Part of the mighty Softail family of motorcycles, the Street Bob is at the time of writing one of the most alluring propositions for riders wishing to try out Harley-Davidson's machines for the first time. "Stripped down for the street," as its maker describes it, the bike is affordable, easy to ride, and has a big chance of immediately winning riders over.
But not all of the riders who climb on the bike's back are pleased with the stock Street Bob looks. And that's good, as this is how we end up with amazing custom projects like the Rapid Raptor we have here.
The Rapid Raptor (the meaning behind the name was not disclosed) is a relatively mild work of German custom garage Thunderbike on behalf of an unnamed customer.. It's not one of the shop's most extreme conversions, but it definitely is worth a closer look as it takes the Street Bob to new levels of coolness.
The Rapid Raptor "combined maneuverability and classic looks," in the purest Thunderbike style, with relatively minor tweaks made here and there with such talent they are unleashing maximum changes.
Starting from the ground up, we immediately notice the bike's wheels are no longer the original ones, as they have been replaced with aftermarket ones larger than initially fitted on the bike: the 16-inch rear is now 18 inches in diameter, and the one at the front grew from 19 to 21 inches.
The wheels are wrapped in Metzeler rubber and sit under specially designed fenders – the one at the front is made from fiberglass, while the one at the rear was sculpted in steel.
The bike also sits closer to the ground than before, thanks to a lowering kit that shaved 30 mm off the bike's height. To make sure a new riding position is possible, Thunderbike also installed forward-mounted footrests.
A long list of smaller custom parts adorns the bike, from the many covers that were slapped on its sides and elsewhere (for the timer, derby, axle, airbox, and even brake caliper) to the handlebar and grips installed up front.
As usual when it comes to its builds, Thunderbike did not tamper with the Street Bob's engine, so we still have the stock Milwaukee-Eight 114 sitting in the frame. The powerplant was, however, gifted with a new breathing apparatus in the form of a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system.
The cost of the build has not been disclosed, but we do know how much the extra parts (minus the exhaust system) are worth: about 10,000 euros ($10,700). You should add to that the man hours and paint job, as well as the $16,999 Harley-Davidson is asking for the Street Bob in stock form, and you get a pretty good idea of how much such a conversion costs to make.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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