Custom Design Bike Manufacturer Klaudijus Stelmokas Says He Does Not Experiment With Human Lives

Located in a remote village in the very heart of Lithuania is the custom workshop of Klaudijus ‘Klauda’ Stelmokas. He owns Harley customizing outfit, Killer Custom. A business that has earned itself an enviable reputation, not only for the stunning bikes they produce but also for the cleanliness of the workshop. We're talking doctor's surgery standard here, with not one oily rag or greasy mechanic in sight.

The 34-year-old former punk rocker had a promising career in the hospitality industry before the Harley bug bit deep. And Klauda’s dream of opening his own custom shop became too intense to ignore.

With a decade of tuning and customizing under his belt, Klauda eventually decided the time was right to kick up a gear and go for it. But he figured, if it was worth doing, it was worth doing right, and that meant purpose built premises.

A custom workshop from which to create custom Harleys just made perfect sense. Armed with an EEC regional funding business development grant, he bought a piece of land and set about creating a workshop, the likes of which had never been seen before in Lithuania.

The design of the new building stood out in its own right, but it was tales of the ground floor workshop that soon got people talking. Largely due to its wall full of windows, honeycombed design ceiling lights and designer brick columns. Inside, a row of gleaming Harleys patiently awaiting their turn on the hydraulic work benches, appearing as if parked in living space of a Manhattan loft apartment.

‘We just kept getting more and more visitors wanting to see if the rumors are true,’ laughs Klauda. Apparently, a custom bike shop with a great vibe, killer sounds and a workshop cleaner than a priest's joke book, just had to be seen to be believed.

Lithuania is not exactly known for its thriving custom scene. Therefore, building a center of excellence for Harley Davidson customizing was a bold move, but one that is paying off for the 34-year-old entrepreneur.

If you wondered what’s next for the creative Lithuanian who, over the years has built prestigious show winners amongst the top class, ground up, custom motorcycle projects.

Q. Where did it all start? Tell us about the projects you take on in your workshop. 

A. I’m not completely sure where it all began. From the very beginning, I have enjoyed the technical aspects of things, and this is just an extension of that. As for what we do, we ‘fine tune' the customer's ideas to create great custom bikes.

There is very little we can’t handle ourselves in the build process, including complex frame modifications.  But we choose to send out any specialist welding work to engineers in Germany, who supply certificates and documentation to guarantee their work. In this way, we can stand behind everything we send out of this workshop; you cannot gamble with a person's life.

The parts we make ourselves are specifically for the custom Bagger market. This trend of fitting touring Harleys with30” wheels, extended and stretched saddlebags, and wide gas tanks is popular in the USA.  It’s catching on in Europe now too, and we aim our gas tanks, panniers and body kits towards that market.

Now they put enduro wheels on choppers, or fit parts from one bike to another. The boundaries have disappeared. I have absolutely no idea who is responsible for these trends, I just do what I want, and if it looks good, others will probably start doing this too.

Seriously though, I don’t think I will ever find myself in that situation. There is always another bike to build that will be better than the last as well as others out there who can do it better. Sometimes I tell myself that customizing bikes is all about art and not just nuts and bolts, but it is both. It takes a lot of hard work to create a work of art.