Dutch builder Timothy “Timo” Somers from CNCPT MOTO transforms Harley’s performance cruiser into a billet-built café racer unlike anything else at Bike Shed London.

The custom Harley-Davidson world has no shortage of stretched baggers, performance club bikes, and vintage-inspired choppers. Every now and then, however, a motorcycle comes along that completely rewrites the rulebook.

That was exactly the case at this year’s Bike Shed Moto Show in London.

Among hundreds of world-class customs, one machine immediately stood apart—not because it was the loudest or most extravagant—but because it challenged nearly every assumption about what a modern Harley-Davidson Softail can become.

Built by Netherlands-based CNCPT MOTO, this radical 2025 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S is less of a custom motorcycle and more of a rolling engineering exercise. Created by designer and builder Timothy “Timo” Somers, the project blends European café racer styling with American V-Twin muscle, resulting in one of the most technically ambitious Harley-Davidson customs we’ve seen in years.

For Somers, the project started with one simple goal.

“The main goal was to challenge myself as a builder and go beyond my own boundaries of building and design.”

Working alongside Harley-Davidson Rotterdam, CNCPT MOTO develops complete bolt-on product lines that allow customers to dramatically transform modern Harley-Davidsons without permanently modifying the motorcycle. Every major component on this build was designed to bolt directly onto the factory chassis without cutting or welding, allowing the bike to return to stock if desired.

What looks like a one-off showpiece is actually a prototype for an upcoming production parts catalog.

Transforming a Low Rider S into a convincing café racer isn’t exactly the obvious choice.

The Softail platform is naturally long, muscular, and designed around cruiser ergonomics. Most custom builders lean toward club-style performance bikes or aggressive baggers.

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Somers went in the opposite direction. The finished motorcycle sits noticeably lower with dramatically tighter proportions. Carbon Rotobox wheels, minimalist bodywork, billet aluminum controls, and an aggressively sculpted tail section give the Harley a distinctly European performance-bike personality while still showcasing the unmistakable Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin.

“The Low Rider S is not at all forgiving to turn into anything other than a chopper or cruiser,” Somers says.

“My goal was to prove it could be done properly—with the correct proportions and materials—as if Harley-Davidson had built it themselves.”

That vision required nearly a year of design work before final production components were ever machined. Throughout development, virtually every major part existed first as a series of 3D-printed prototypes before eventually becoming precision CNC-machined billet aluminum pieces.

Once complete, the attention to detail becomes almost overwhelming.

Custom CNCPT billet triple trees clamp an Öhlins Racing front suspension while a TFX rear shock handles suspension duties out back.

Nearly every visible component has been redesigned, including:

• Billet aluminum engine and transmission cases
• Billet clutch basket and pressure plate
• Billet handlebars and foot controls
• Billet license plate bracket
• CNC-machined accessory components throughout

Even the front fender and seat assembly were designed and manufactured in-house using advanced CNC machining, carbon construction, and modern manufacturing techniques.

Finished in stunning Ferrari Argento Nürburgring silver by JK Kustom Paint, the motorcycle carries a refined factory-quality appearance despite its extensive list of modifications.

While the chassis and craftsmanship are remarkable, the biggest conversation piece sits inside the primary cover.

Instead of leaving the Milwaukee-Eight 117 naturally aspirated, CNCPT engineered an entirely new Rotrex centrifugal supercharger system specifically for the Softail platform.

Driven directly from the crankshaft through a dry-belt drive, the custom-machined primary housing incorporates the blower drive system, integrated oil reservoir, and custom pulley arrangement into one beautifully engineered package.

According to Somers, integrating the supercharger ultimately became the most difficult aspect of the entire build, requiring extensive engineering around bearing loads, lubrication, sealing, and long-term durability.

The result is a forced-induction Milwaukee-Eight unlike anything currently available for Harley-Davidson Softails.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this build is that it wasn’t created simply to win awards.

Every component developed throughout the project is intended for future production, allowing Harley-Davidson owners to purchase complete CNCPT conversion packages rather than individual custom pieces.

Standing beneath the lights at Bike Shed London, surrounded by some of the world’s finest customs, this Low Rider S accomplished exactly what CNCPT MOTO set out to achieve.

It proved that modern Harley-Davidson performance doesn’t have to follow tradition.

Sometimes, the future arrives machined from billet aluminum—and driven by a supercharger.