No Holds Barred A Bareknuckle Harley Shovelhead From South Africa

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South Africa boasts the current UFC middleweight champion and the world’s top-ranked rugby team—neither of which we’d want to go toe-to-toe with. There must be something in the water, because this Harley Shovelhead from Cape Town’s Stoos Customs bristles with the same ferocity.
Based in one of the city’s industrial areas, Stoos Customs was established 13 years ago by Alex Stoos after an internship at Exile Cycles in the US. The workshop’s address hasn’t changed, but the team has grown to seven and earned a solid reputation locally and abroad.

The Shovelhead project was conceived at last year’s Bike Shed Moto Show in London. There, Alex crossed paths with Joe from El Lobo Cycles in Suffolk, and a boyish sense of competitiveness took over. Before long, they agreed to a private intercontinental build-off—with nothing on the line but bragging rights.
“The only rules were that both bikes had to be Shovelheads run BST carbon fiber wheels,” Alex explains. “Beyond that, it was left up to each builder to implement their unique vision.”

Things blossomed quickly. The Harley-Davidson performance parts specialists at Speed and Science Inc. in Canada came on board with a generous discount on engine components, while BST supplied wheels in their brand-new forged carbon finish.
The project also set the stage for an unexpected collaboration. “A few years back, at the Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas, I met Colt Wrangler, and we talked about the possibility of working together someday,” Alex recalls. “Suddenly the timing was right—Colt had a ticket to South Africa, and Joe and I had just confirmed the build-off.”

Stoos Customs took a 1981 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead that had seen better days and tore it down to its bones. In the end, all that remained of the donor bike was the engine cases and parts of the frame.
The idea was to build something aggressive, yet rideable. The frame was massaged into street tracker proportions and propped up on Öhlins suspension, with all-black right-side-up forks from the Swedish company’s Retro series riding up front. The burly fork yokes and swingarm were machined in-house.

The Shovelhead stands tall on 19F/18R BST wheels, wrapped in Michelin Commander III Touring tires. Arlen Ness brake calipers, mounted on custom-made brackets, handle stopping duties. “We wanted to tie in a bit of an old school feel, so we kept the rear brake setup along the lines of a traditional anchor-style mount,” adds Alex.
Stoos also fabricated stainless steel wheel axles and a carrier for the rear sprocket. A bespoke side-stand keeps the Shovelhead upright when parked.

With a fresh box of Speed and Science goodies in hand, Stoos went to town on the ageing Shovelhead motor. The V-twin was rebuilt with Speed and Science heads, rocker boxes, and barrels, plus an S&S Cycle oil pump and upgraded cams. The four-speed transmission wasn’t going to cut it, so a five-speed box was installed too.
“We also upgraded the rocker arms to roller-style rockers, and the oiling is now internal, like an Evo,” says Alex. “We basically turned it into an Evolution motor on the inside, with the looks of a Shovelhead on the outside.”

The CNC-machined intake is another Speed and Science part, the carb is from S&S Cycle, and the air cleaner housing is a custom addition. The left-hand side of the engine sports a monstrous open primary from Belt Drives, LTD., adorned with a Stoos-branded cover.
While the Stoos crew was neck deep in the engine, Texan custom bike builder Colt Wrangler lent his fabrication talents to the project. Working from the Stoos workshop during his South African sabbatical, he hammered out the Shovelhead’s waspish aluminum bodywork.

Those familiar with Colt’s work will recognize his signature style. The metalwork appears organic from some angles and sculpted from others, with a slim taper in the middle. Painted in alternating matte and gloss black finishes, the bodywork features a flush-mounted gas cap, upholstery by Dead Crow, and a pair of Kellermann LED taillights that sit in the back of the tail.
Tucked away in the junction between the tank and tail is a small cap that offers access to the oil tank. The tank itself sits below the transmission, with the frame downtube acting as a long filler neck.

The cockpit features stainless steel tracker bars, fitted with knurled aluminum grips from Arlen Ness, and Performance Machine levers. The LED headlight is from Kuryakyn, but the housing is a Stoos part. Adjustable foot control assemblies from Gilles Tooling do duty lower down.
The bike currently doesn’t have a speedometer, turn signals, or space to mount a license plate—but Alex plans to add these as and when they’re needed. What it does have is an unapologetic stainless steel exhaust system that promises to upset your neighbors.

Stoos Customs’ Harley Shovelhead street tracker defies the conventions of vintage Harley customization. This isn’t your grandfather’s Shovel—like South Africa’s champions, it’s a fierce competitor ready to throw down.
Your move, Joe.
Stoos Customs | Instagram | Images by Wes Reyneke

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