s Auto Trimmers for some of his always flawless work. Below the seat, you see the next big challenge that Noel had to overcome, the exhaust.

“The first attempt was to run a pipe upwards from the original low-down headers, but that looked ridiculous. So I chopped up the headers & built a mid-set to flow better visually into the Vance & Hines muffler.”

That exhaust sports a stunning set of custom heat shields, and the thumping engine doesn’t miss out either, with an all-new bash plate fabricated from two pieces of aluminium. It’s not only more compact, like the rest of the bike, but the dimple die finish aids cooling and looks hot as hell. The regulator that once called this spot home has now been relocated inside the left wing, and there is a host of small custom parts to bring it all together.

To finish the bike out, Noel fitted up a set of lower bars and risers, and there are Kellermann micro indicators and billet mirrors to keep things clean. The stock tubeless rims look the part and with the Revolution Max engine now spitting out 156hp, Noel reports she absolutely “hammers!” It’s simply another masterclass from the genius custom builder at Black Cycles, and we have no doubt Josh’s buyer’s remorse is now just a distant memory, concealed in a plume of dust and tyre smoke.

[ Black Cycles Australia | Photography by Gold Coast Studio ]