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Street Bob

Dec 06

Harley-Davidson Spoke Bob 21

By General Posts

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

When they are not going for a full-blown shocker build like say the one Orange County Choppers used to make, custom motorcycle garages have very few options at their disposal to make their projects stand out. Finding the right wheels is one of the easiest ways to ensure a custom bike sends the right message across.

Having remade literally hundreds of Harley-Davidson bikes over the past 25 or so years, the Germans at Thunderbike know this all too well. Sure, they do make their own custom frames, and when they do wheels are not that important anymore, but when going for a Harley conversion they are essential.

So essential, in fact, that at times these guys even name their builds after the type of wheel used. We’ve already seen the Street Bob-based Big Spoke, and here’s another, the Spoke Bob 21.

Also based on the Street Bob, the motorcycle rides – as its name says – on multi-spoked 21-inch wheels that are sure to catch the eye as they roll down the street. But they are not the only changes made to the two-wheeler.

Thunderbike went in full custom mode for this one, providing their usual complement of modifications in four key areas: fender, saddle, tank, wheels. Aside from these, a forward control kit was fitted, but also a pulley brake kit to go with the build.

In all, around 16 elements went into the making of the Spoke Bob, all of them of Thunderbike design, with the exception of the front and rear signals, supplied by Kellermann.

We are not given any info on how much the motorcycle cost to put together in this form, but a quick math exercise (Thunderbike lists the parts used, and most of them are available in their shop) gives a price in the range of over 7,000 euros – about $8,400 at today’s rates. Of those, about $3,000 was spent on the wheels alone.

Dec 05

Harley-Davidson Street Devil

By General Posts

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

For people living in most parts of the world, motorcycle riding is pretty much over this year. Winter is upon us, and two-wheelers are being tucked away until the hot days of the spring and summer reach us once more.

But as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we can’t stop from continuing to show you the incredible builds coming from Germany, out the doors of a garage called Thunderbike. For the past 25 years or so, these guys have rolled out literally hundreds of Harley-Davidson-based builds, and their work only seems to be accelerating.

For today we’ll focus on a slightly older project of theirs. Called Street Devil, it too is based on the Street Bob (a 2006 model), one of the favorite canvases of the shop.

As usual, the bike has been modified in key areas, namely by tampering with existing or adding new hardware – these new parts are either of Thunderbike or Harley make.

The bike’s twin-cam engine has remained pretty much unchanged, but breathes through a new shotgun exhaust with tapered mufflers made by the Germans. They are also responsible for the engine cover, air cleaner, grips, forward control kit, and seat.

The Americans supplied the fuel and oil tanks, rear fender, shortened front end (by 2 inches), and the lowered suspension (by 1 inch), among others.

The bike rides on custom wheels wrapped in Avon tires and the front and Metzeler at the rear. Just like the rest of the build, and to be in tone with it, the wheels come in red and white – the graphics on the motorcycle is the work of Thunderbike’s favorite partner in this area, Kruse Design.

The shop gives no indication as to how much the build of the Devil cost to make. Usually, we have a way of giving you an estimate on the cost, because Thunderbike uses mostly in-house made parts, and we know the pricing for those. But given the large quantity of Harley hardware still fitted on this one – and we’re not being told from where they were acquired – this is an almost impossible task.

Nov 30

Harley-Davidson Dynamight Is a Metal Predator

By General Posts

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.

Nov 29

Harley-Davidson Big Spoke Is All About Wheel Play

By General Posts

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

Wheels play a big part in the final look of both cars and motorcycles. Sure, together with the type of rubber they are shoed in wheels play a crucial part in the car’s performance or fuel consumption, but they are extremely important in determining a successful or less so build, visually speaking.

Because of the way in which they are made, motorcycles rely heavily on wheels to send the right message across. After all, the two elements are very in-your-face on bikes, and the wrong choice can break a project.

Thunderbike, a German custom garage that has been in the market of customizing Harley-Davidson motorcycles for close to three decades, knows this. We’ve featured them countless times, and in most cases the Germans nailed the wheel choice.

In the case of this build here, wheels were the defining element. They are, in fact, so important that the entire finished build, based on a Street Bob, was christened Big Spoke.

