Cafe racers are booming nowadays. Just a trip down to the local bar gives you a fair chance of spotting a CB750 or an SX650 in cafe style, dirty and with enough tape on the seat to make a decent shelter. Sure, trends come and go, but carefully built bikes… well, those are much harder to find.
Which brings us to the “Red Baron,” the café racer based on a Dyna Low Rider you see here, clean and well-executed, named in homage not only to the famous German World War I flying ace but also to the Spanish rock band, as the builder told us.
Starting from one of Milwaukee’s best Big Twin cruisers, Fran Manen of Lord Drake Kustoms has achieved something truly remarkable, both in concept and execution.
How was this Cafe Racer built?
Every customization is a form of rebellion, but taking a fundamentally good Dyna and turning it into a street-hunting café racer is almost madness. “It’s possibly one of the first Big Twin café racers in the U.S.,” notes Fran, adding that he feels this model is underrated in America.
With a reduced rake thanks to shortened forks and taller external reservoir shocks, the Red Baron’s conservative stock geometry has been pushed to the limit: faster steering, more weight over the front wheel, and room for greater lean angles—something a stock Dyna couldn’t even dream of.
While the XLCR paved the way for Sportster owners seeking a bit more lean, this kind of frame treatment is new territory for Big Twins. Fran arrived in the U.S. just four years ago to set up his shop in Miami, but he has a strong sense of mechanical history and, clearly, has brought his own style to the machines we value so much here. Just look at how steeply the Vance & Hines exhausts are angled upward—a testament to the significant changes made to the posture. It’s a striking detail that gives a unique profile to a bike that rolled off the factory line with radically different intentions.
The lines of the bike become even sportier thanks to the addition of DNA spoked wheels, with a 19” rim at the front and an 18” at the rear. Spokes and rims match the aggressive black-and-red color scheme, evident in both small and large details throughout the bike—from the custom engine covers and panels to the fork tubes, and even a horn cover proudly displaying the Lord Drake Kustoms initials.
The design continues on the custom number plates, with the number 80 carefully cut into the panels and filled with decorative black mesh. However, might ask why 80?
It’s the same number of planes shot down by the Red Baron himself.
Explains Fran
The fork brace received a similar treatment, with contrasting black mesh placed beneath the brace’s own opening.
More fabrication work was required to shape the bodywork, a key element in any cafe racer build. The rear section was crafted in-house at Lord Drake Kustoms, from modeling and molding the tailpiece to incorporating foam under the seat upholstery, providing a bit more comfort than those tape-covered café bikes I mentioned earlier.
Fran even integrated a sleek LED taillight into the rear. The tank was modified with a custom instrument panel and then carefully painted so the two-tone scheme flows in a continuous line from the tank to the seat and tailpiece. A bikini-style fairing adds a touch of wind protection for the rider while helping create the clean, streamlined profile most café racers aim for.
The handlebar consists of a pair of Roland Sands Design clip-ons, mounted above the top triple clamp to offer a sporty yet reasonable riding position. The mid controls were retained, and for good reason: you can’t really push a bike like this on the roads with your legs spread to the wind and dragging the footpegs in every corner. RSD was also the source of other modern details, such as the Clarity line clutch and cam covers, which reveal part of the bike’s inner workings.
Speaking of that internal workings, the already considerable 88” Twin Cam was left in a relatively mild state of tuning. So, how is this bike supposed to live up to its sporty image? With the classic power-to-weight ratio—the credo by which every true cafe racer lives.
Why add power when you can simply reduce weight? By stripping away so many of the typical Big Twin accessories, the Red Baron’s engine moves the bike with ease. Remember, most café racer builders start with 350, 400, or maybe a 750 if they’re feeling aggressive. The Red Baron has nearly double the displacement of a 750!
The Vance & Hines exhausts we mentioned handle the exhaust side, while a tuned S&S intake draws air through the larger 58 mm S&S carburetor. And it wasn’t just the engine that was breathing hard when Fran took the bike to Daytona to compete in the renowned Rat’s Hole Show.
Event success
Finally, just as the “Red Baron” boldly ventured into unknown territory, this Red Baron took the stage to compete in the longest-running custom bike competition—the Rat’s Hole Show—during the prestigious U.S. national event, Daytona Bike Week, marking the first appearance of a machine built by Lord Drake Kustoms. And thanks to the daring choice of platform and masterful execution, the Red Baron took first place in the Cafe Racer category.
Keep soaring high, Red Baron.
Technical Sheet
General
- Name: Red Baron
- Year, Make & Model: 2001 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider
- Build/Builder: LDK
- Build Time: 6 weeks
Front Suspension
- Year/Model: 2001 H-D Narrow Glide
- Manufacturer: Harley-Davidson
- Type: Telescopic
- Triple Clamps: Harley-Davidson
- Extension: 3” below
Engine
- Year/Model: 2001 Twin Cam
- Displacement: 88 cubic inches
- Bottom End: H-D
- Pistons: H-D
- Crankcases: H-D
- Cylinder Heads: H-D
- Cams: H-D
- Pushrods: H-D
- Carburetor: S&S 58 mm
- Air Filter: S&S
- Exhaust: Vance & Hines
- Ignition: H-D
Transmission
- Year/Modifications: 2001 / None
- Primary Drive: Chain
- Secondary Drive: Belt
Chassis
- Year: 2001
- Design/Manufacturer: Harley-Davidson
Accessories
- Handlebars: RSD Clip-ons
- Risers: None
- Fenders: LDK
- Fuel Tank: Sportster modified by LDK
- Oil Tank: Original
- Headlight: Modified by LDK
- Taillight: LDK
- Speedometer: Original, with mount fabricated by LDK
- Footpegs: Performance Machine
- Electrical System: H-D
- Seat: LDK
- Fork Brace: LDK
Wheels/Tires
- Front Wheel: 19” DNA Fat Daddy
- Front Tire: Metzeler, 19” x 100
- Rear Wheel: 18” DNA Fat Daddy
- Rear Tire: Metzeler, 18” x 160
- Hubs: DNA
- Discs: DNA
- Brakes: H-D
Paint
- Bodywork/Molding: LDK
- Painter: LDK
- Color: Fire red and black
- Powdercoating: LDK
