Photo: Thunderbike
Late last week, American bike maker Harley-Davidson revealed some of the special models it chose to spearhead its 120th anniversary celebrations this year. We had new trikes, the return of the Breakout, and details about the upcoming Homecoming festival.
As far as the Fat Boy range is concerned, we learned of a special edition Anniversary model, which will be made in just 3,000 examples and sold globally. The bike is already listed on Harley’s website as part of the 2023 model year Fat Boy, and it comes with several unique features, including a special paint called Heirloom Red and celebratory adornments in the form of various eagles on the fuel tank and elsewhere - enough for true fans to enjoy it properly.
The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114 Anniversary and the rest of the 2023 lineup may have already hit the market, but custom shops across the world are not waiting to get their hands on it and keep releasing re-interpreted versions of older Milwaukee bikes. The latest to do so is German Thunderbike, whose latest customized Harley is called Classic Grey.
You guessed it, the model is based on a Fat Boy, and the idea of the build was to show the world even a more modern American two-wheeler can be given a classic look, without going overboard and with an inspired use of available means and ideas.
In the case of the Grey, the main methods that make the bike look like a machine from gone times are the use of classic-looking parts, like the handlebar and windshield (yes, it has one) at the front. This, in Thunderbike’s view, makes the ride look a bit like the Harley police motorcycles of old.
Then, we have the wheels, which unlike on the original Fat Boy, are not solid-looking, like we’re used to from the stock bike, but spoked and coated black. We’re not told how large any of the two wheels are, but they perfectly fit the custom bike and are hidden under minimalistic-design fenders front and rear (but necessarily cheap, as you'll see in the lines below).
The same black deployed on the wheels was used for the fork and parts of the fuel tank, and that’s extremely important because these bits perfectly contrast the nardo gray used on the bike’s main body parts, contributing to the aged feel of the build.
Mechanically, the Classic Grey received a pulley brake system and air ride suspension for the rear. In all, Thunderbike slapped no less than 30 hardware elements on the Fat Boy, but the two we mentioned here, together with the steel fender at the back, are the most expensive of them all: of the total of some $9,500 spent on parts, half went for these three bits.
The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114 Anniversary and the rest of the 2023 lineup may have already hit the market, but custom shops across the world are not waiting to get their hands on it and keep releasing re-interpreted versions of older Milwaukee bikes. The latest to do so is German Thunderbike, whose latest customized Harley is called Classic Grey.
You guessed it, the model is based on a Fat Boy, and the idea of the build was to show the world even a more modern American two-wheeler can be given a classic look, without going overboard and with an inspired use of available means and ideas.
In the case of the Grey, the main methods that make the bike look like a machine from gone times are the use of classic-looking parts, like the handlebar and windshield (yes, it has one) at the front. This, in Thunderbike’s view, makes the ride look a bit like the Harley police motorcycles of old.
Then, we have the wheels, which unlike on the original Fat Boy, are not solid-looking, like we’re used to from the stock bike, but spoked and coated black. We’re not told how large any of the two wheels are, but they perfectly fit the custom bike and are hidden under minimalistic-design fenders front and rear (but necessarily cheap, as you'll see in the lines below).
The same black deployed on the wheels was used for the fork and parts of the fuel tank, and that’s extremely important because these bits perfectly contrast the nardo gray used on the bike’s main body parts, contributing to the aged feel of the build.
Mechanically, the Classic Grey received a pulley brake system and air ride suspension for the rear. In all, Thunderbike slapped no less than 30 hardware elements on the Fat Boy, but the two we mentioned here, together with the steel fender at the back, are the most expensive of them all: of the total of some $9,500 spent on parts, half went for these three bits.
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