Big Spoke is the name of a massive wheel Thunderbike makes in house. It comes in two sizes, 17- and 21-inches, and three width measurements, from 2.15 inches to 3.5 inches. Its defining trait: the large number of spokes that make up the design, and play a big part in the price of the part: 1,723 euros ($2,061 at today’s rates) is how much the shop is asking for one.

The wheels were not, of course, the only changes made to the Street Bob. Its stance is different not only because of them, but also thanks to the use of an air ride suspension system and a forward control kit. There are visual enhancements as well, such as the new mirrors, handlebar, point cover and front fender, or the seat.

According to our calculations (Thunderbike usually does not say how much its builds cost) the changes on the Big Spoke cost over 5,000 euros (close to $6,000 at today’s exchange rates).

Nov 28

Harley-Davidson Street Bob Silver Shadow

By General Posts

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.

Nov 27

Harley-Davidson Spoke Bob 23 Is How Germans Like Their Street

By General Posts

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

The Harley-Davidson Street Bob is one of the favorite base motorcycles for Thunderbike builds. In the market of customizing Milwauke-made machines for close to three decades now, the German shop has made a name for itself with its conversions of the “gritty, stripped-down bobber cloaked in black,” as Harley describes the iconic two-wheeler.

Over the past year or so, we’ve covered Thunderbike quite extensively, mostly because we find their products worth talking about. Love them or hate them, the garage’s projects are unique on the European scene (possibly even beyond the continent’s borders), and so numerous they’ll keep us busy for a while longer.

Because winter is upon us and in most parts of the world bikes are going into storage, we thought to give you something to dream about in anticipation of next summer: here’s the Spoke Bob 23.

Built a few years back starting from the Street Bob, the custom bike sports fewer modifications than we’re used to, but effective nonetheless.

The build’s name is a combination between that of the stock bike and the spoked wheels used for it (sized 21 and 23 inches) – if you’ve been watching our Thunderbike stories, you know by now these guys do lack imagination when it comes to naming stuff.

Other major changes are the use of a custom forward control kit, a new air cleaner, and a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system. Minor modifications include the deployment of a new handlebar and turn signals.

As usual, we are not being told how much the conversion of the Street Bob cost. Knowing most of the parts that went into it though we can estimate that to be of around 2,500 euros (roughly $3,000 at today’s exchange rates), but not including the base bike (obviously), the exhaust system, and the man-hours that went into it.

Nov 08

Harley-Davidson Street Bob Customized

By General Posts

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.

Nov 05

Harley-Davidson Street Bob Got Pimped

By General Posts

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.

Nov 03

Harley-Davidson Street Bob Turned Into the Black Denim

By General Posts

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.

Oct 29

Harley-Davidson White Sox Is What a $5,000 Makeover Does to a Street Bob

By General Posts

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

The name White Sox has been linked to the Chicago-based baseball team for more than a century. So tied is this name to the club that you almost never get to see it used on anything or for anything else. At least in America.

In Germany, on the other hand, the term White Sox is not such a resounding one. There, as in most of Europe for that matter, baseball is almost non-existent, so when speaking of White Sox people there usually mean just that: white stockings. Or, in the case of custom motorcycle garage Thunderbike, the term means whitewall tires for one of their latest products.

Having started off as a Street Bob, the build was christened White Sox not because of an imaginary connection with the baseball club from across the ocean, but because its wheels are wrapped in whitewall tires, designed this way as a tribute to the “bobber look of the ‘50s.”

The overall design of the bike follows the usual language of the German shop. The blackness of the build is offset by the said white on the tires, but also on the fuel tank, where the Harley-Davidson lettering was specced in this color. The Street Bob now has an entirely new stance compared to stock. That is partially due to the remade rear end, the new seat, new fenders, and a lowering kit that brings the height of the bike down by 30 mm.

As usual, Thunderbike does not say what exact changes it made to the Milwaukee-Eight that powers the two-wheeler. The only thing we are informed about is that the powerplant now breathes through a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system.

As for the cost of the build, no official figure was announced. The parts listed as used on the motorcycle amount to a total of around 4,400 euros ($5,200), but that does not include the exhaust system, labor, and of course the base bike itself.