Thunderbike Midnight Joe • Harley-Davidson FXBB Street Bob Umbau

Sometimes it can be quite simple

One engine. Two wheels. And the color doesn’t really matter. The main thing is black! In between, we also have some free capacity. Then we go ahead anyway and build motorcycles without any customer order at all. Creativity then begins with a morning cup of coffee, black of course, then the first conversations, then the first look at the shelves, then the first ideas.

It must have been the black coffee that made us go back to our roots. Maybe there was a song on the radio of some colleague that Lorna Dune sang in 1964: “Meet You at Midnight, Joey”, a catchy tune that you can’t get rid of all day long.

Anyway, that’s how we kept at it all day, wearing together what belongs together:

First and foremost, there were the black Big Spoke wheels, 21 inches in front, 17 inches in back, with their distinctive brass nipples from TTS. That gave us the idea why we set the accents with this so golden-looking color.

Watch out for the tiny 3in1 Atto turn signals

We don’t have any problems with using parts from other manufacturers. The only important thing for us is that it looks good. So in came the TTS wheels, and their nipples reminded us of the footrest system and handlebar grips from our own house. The line is called “Base Brass.” It was clear that it would harmonize wonderfully with our concept.

Back to the roots, of course, means rigid frame look. No problem, we have the “Flying Slim” fender, which fits snugly on the Softail swingarm and hugs the rear wheel. An air ride wasn’t even necessary, our lowering kit was completely sufficient. In addition, a swinging saddle from our house, “Titanium II”, because only a swinging saddle makes the oldschool line perfect.

We also have the “Hollywood” handlebar for the sovereign upright posture. The we have provided with our “Base Brass” handles and underneath we hid our turn signals called “Stripe”.

Sixties style was thus assured, translated of course into the new millennium with the power of a Milwaukee Eight engine that would put any Pan or Shovel to shame if we didn’t already have midnight anyway. After all, we no longer have 6-volt sparklers, but dazzling LED lights.

Oh, we should still reveal the base on which we implemented our project. It was a Street Bob from 2023, because not everything has to be rebuilt. It already has the purist fork with its bellows from the factory, as well as the slim tank, both of which fit perfectly with our ideas of a purist bike.