Street Bob

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

The beauty about the custom projects, be it the car or motorcycle ones, is that generally speaking these products never get old. No matter when a build was made, and no matter how old the base for the project was, many of these creations still turn heads, cause a stir, or ignite debate once they come into the spotlight.

Take this 2010 Harley-Davidson Street Bob, for instance. Or should we say, the Dynamight, as this is its post-conversion nickname, bestowed upon it by the garage responsible for its coming into the world, the Germans from Thunderbike.

Completed a while back after a two-month effort, the motorcycle is a great representative of what custom Harleys mean over in Germany, even if, at first glance, it kind of does not look aggressive, as Thunderbike bikes usually do, but cutesy, like a metal panda of sorts.

But truth be told, it’s anything but. Packing the original 96ci engine, the bike breaths through a custom exhaust system, rides on 23-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, and bows on an air ride system.

There is a long list of parts that went into the build of this two-wheeler. Thunderbike itself is responsible for most of them, from the rocker boxes and air cleaner to the fuel tank and forward control kit.

The clutch and brake cylinder are from Rebuffini, the speedometer was made by Motogadget, tires from Avon (front) and Metzeler (Pirelli, rear), while the painting is the work of a shop by the name Kruse Design.

We are not given any hint as to how much the entire build cost to make, but we do have the list of some of the parts used and their prices. Simple math gives us a guesstimate of at least 6,500 euros (about $7,800 at today’s exchange rates) – but that does not include a wealth of parts, the base bike, the man-hours invested in it, and paint job.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Say the words Silver Shadow, and the mind immediately links that with Rolls-Royce. The moniker has been around in the Brits’’ portfolio in various guises for about 15 years starting with 1965, but it is still talked about and admired to this day.

But how about a Harley-Davidson wearing the name Silver Shadow? Why not slap the moniker on something perhaps even more exciting in terms of thills, such as a custom motorcycle build, made in Germany of all places?

That’s what our favorite European motorcycle garage, Thunderbike, did with this former Harley-Davidson Street Bob FXDB. Not only did the shop modify it, but the bike was christened Silver Shadow in honor of, well, not the Rolls-Royce machine, but all that silver that adorns its body.

The modifications come in the usual Thunderbike packages, meaning the usual elements have been changed or tampered with in some manner. There’s a new and massive fender at the rear, the saddle is a single-seater designed to give the build a more bobber-like look, and there are custom wheels holding the frame and engine (the powerplant is unmodified, as far as we can tell) upright and off the ground.

The silver that gives the bike part of its name is abundantly used all over the motorcycle, from the rims of the wheels, to the front fork and even on the handlebars, and of course of the fuel tank.

Just like it normally does, Thunderbike makes no mention of how much it cost to put this two-wheeler together. The shop does list some of the parts used for the project, as they are being sold to Harley owners across Europe from their website, and a simple math exercise gives us a value of close to 3,000 euros (about $3,500), but that doesn’t include many of the hardware used, like the fender, tank, and brake discs.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

We may not dare call this Harley-Davidson Street Bob a Lady, but a custom shop by the name of Thunderbike, and the customer who commissioned the build, sure do. In fact, this is the stage name for this German conversion that was completed a while back, in 2014.

The motorcycle started life as a Street Bob, a machine Harley itself likes to describe as a “gritty, stripped-down bobber cloaked in black.” Now, the remade two-wheeler was christened Lady, but not before being gifted with tons of custom hardware and a unique paint job that kind of make the Harley description obsolete.

But first things first. As usual with most other Thunderbike projects, this too received a host of improvements. These include the fitting of custom wheels, sized 21 and 23 inches, protected by bespoke fenders front and rear. We also get a special exhaust system by Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde, a new swingwarm, and a forward control kit.

The paint job was the responsibility of a brand called Kruse Design, as usual in the projects signed by Thunderbike. In this particular case, the black of the wheels and engine was blended with a shade of crimson on the fuel tank, fenders and headlamp, offset here and there by touches of gold – and since we’re not given any other indication as to the origins of the build’s name, we’re left believing the paint job is the main reason behind it.

As for the price of the project, that’s anybody’s guess. We spent some time going through the parts used by Thunderbike, and came up with an estimate of around 5,000 euros ($5,800 at the current exchange rates). That does not include the paint job, man hours and probably some other parts we are not being told about, so that sum could be just the starting point.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Custom motorcycles (and custom cars, too) are like wine: the older they are, the more valuable – that’s why it’s very hard to find a unique two-wheel project from decades ago that is not capable of still turning heads.

Take the Harley-Davidson Street Bob we have here. Well, it used to be a Street Bob, as now it’s called Pimp Bob thanks to some bold changes made to it by a very lucrative German garage called Thunderbike.

The bike is 13 years old. Thunderbike presented it for the first time at the 2007 Custombike festival in Germany. Why we’re talking about it today? Well, like we’ve already said, we do this because unlike Orange County Choppers, for instance, Thunderbike did not have a Discovery Channel-backed show to highlight its builds – and that’s a shame, because a lot of them deserve their time under the spotlight.

As usual with Thunderbike creations, what we have here is a bike that sports not only visual, but also mechanical and chassis modifications.

The bike was lowered, its fork got shortened, and of course new wheels (with whitewall tires) were installed. Go to with the new stance Thunderbike either created some custom parts, or sourced them from Harley itself. The front and rear fenders, for instance, are made by the Americans, but the seat, footpegs, rims (and the brake discs than stop them from spinning) are German-made. The paint job is the work of Thunderbike’s favorite partner in this segment, Kruse Design, and brings a certain vintage vibe to the whole thing.

The engine of this thing is still the stock 96ci unit. The difference is that it now uses an upgraded exhaust system, and breathes better through a new air cleaner.

We are not being told how much it cost to make the motorcycle. Also, because it is more than a decade old, we have no info on its whereabouts and exploits.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Generally speaking, Harley-Davidson motorcycles are not prohibitively expensive. Pair that with the iconic status of the brand, and you get the most important reason why there are so many Harleys on our roads.

A good chunk of them are of course stock. Of the modified ones, most have minor enhancements, both in scope and price, derived from the owners’ need to stand out in a crowd. But there’s a sizeable number of Harleys whose modifications amount to at least half the price of the standard bike.

Take the Street Bob we have here. Today, the starting price for the model as it exists the factory doors is $14,599, but this particular one is worth a lot more than that.

It’s officially called Black Denim, and was made by German shop Thunderbike at the request of one of its customers. The idea was to go with subtle changes, but the project ended up costing at least $7,000 on top of the stock two-wheeler.

Visually, the bike is no longer your average Street Bob. The rear end was made a tad fatter with the addition of a swingarm kit, new fender, and custom wheel. Up front we get a new wheel as well, a new handler bar for a more chopper-style look, and new signals.

Mechanically, the bike has changed with the addition of a new pulley brake kit, and an exhaust system from Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde. Other enhancements come in the form of air filters, covers for the clutch / ignition, and toppers.

Usually, Thunderbike does not say how much their builds cost to make, but at the same time they do list most of the parts used, and simple use of elementary math gives us a pretty good idea. In this case, we’re talking about roughly 6,000 euros, or the equivalent of $7,000 at today’s exchange rates – and that’s not including the man hours and the exhaust system.