Thunderbike Radical Queen • Harley-Davidson FXBB Street Bob Umbau

Beautifully pointed on the top, powerful on the bottom

When we called the first bike in this style “Vader’s Fist”, it was quite well received. Film villains have long since been better accepted. We can reinvent ourselves. With the Radical Queen we’re the good guys for a change.

The customer wanted “pointed tips”. Maybe that gave us the idea to give the Street Bob a feminine name. It’s the Radical handlebar that has those pointy tips. It looks a bit feminine, but it sits imperiously on the Radical 2.0 fork and it takes some hard engineering to get its line to meld with the necessary control lines.

The trick is to avoid protruding cable loops. On the right, the problem is solved; after all, the Milwaukee Eights have no throttle cable at all, they are drive-by-wire. On the left, the solution is a hydraulic clutch, which allows a steel braided cable to be routed closer to the handlebars.

Thundertalk Video: The Radical Queen – with Julian and Thomas

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How ironic: Harley changed the clutches on its Milwaukee Eight generation to old-fashioned Bowden cables, which don’t work too badly. But we turn the tables and put the clutch back under hydraulic control. Why? Because the customer wants it, because we can do it – and because it looks better.

After all, looking good is the most important thing on a motorcycle. Beautifully pointy at the top, powerful at the bottom, with a 340 mm diameter brake disc.

The tightly braided steel lines for the brake and clutch are set off from the tips of the handlebars.

Radical fork. Our reinterpretation of the Springer fork adds character to the royal lady.

The Radical handlebar does not require risers. It can be mounted on the Radical fork as a single piece.

Can it maybe be a little bigger?

We had the perimeter disc in the programme for the rear. But we didn’t use them because this is a lady, a queen, and she doesn’t want a big butt. So we converted the rear of the Softail to a disc brake behind the pulley. The slim line is accentuated by the short fender, held in place by our proprietary struts, that hugs the 18″ FLH rear wheel like a form-fitting dress. The rubber has a straight 180 width. It’s really slim and looks particularly regal with the whitewall tyres.

Thunderbike Radical Queen - Harley-Davidson FXBB Street Bob Umbau Street Bob FXBB Milwaukee-Eight

Our stretch tank is painted and crowned by Kruse Design. It emphasises the sleek lines and brings us back to the front of this sensational Radical fork. Yes, this is our take on a classic Springer fork. We’ve had it in our range for a few years now, but it’s got the makings of timelessness. Our customers keep asking for it.

Anything but timeless, for the new millennium, is the Air Ride, which we have installed not only at the rear but also at the front. The Radical Queen rises and falls with the mood of its owner. She kneels submissively and presents the tips of her handlebars like a crown. Monarchy is still contemporary in the new millennium, it is even radical. And without any bad attitudes.