Bike Detailing: Billy's Insane Custom Harley Davidson

1976 Custom Harley Davdison Chopper

Shovelhead Motor / 1200cc / 4-Speed Transmission

Built by Graeme 'Billy' Billington

In a DIY garage in the heart of Dorset, England. A brutal, beautiful beast was born. It didn’t roll off a production line. It wasn’t polished in a showroom. It was forged—from grit, graft, and a pile of greasy parts—by ex-soldier and all-round custom bike badass Graeme “Billy” Billington.

You might’ve clocked Billy from the BBC Two’s ‘The SpeedShop’, a programme which transforms broken machines into breathtaking, custom-designed vehicles through their ingenious mechanical solutions.

Now, he’s dropping jaws all over again with a wild 1976 Harley Shovelhead chopper—featured in Episode 2 of our Bike Detailing Series on YouTube—and this thing is next-level filth (in the best way possible).

Billy’s story isn’t just about bikes. It’s about bouncing back harder than the roadside bomb that nearly took him out. In 2011, while serving with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Billy was caught in an explosion in Afghanistan. The aftermath? Life-changing injuries—including paralysis in his right arm.

Most people would slow down. Billy hit the gas.

“I’ve been obsessed with bikes since I was a kid riding around farm bikes,” he says. “After I left the Army, I bought a few bikes, started chopping them up and just continued from there!”

Billy had built his fair share of Sportsters, but he had a dirty little dream: a Shovelhead motor. Eventually, he scored one—barely more than a box of bits—and got stuck in.

“I knew the only thing I wanted to keep from the original bike was the engine, transmission, and half the frame. I binned the rest then just went to town on it.”

A Frankenstein combo of made-from-scratch parts, salvaged gold, and favours from his crew. It’s a build that screams 70s chopper—but screams it with a gritty British accent and a whole lot of character.

Billy's style is raw, honest, and straight-up gnarly.

“I didn’t build it from inspiration—I just knew what I wanted and went for it.”

Still, there’s a nod to tradition in the paintwork: classic flames—a must for any true chopper—blasted across a slick black-and-white canvas. The idea came from the OG whitewall tyres the bike rolled in with. From there, Billy’s go-to painter lit it up.

Billy reckons this machine is 50% him, 50% mates—and 100% attitude. From custom fenders to a one-off sissy bar, footpeg hangers, and an air cleaner cover—it’s all either built in-house or reworked from whatever was lying around.

The gnarliest bit? Converting the bike from electric to kickstart only.

“I needed that proper 70’s vibe,” he says. “But that meant ditching the electric starter and hacking the oil tank to fit. It was a nightmare, but worth it.”

Here’s where it gets next-level: Billy rides this beast with one working arm. Yeah, you read that right.

“Throttle, brake, clutch—all on the left bar. My index finger runs the brake, the other fingers hit the clutch, and I’m twisting throttle at the same time.”

Billy’s Shovelhead isn’t just getting nods from mates in the scene—it’s gone global. Featured in Live to Ride in Australia and the legendary Easyriders mag in the US, this bike’s earned its spot in chopper culture history.

“That one meant a lot,” says Billy. “The feedback from builders and Harley heads has been unreal.”

This bike ain’t just a build. It’s a middle finger to limits, a rolling tribute to survival, and a loud-ass love letter to custom culture. It’s built from pain, pride, petrol, and pure passion.

Graeme "Billy" Billington didn’t just build a bike—he built a symbol. One you can see in all its glory in Episode 2 of our Bike Detailing Series, where we get up close and dirty with this absolute unit of a machine.

Watch it. Share it. Drool over it. And remember: bikes like this don’t come off shelves—they’re carved from chaos.

Click HERE to Watch

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