Thunderbike Phantom Strike • Harley-Davidson Low Rider S

There is trouble afoot

A storm is gathering over the Alps. The perfect scenario for our latest Low-Rider S interpretation. Phantom Strike strikes! Dark shadows cast over the mountains of Carinthia. If silence had a weight, it would be lead. The roar of the engines is still ringing in our ears. We wanted to get home dry from our last ride around Lake Faak before the bike show opens its doors the next day.

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When, if not now?

Our photographer reminds us of the shoot. When if not now? Our latest interpretation of the Low-Rider S is called Phantom Strike, which is also a black thunderstorm that passes over the mountains as quickly as a summer thunderstorm. So let’s seize this unique moment of black on black over the Alps. No one knows when a phantom will return.

Pause for a moment. Silence. Kneel down. What a lot of leather we’ve got here, and black too! The standard Low Rider S really needs it, if you’ll pardon the pun. Its rear end does not really harmonise with the chubby 16-inch wheel and the fender balanced between intrusive struts. This is no stage for 106 stallions to stamp their hooves on the tarmac.

Thunderbike Phantom Strike - Harley-Davidson Low Rider S Low Rider S FXLR Milwaukee-Eight

That’s why we’ve gone back to our tried and tested recipe of lowering with Air Ride, a larger and wider 18-inch GT wheel and a fender that sits close to it. This is the 200 rear steel fender with integrated rear lights and a bespoke seat. The GT wheel is accentuated by a disc brake, at least on the right-hand side. Our new Wave Vegas disc disappears between the wheel and the pulley, making the typical Harley show side at the rear a clean experience.

New Wave Vegas

The Wave Vegas brake discs have a massive diameter of 340 millimetres. They are held by callipers that are radially bolted to our adapters

It’s almost a shame about our Wave Vegas. But we bring her back to the front of the stage, even in a pas de deux. Two of the sweeping discs ensure efficient braking of the 106 stallions’ canter. They have a dominant diameter of 340 millimetres and are held by radial caliper that we have bolted onto adapters that match our range. Note how the black struts of the Wave Vegas brake discs match the spokes of the 21-inch GT wheel. Now that is coherence!

The fork is of course lowered and our 45mm thick Atlas handlebars trones on Atlas risers are enthroned on it, in which the hydraulic lines to the brakes and clutch hide. The striped turn signals also disappear beneath the fittings, and the satin-finish grips invite you to enjoy the haptic experience of touching them.

Behind the spokes of the GP wheel, the pulley brake and Wave Vegas disc show through

Forward controls New Custom

New to the range of fittings is our phantom forward control kit. This is the perfect place for the footpegs from our SP-S range. Biker boots should feel right at home on them. Incidentally, the forward routing is about the only thing we have done in bicolour this time. This is a novelty. What’s more, our customer only wanted black on our covers, on our trims and even on our screws. We delivered.

Our new front-mounted model is called ‘Phantom’. The two-tone version sets the scene

Our side license plate bracket dominates the action. The Wave Vegas brake disc is well hidden

Our Atlas handlebars hide the hydraulic brake and clutch lines

The colour of a phantom

The ‘Twentyone Streetfighter’ version’s Jekill and Hyde silencers, with their legal sound, are black anyway. And Chiko’s pinstriping provides all the colour a Phantom needs, with only subtle gold highlights. There is no need to hide values, not even those of a Phantom. In fact, the Phantom had to disappear quickly after the shoot. What had been brewing up there over the mountains was now coming down on us in the form of heavy rain. Luckily for the shoot, we had to clean the bike for the bike show the next day anyway.