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Harley-Davidson Red Stroke Is Double-the-Fun a Fat Boy Usually Is, at Twice the Price

Despite the Fat Boy being one of Harley-Davidson's most popular models, finding one in pure stock form roaming the roads takes a lot of work. People going for this kind of ride almost always add their own, personal touch to the bikes, either in the form of aftermarket bits of Harley provenance or by going down the more extreme road and choosing total conversions at the hands of specialized garages.
Harley-Davidson Red Stroke 33 photos
Photo: Thunderbike
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The Red Stroke we have here is a Fat Boy brought to an entirely new level of cool by opting for the second variant. It is the work of German garage Thunderbike, and a bike that, for the first time in the shop's portfolio, mates the stock front end of the two-wheeler with a stretched aluminum tank to give it a longer and slimmer appearance.

As usual when it comes to motorcycle modifications made by Thunderbike, changes began with the fitting of new wheels, sized 23 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. Both come with multiple spokes and are painted black, hiding beneath slim fenders and wear Metzeler Cruisetec tires to properly meet the asphalt below.

The wheel at the rear has been modified with the fitting of a reworked original swingarm, with all the extra pieces of hardware moved to the left side to allow for a clean presence of the rim when looked at from the opposite direction. A larger-than-stock 260 mm Metzeler Cruisetec tire wraps around it.

When stationary, the bike can be lowered for a more aggressive look thanks to an air suspension system. The front generally seems to sit closer to the ground as well, thanks to it being dropped by an undisclosed amount and fitted with a flat handlebar.

Harley\-Davidson Red Stroke
Photo: Thunderbike
As said before, the modified Fat Boy wears the name Red Stroke, and that's owed to the fact the overall anthracite paint slapped on the bodywork is highlighted by red stripes, carefully placed to get the maximum effect.

Mechanically the two-wheeler is still its older self, with only a short Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system slapped to the right side of the engine to ensure suitable exhaling. A drilled air cleaner takes care of the other side of the breathing coin.

A standard Fat Boy can be had off the Harley dealers' shelf in exchange for $20,199, but you need to add that sum once over to get to the price of the Red Stroke. Only the extra parts alone – and there are in all some 35 of them, cost 15,000 euros, which is about $16,500 at today's exchange rates. And that does not include the man-hours spent on putting it together, the paint job, the exhaust system…
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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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.
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