With a 34-degree rake and a 240 mm rear tire, the Harley-Davidson Breakout is the antithesis of the bikes that typically rev our motor. But once in a while, a workshop builds a custom Breakout that’s impossible to ignore.
This vivid Breakout blipped on our radar, when it took silver in the Modified Harley-Davidson class at Winston Yeh’s Speed and Crafts show. Slathered in kinetic bodywork and modern accouterments, it’s the work of the Taiwanese Harley-Davidson parts specialist Fangster.
Parts are Fangster’s bread and butter, but the workshop makes it their business to build a one-off special each year too. It’s not only a chance to highlight existing parts and prototype new ones, but it’s also a way for the company to fortify its signature aesthetic and showcase its brand identity.
Fangster’s mission was to retain as much of the 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Breakout’s DNA as possible while putting an ultra-modern spin on it. The idea was to leave the frame unmolested—partially to retain the Breakout’s low-slung geometry, and partly because frame modification in Taiwan is a legal nightmare. Collaborating with their newest distributor, Motorcycle Storehouse, the crew treated the bike to a smorgasbord of off-the-shelf and bespoke parts, before wrapping it in an eye-popping livery.
Taking cues from the Breakout’s chunky Twin Cam motor, Fangster shaped new aluminum bodywork to dress it in. The lower edge of the sharp fuel tank traces the angles of the cylinder heads, while the top of it features a subtle curve that tapers towards the seat. A custom headlight nacelle hosts a punchy LED headlight from Shark Demon, while handmade fork covers give the front end a brawny vibe.
Out back, an angular tailpiece cradles a luxe Alcantara saddle. Fangster designed it with a pair of ‘arms’ that wrap around the swingarm, creating a seamless look that pushes the Softail’s faux hardtail design further.
There’s barely any clearance between the rear cowl and tire—but that’s only when the Breakout is parked. Fangster cleverly installed an air suspension kit from Legend Suspensions, so that they could adjust the ride height on the fly.
The OEM Harley forks still do duty up front, but they were modified to keep up with the rest of the build. The lowers came from Performance Machine and feature a slick hidden axle design. An Öhlins cartridge kit was installed for performance and full adjustability.
Sticking with the themes of practicality and performance, Fangster wrapped the stock wheels in sticky Metzeler Cruisetec tires. They then updated the brakes with Arlen Ness components, fitting an inboard eight-piston caliper at the front, and a six-piston item at the back.
Fangster wanted the braking setup as sano as possible, so they machined the front brake’s carrier plate to blend better with the look of the front wheel. For the back brake, they 3D-scanned and reverse-engineered the pulley to build a custom pulley-brake system that could operate in the tight space offered by the Breakout’s rear wheel.
There’s some interesting stuff going on in the Breakout’s cockpit. The handlebar is an experimental prototype that pulls inspiration from road cycling aero bars. Fangster built it by narrowing a set of stainless steel bars, 3D-printing an aero-style shell, and wrapping everything in carbon fiber. (The intention is to build the production version entirely out of carbon.)
A Koso speedo, similar in size to the small digital speedo on some current Harley Softail models, sits embedded in the top handlebar clamp. The switches are from Rebuffini, and all of the cockpit wiring runs inside the bars. Modified forward controls from GMA sit lower down.
With the project nearing the finish line, Fangster focused on the finer details. Tiny custom-made housings host LED turn signals from Motorcycle Storehouse at each end of the bike, with the rear units doubling up as taillights. The license plate sits on a side-mount bracket from Cult-Werk, while Arlen Ness supplied a transmission end cover, a kit to dress up the horn, a reusable oil filter, pushrod covers, and lifter blocks.
Getting the lines of the twin exhaust system right took some doing, but the crew nailed the flow. The system terminates in a pair of CNC-machined slash-cut tips that run parallel to the swingarm’s lower tubes.
Dubbing their Harley-Davidson Breakout ‘Rev Falcon,’ Fangster finished it off with a heavily layered and textured paint scheme inspired by feathers. Silver and candy blue graphics dance over a deep green-gray base coat, which incorporates traditional Japanese Seigaiha foil to give it an extra layer of sheen.
Finally, Fangster dosed the bike with a full complement of their Color Collection parts. These include the grips, points cover, air cleaner, derby cover, gas cap, footpegs, shifter peg, and handlebar risers, all sporting blue anodizing that complements the pain. With supermoto-like highlights on the rims, the color coding here is on another level.
According to Fangster, Rev Falcon was created as an exercise in restraint rather than a radical concept. But they’ve managed to play it both ways. This Harley Breakout is equal parts cohesive and chaotic—a stark testament to the company’s supreme skill and exceptional taste.
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