Photo: Thunderbike
In the world of metals there is nothing more precious than platinum. Just consider the fact that in the top three list of the world's most valuable metals on the planet, there are two metals from this group, rhodium and palladium. So when a motorcycle garage goes for a custom motorcycle build and names it Platinum Force, it's quite clear what it's aiming for.
Platinum Force is how a once-stock Fat Boy is called after a German crew known as Thunderbike had its way with it. It is the shop's most recent builds, completed this year, and a sight one is not likely to forget easily.
The name of the project, obviously, takes after the paint job that was used on this ride. Although the mechanical bits come in a variety of grey and black shades, the main body parts, meaning the fenders, fuel tank, and side covers, have been painted in a cold silver that more than aptly mimics the metal.
The first thing Thunderbike did to the Fat Boy was change the wheels. The new elements now come in different dimensions from stock namely 23 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear.
The one on the front end is shielded by a fiberglass fender, and above it a high handlebar can be seen. At the rear, a metal fender makes sure the 260 mm wide wheel supported by a single-side swingarm doesn't make a mess of its surroundings when driving over wet asphalt.
The width of this piece is a far cry from the large 300+ mm wheels we usually get on custom Harleys, but fits this particular build just fine and shows you don't have to go overboard to create something truly impressive.
Then the entire Fat Boy was propped on an air suspension system that allows it to sit closer or less so from the ground, depending on the message it wanted to send across.
A wealth of other custom elements (32 in all) have been used to put the Platinum Force together, from the small covers and LED turn signals to the more important Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system.
All of them combined are worth over 16,000 euros ($17,600 at today's exchange rates), of which a third is the value of the swingarm alone. For reference, $17k is almost the price of a brand-new Fat Boy, and that does not include the man-hours, the exhaust system, and the paint job, which is clearly expensive.
All in all, the Platinum Force may not be as precious in the custom motorcycle world as the metal it takes the name after is everywhere else, but we're clearly looking at a build its owner most likely considers it extremely valuable.
The name of the project, obviously, takes after the paint job that was used on this ride. Although the mechanical bits come in a variety of grey and black shades, the main body parts, meaning the fenders, fuel tank, and side covers, have been painted in a cold silver that more than aptly mimics the metal.
The first thing Thunderbike did to the Fat Boy was change the wheels. The new elements now come in different dimensions from stock namely 23 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear.
The one on the front end is shielded by a fiberglass fender, and above it a high handlebar can be seen. At the rear, a metal fender makes sure the 260 mm wide wheel supported by a single-side swingarm doesn't make a mess of its surroundings when driving over wet asphalt.
The width of this piece is a far cry from the large 300+ mm wheels we usually get on custom Harleys, but fits this particular build just fine and shows you don't have to go overboard to create something truly impressive.
Then the entire Fat Boy was propped on an air suspension system that allows it to sit closer or less so from the ground, depending on the message it wanted to send across.
A wealth of other custom elements (32 in all) have been used to put the Platinum Force together, from the small covers and LED turn signals to the more important Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system.
All of them combined are worth over 16,000 euros ($17,600 at today's exchange rates), of which a third is the value of the swingarm alone. For reference, $17k is almost the price of a brand-new Fat Boy, and that does not include the man-hours, the exhaust system, and the paint job, which is clearly expensive.
All in all, the Platinum Force may not be as precious in the custom motorcycle world as the metal it takes the name after is everywhere else, but we're clearly looking at a build its owner most likely considers it extremely valuable.
Google News