Peter Forrer has petrol in his blood. A trained car mechanic, he spent his entire working life devoted to engines on four wheels, most recently as manager of a garage. Until, eight years ago, Harley fever took hold of him. “It’s like an addiction, hard to explain,” he admits. At times up to five of them stood in his garage, and he now owns a very special example: a Harley-Davidson 1690 Softail Deluxe in Chicano style.
Forrer knows the style from his visits to California, where the flamboyant, colourful machines are dropped as low to the ground as possible and ridden as slowly as possible, so that onlookers can admire the conversion. Another hallmark is the elaborate paintwork, which reflects the character of both machine and owner.
Forrer had the Harley customised to his wishes by Bixe in Hünenberg ZG. The elaborate artwork is the work of Chiko’s Pinstriping in Pforzheim, Germany. The conversion took nine months and cost twice as much as the new Harley. But to him it was worth it: “There isn’t a second one like it anywhere in the world,” says Peter Forrer proudly.
This article appeared in MEN issue 2/23 (November 2023).
