Harley-Davidson Rusty Rose Plays the Bobber Card, Drops the Chrome

Something along these lines was tried with what was once a stock Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight. The German crew from Thunderbike worked on this latest creation of theirs with the goal of making an old-school bobber out of the American street machine.

That meant a number of visual upgrades had to be made to transform the motorcycle into something that looks old, yet is anything but.

The first thing that catches the eye is the use of brass components in key locations on the motorcycle to make it look old and rusted – after all, the name of the complete project is Rusty Rose. Then, there are no more chrome parts on this thing, as all have been removed by means of powder coating, or simply by replacing them with black ones.

Then come the specially selected bits and pieces that were fitted here and there, starting with the handles of the shop’s own making, or the Harley-Davidson-made patina air filter cover.

But the changes on the bike are a bit more extensive than that. First, a custom fuel tank was installed, “the largest Sportster tank.” Then, the frame was shortened, a swinging fender and custom struts were installed, and a special seat was placed there for the rider’s comfort.

The bike now rides on 16-inch wheels wrapped in whitewall tires, and the entire build sits closer to the ground thanks to the fitting of shorter shock absorbers.

As for the cost of the build, compared to what else Thunderbike has been up lately this one is a real steal. The parts used are worth around just 3,400 euros ($4,100). We are not told how much it cost to cover the Forty-Eight in the special shade of dark brown with gold accents.