Tourists flock to Indonesia for its beaches, volcanoes, and temples. But our interest in the Southeast Asian archipelagic state is more mechanical in nature. The Indonesian custom motorcycle scene is brimming with creativity and talent, and the country’s top custom builders have become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.
Andika Pratama is one of the Indonesian scene’s shining stars. He runs Krom Works—a three-man operation in South Jakarta. But the commission for this elegant custom Harley Sportster came from 7,000 miles away in Geneva, Switzerland.
The project kicked off when Andika got a call from the M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva. It’s an art gallery run by MB&F—a watchmaking company that creates intricate and neo-futuristic timepieces. Sharing that ethos, the gallery houses carefully curated pieces that epitomize the intersection between art and machines.
If you’re familiar with Krom Works’ portfolio, you’ll know that that pretty much describes Anika’s signature style. Using skills passed down from his father, he’s a master of manipulating metal into organic forms to create highly imaginative machines. But this build is no static sculpture; peruse the Krom Works Instagram feed, and you’ll see photos of it out on the road.
Andika picked a Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 as a donor for the build, but he hasn’t used much of it beyond its drivetrain. The V-twin motor is now cradled in a bespoke frame, crafted out of stainless steel plates. The frame sashays its way over the engine and between the split tanks, with brass cladding to add contrast.
“When making a custom bike,” says Andika, “the most important thing is to have a strong basic concept, because that’s what determines the final result. If you look closely, there is a line that connects from the front to the back of this bike, and a combination of classic and futuristic design.”
The front suspension is custom; a girder-style arrangement pieced together out of handmade aluminum components. Custom-built handlebars swoop out from the top of the fork, wearing little more than leather-wrapped grips and trimmed levers. Andika again used brass to add tasteful contrasting details—like the concave grill over the recessed headlight and the tidy fastener caps on the pivot points.
Hardly anything on this Sportster is plug-and-play. Even the girder’s shock is custom, made up of components salvaged from multiple bikes.
It’s the same story out back, where Andika built a braced aluminum swingarm with a unique linkage system. True to form, you’ll find more brass details here, and another hand-built shock that’s tucked into a split in the rear part of the frame.
Bolted neatly into the swingarm construction is a tight rear fender. It’s flared at the end, where an integrated taillight sits behind a brass grill, mimicking the headlight design.
The wheels are particularly trick. Andika picked 21F/18R spoked rims, then laced them to a set of mid-80s Honda CBX550F hubs. They look like drum brakes from afar, but they’re actually inboard ventilated disc brakes; a great-looking design that never caught on for Honda.
“I used spoked rims so that the appearance remains classic,” says Andika, “but the drum-and-disc brakes add a modern element.” Firestone and Coker tires round out the package.
The bike doesn’t have too much in the way of bodywork. The handmade stainless steel tanks hold fuel in the left half and oil in the right half, both via pop-up filler caps. Copper piping carries oil to where it needs to go, routed to trace the silhouette of the frame.
The split tank design is echoed in the skinny V-shaped seat, while the judicious use of brass on the frame’s backbone and the seat pan ties the whole design together. Other neat details include the short (and no doubt raucous) exhaust system, the sprocket cover, and the brass air intake. All of them wear the same louvered design, complementing the head- and taillights.
Andika pitches his creation as a neo-futuristic riff on classic board trackers, and he’s nailed it. The fact that it would look just as good in a gallery as it would out on the street is a testament to Krom Work’s ability to ride the line between art and motorcycling.
Krom Works Facebook | Instagram
This article first appeared on Bike EXIF on November 24, 2023.
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