It’s been well over a decade since the old Soviet Union, also formerly known as “The Evil Empire” fell. A lot of changes have been happening behind the once Iron Curtain. Most of the world’s new millionaires are Russian and former KGB agents are now living in Brooklyn and plying their skills in other ventures. Russian society has also loosened up quite a bit.

This is most evident by the new Russian Biker Culture. Once American V-Twin bikes could only be had by either being lucky enough to score an old WWII “Liberator” left behind or by the hi-level Gov’t folk who had access to a very large diplomatic pouch. Well, luckily those days are gone.

In a way of celebration of the once oppressive regime’s new freedoms, Dmitriy Khitrov, my editor at Moscow’s RuRiders magazine (www.ruriders.com), put on the first ever Custom and Tuning show in Moscow’s largest arena. The show was the first affiliate show of American Motorcycle Dealer’s magazines World Championship of Custom Bike Building international series of contests which will culminate with the voting of the Worlds Best Custom in Sturgis this August.

Over 18,000 Russians showed up over the three day event to see what the fledgling Russian builders were creating. Over forty builders from across the former U.S.S.R. displayed their creations and the winner was chosen by a jury of international bike building experts including my close friend Peter Jonsson of Sweden’s MCM Magazine. Peter was kind enough to share his photos with us.

The hands down winner was a stainless steel 2008, 883 Sportster built by Aleksandr ”Fiti” Fitisov. Ironically, Fiti is a mechanic at Harley-Davidson Moscow and he spent seven months of his off-time building this baby in his own garage.

Fiti installed a Big Bore 4-stage kit in the partially defragmented cases and mated it up with a Road Max 6-speed tranny driven by a Primo Brute 4 primary to a ¾-inch main belt. The bikes carb is a Mikuni 45.

The frame and swing arm was hand fabricated from stainless steel and is highly polished. Fiti also designed and built the tank himself, and it's also polished stainless steel. Taking a hint from Triumph, the bike's oil tank is in the frame, which also features a Progressive Suspension. The front end was also built by Fiti and is an inverted springer style.

Both the front and back wheels are 3.75 x 23-inches and run on Avon Venom 130mm tires. The bike's brakes are orbital PM Dual pistons. The headlight is off an H-D Sporty and the oil lines and grips and pegs are constructed from polished copper. The seat was handmade by Moscow’s Vishnizky Studio. It's leather over solid stainless steel.

Russia’s first professional bike show was a success and will continue every year as long as the regime doesn’t revert back to it’s old anti-Western ways. With guys like Dmitry and builders like Fiti doing what they do, hopefully we’ll see a lot more of the Russian spirit showing up as inspirations to builders world wide.

--TBear

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