Rusty Butcher Takes a Road Glide from Mild to Wild for Born-Free 15 Show

By Richard Sachek - October 16, 2024

Known for clothing and leather goods, Matt Atkins from Rusty Butcher makes this bagger pop with subtle upgrades and a not-so-subtle paint job.

Over the summer, thousands of custom bikes gathered at Santiago Canyon in Southern California for the Born Free #15 motorcycle show. Reportedly, that June day boasted the hottest temperatures of the year so far. However, the bikes were pretty hot in their own right. Besides an array of shovelheads, evos, and twin cams, enthusiasts could even find a smattering of old Hondas and Triumphs.

For its part, Harley-Davidson invited 29 prominent bike builders to work their magic by customizing brand new Harleys for showcasing at the event. Previously, we featured a hot take on a new Breakout 117 from Josh Allison of American Metal Customs, which featured hand-fabricated tins and a carburetor conversion. On the total opposite end of the spectrum is this 2024 Road Glide from Matt Atkins, which mostly relies on elaborate custom paint for its distinctiveness.

Rusty Butchers’ roots are in motocross

When he’s not receiving personal invitations from Harley to mod brand new $26k touring bikes, Atkins runs the clothing and leather goods company Rusty Butcher. Before taking on the Rusty Butcher persona, Atkins raced motocross. In fact, his first stint on a 50cc dirtbike happened at the tender age of just three years old. More recently, he’s credited with helping to revive interest in hooligan racing, culminating in a professional Super Hooligan racing series.

Atkins hasn’t been shy about declaring that he considers himself an artists, not a builder. “I’m definitely not a fabricator,” he says. In fact, based on the featured footage from Harley-Davidson’s own YouTube channel, one might think the only non-cosmetic change to the customized Road Glide is a set of Stage II speakers made by Rockford Fosgate.

However, digging a little deeper into the project, we find a pair of insanely light BST (BlackstoneTek) carbon-fiber wheels. Other mechanical enhancements include a custom suspension and a louder set of pipes from SP Concepts. Finally, a carton full of gold-plated ARP fasteners give the bike some classy contrast.

Obviously, the paint takes center stage

Atkins/Rusty Butcher seems to have an obsession with black and white color schemes, replete with lightning bolts. His Born-Free 15 contribution definitely continues that theme, with a new edition of flames. To be clear, Atkins didn’t actually lay down the paint himself, though he is responsible for the love-it-or-hate-it design. The actual spraying was done by Revolutionary Paintworks in Tennessee, where Rusty Butcher also resides. In some ways, perhaps this custom isn’t custom enough, but Atkins loves the Road Glide’s “cruise control, music, and they track so straight.” On that note, why overly mess with a good thing?