Good heavens. We call this one "TATANKA" – which, if you didn't know, means "bison" in Lakota. And when you see this machine, you'll understand why we chose that name. We started with a 1993 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and rebuilt it entirely from scratch into something that's part chopper, part art piece, and entirely extraordinary.
We presented this bike at Kustomhead 2025 in Wrocław – one of the most important custom motorcycle events in Poland – where it took home 2nd place in the custom category. We were rather pleased with that, obviously.
Let's start with the obvious – the paintwork. This isn't just custom paint; it's hand-painted Native American artwork featuring a battle scene with Indians before combat on the tank. The Wild West has fascinated our founder Myroslav Fareniuk since childhood, and this bike is the culmination of that passion. As we put it: "We thought Native American culture could be shown in an interesting way."
We fabricated the custom horn-shaped handlebars ourselves – and yes, they're meant to evoke bison horns. Below them we fitted custom-made clutch and brake levers, Lowbrow Customs hand grips, and a Motogadget oldschool tiny speedometer.
Now, here's a clever bit we're quite proud of – we built a handmade fuel tank with a Motogadget speedometer hidden inside it. Yes, inside. It's the sort of detail that makes you wonder why everyone doesn't do this. Clean lines, no clutter, just a gorgeous tank with all the information you need discretely tucked away.
For the front end, we used Sportster front suspension, giving the bike that narrow, old-school chopper look that proper enthusiasts appreciate. We fitted a vintage ribbed yellow front lamp up there – absolutely gorgeous – and new Goodridge brake lines to keep the stopping power reliable.
We fitted an S&S air filter and cover with S&S Mikuni carburetor for the engine breathing, and we fabricated a handmade exhaust to let it sing properly. Ignition is handled by a Dynatek 2000 system with a TwinTec single ignition coil. We also did a chain conversion – because sometimes a chain just feels right.
The seat is a work of art in itself – we made a custom king seat with an attachable queen section, hand-sewn with Native American and bison elements. Our handmade rear fender sits above an Avon Safety MG2 rear tyre, while Shinko classic tyres handle the front.
And then there's the sissy bar. We fabricated a handmade arrow design with the rear light built into it. An arrow. On a bike called Tatanka. With bison hunting scenes. We do pay attention to thematic detail, you see.
We lowered the rear suspension by an inch, fitted Lowbrow Customs brake discs front and rear, and the whole thing runs on Bel-Ray 3-hole oil for V-twins.
Before we applied the paintwork, we rode this bike across all of Poland in a single colour. As we say: "It had to smell of the road and breathe history." Then came the artwork, the cracking effects, the patina. The result is a machine that looks like it's lived a thousand stories.
At MF Customs, we build motorcycles not for museums, but for the road. "It doesn't matter if it's a refined café racer Sportster or an old Fat Boy converted to a chopper. What matters is that it rides, lives, feels the world under its wheels. And that you want to keep pushing until the fuel runs out or the sun comes up."
This bike is a rural, Native American-inspired chopper that tells a complete story. Every detail resonates with the next. It's the sort of thing you could stare at for hours and keep finding new details.
Read more about this build in Lakiernik magazine.
We're rather proud of this one.