Thunderbike CCE Undertaker • Harley-Davidson Fat Boy FLFBS Umbau

Synergy is possible, also between customizers

We have been working with Custom Chrome Europe on custom projects for years!

Our custom chrome project this year is called ‘Undertaker’ – glossy black over even glossier metal. We really like this finish. We sell enough parts in this design ourselves, which some manufacturers call “bicolour” and others “contrast cut”. Both are correct. And if others have mastered it, we can acknowledge it without envy.

Thunderbike CCE Undertaker - Harley-Davidson Fat Boy FLFBS Umbau CCE FLFBS Milwaukee-Eight

A man's dream in colours

We found these fabulous Revel wheels from Performance Machine in the Custom Chrome catalogue. A dream in the two colours in which a man’s bike is allowed to shine: black and metal, both shining, both contrasting and then merging again, as if taken from a Terminator II morphing in the big showdown. Could it be a sin to put these wheels on the successor to the Terminator, which is still called the Fat Boy?

The go-ahead had been given for this year’s custom chrome project. Now it was just a matter of matching the wheels and bike with the other components from Custom Chrome and, of course, Thunderbike.

Playing with formats

For example, we thought the 21-inch front wheel format was quite interesting. The narrow sole with its dominant radius would be a sharp counterpoint to the bulky fat-boy image. We also thought it was a subtle interpretation of the term ‘contrast cut’.

The trick with this combination is that because the rim is significantly larger, but the tyre is significantly narrower, the circumference of the entire wheel would hardly change – and therefore the geometry of the fork and its trail would not change. All we had to do was lower the fork a little and we can already say that the Fat Boy has become less fat and therefore more manoeuvrable with this narrow wheel.

The two-inch Kodlin handlebars with the gangsta name ‘Str8UP’ give the front end a real character face. In contrast to the slim wheel, the handlebars are almost 5 cm thick and 2 inches in diameter. That’s quite something, but there’s more to it than that, because we’re currently introducing a similar handlebar to our range under the name ‘Atlas‘. More on that soon.

The Galfer brake discs also come from Custom Chrome. They have exactly the same dimensions as the original Harley discs, so they fit in the original calipers, but they definitely harmonise better with the Revel wheels.

The matching rear end

We also came up with a few things, like the satin grips and the steel seat, which we fitted to a seat shell from the Custom Chrome catalogue and combined with a TXT fender from the same company. We added our strut indicators, even though the fender has no struts. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and once it was fitted, it really sucked.

The rear wheel is pretty close to the size of the original Harley rim. Of course, we inflated the tyres from 240 to 260 millimetres. And how beautifully the lines of the contrast-cut spokes flow from the rubber to the hub! We could melt away like the villain in Terminator Morphing.

Kodlin’s Str8UP handlebars are two inches thick. Our satin grips look great on these bars too.

An air filter housing alone is hardly evidence of top-class customisation, unless we combine the “Grand Classic” with the other components of the undertaker.

Fits: Our Strut turn signals on a Fender without Struts from TXT.

But wait, first we have to praise the Airride, this time not from us, but from Legend Air, because it’s from the Custom Chrome catalogue. We placed the switch discreetly under the tank at the same height as the ignition coil. This is notable because the coil has to be moved slightly inwards to make room for the switch. And of course we have the bracket for this newly positioned coil.

Finally, let’s move on to a part that is often dismissed as cosmetic by more advanced mechanics. This is the air cleaner housing. It comes from us and is called the “Grand Classic”. Doesn’t it look like it was made especially for this Undertaker?

The undertaker's metal

Yes, our custom chrome project this year is called ‘Undertaker’ because it is dominated by black and dark tones. Chiko’s Pinstriping has created the colour scheme for this, dark, subtle but not gloomy. It’s anything but screamingly colourful, but it’s not all black either. After all, the metal of our Undertaker is not just black, but bicoloured.

Farewell is a sharp sword. The start button has already been pressed and, to the roar of Jekill & Hyde’s silencers, the Undertaker is off on its great journey through the trade fairs and custom shows. Soon you will find it on the Custom Chrome stages. And you should be able to recognise him quickly… by his two-tone metallic play.