Thunderbike Pimp Bob • H-D Street Bob FXDB Dyna Custom Umbau

Pimped for a good cause

Text by Michael Ahlsdorf - Easyriders

We don’t know what neuromuscular diseases are. But in any case you have to do something about them. At the Custombike 2007 the customizer Thunderbike had a Harley-Davidson Street Bob pumped by the two master painters Ingo Kruse and Marcus Pfeil – also Thunderbike himself did a good job with optical and technical retouching. The net proceeds of the campaign will go to the German Society for Muscle Patients (DGM), with which the H.O.G. Charity works closely together. And in order to carry the advertising drum with us, we were allowed to take the Pimp Bob between our legs for a test ride.

It’s about style, not physics.

The name Pimp Bob already announces the program of this custom bike. This is about style, not riding physics. The stylish appearance is secured by the retro design, which evokes associations with the bobbers and rods of bygone days – and that without much showing off. The filigree paintwork in its subdued colours leathers off every neon-coloured yoghurt cup in front of the ice cream parlour with neat understatement.

Do stripes make a motorcycle faster? No. But no matter, because riding a motorbike is all about feeling.

Nevertheless, Thunderbike has not failed to interfere not only with bolt-on parts from the Cross series, but also with real chassis modifications. The 21″ front wheel is a must for the retro style. But if you don’t shorten the fork by the two inches of the additional radius, you’ll ruin the line. So the lowering from the Thunderbike program was also used immediately. In the back Thunderbike didn’t really use a wide tyre, but he tricked it enough. The original 17″ rim made room for a wider 15″ rim. The mechanics have now mounted a 170 millimetre wide balloon tyre on it. In the days of real bobbers, this would have been considered a “roller”. Nowadays, this, in combination with the white wall tyres, is simply unobtrusive.

Thunderbike Pimp Bob - H-D Street Bob FXDB Dyna Custom Umbau Street Bob FXDB Twin-Cam

… still runs with real engine

Correspondingly the driving behaviour. A larger front wheel naturally prefers to run straight ahead, and a wider rear tyre also. But only those who feel the gauge like a crumbscreeper can feel this. All the more we are happy about the Twin-Cam A-engine. The Dyna series still runs with this real engine. Its crankshaft rotates without balance shafts, but the engine is not rigidly bolted to the frame, but mounted on rubber blocks. These rubber blocks let just as much life through that the driver feels the engine, but is not annoyed with deaf fingers. And that brings us to the feeling: Thank you, dear guys from Thunderbike! A motorcycle with Apehanger must simply have footrests moved forward. Everything else is only half the battle, and we never understood why Harley had to bring the Street Bob onto the market from the start without any advances.

Relaxed feeling when cruising

That’s how it comes up, the relaxed feeling when cruising. Every engine or chassis tuning passes our ass if only the feeling is right. It’s true with the Pimp Bob. If you are balanced, you don’t have to be boring.