Explosions in the literal sense are nasty occurrences. They are the result of some unfortunate factors coming together to form a devastating event. But the term can also be used to describe something good, an evolution of some sort, like say the explosion of a popcorn into the delicious movie treat, or the transformation of this here Fat Boy from stock to custom.
The Fat Boy is the bike that’s been at the center of the Harley offensive in the cruiser segment since the 1990s, the early years of the Softail family it is part of. It’s also one of the most appreciated base models by the custom industry, and scores of them have made it into the wild over the years with completely new looks, and, at times, increased capabilities.
This bike’s evolution from Fat Boy to Silver Blast began, as usual, with the swapping of the original 18-inch wheels. Already unique in the world of production motorcycles, the stock wheels were replaced by spoked pieces of hardware that completely turned the design of the Fat Boy on its head.
On both ends of the ride there are now 21-inch wheels painted black on each of their 15 spokes. The front one rests under the limited shade provided by a tiny fiber-reinforced plastic fender, and it is supported by a lowered fork – a solution chosen in order to keep the bike’s original caster angle, which would have been impacted by the switch to a larger dimension wheel.
Another change performed at the front targeted the replacement of the 300 mm brake discs with a larger 340 mm one. The original brake calipers are still used thanks to the deployment of adapters.
Photo: Thunderbike
The changes made to the Fat Boy continue above the wheel. The stock handlebars are gone, replaced by a wide custom set that measures 14 inches (35 cm) high and 33 inches (85 cm) wide and has satin grips with turn lights on the ends. In their bulky, fat bodies, the handlebars hide the bike’s cables, wires, brake lines, and even an additional clutch line.
At the rear, the custom wheel is the centerpiece of the changes made. It too 21 inches in size (it’s not that common for Thunderbike to use the same wheel dimension on both ends), it is attached to a single-side swingarm. A pretty large perimeter brake tied to a spoke pulley has been installed there as well, with the pulley displaying the same number of spokes, 15, as the wheels themselves.
A steel fender was chosen here to protect the rider from whatever the 260 mm wide rubber could throw up during rides. It was made in such a way as to include the bike’s rear lights and to support a pad that would allow a passenger to climb on the bike’s back – and that also required passenger footrests to be installed.
To top off the clean rear look, Thunderbike chose to move the license plate holder to one side, something it regularly does on its custom motorcycles.
Unlike what we usually get from these guys on the Fat Boy front, the Silver Blast comes with a piece of bodywork that, combined with the lowering of the back thanks to the fitting of an air ride system, really makes it look menacing. That piece of bodywork is the chin fairing that has been installed to cover the gap between the front wheel and the radiator.
Photo: Thunderbike
The bike still has the stock engine in the frame, and even if Thunderbike doesn’t specifically name the model year of the donor Fat Boy, that’s probably the 114ci unit. The only modification made to it is the fitting of a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system to handle the breathing out part. Separately, Thunderbike also went for a hydraulic clutch for the project.
There are two interesting aspects of this build that also need to be mentioned. The first would be the fact that, despite its name, the color of the bike it’s not actually silver. It’s the selenite gray Mercedes-AMG uses for the cars it makes.
Then, another German carmaker is honored on the saddle of the Silver Blast, where the motifs that remind connoisseurs of Audi can be seen in the quilting.
In all, Thunderbike used no less than 30 parts for the build (at least that’s how many are listed on the bike’s product page). These parts alone amount to a total of 16,300 euros, which is about $17,700 at today’s exchange rates.
The amount is uncomfortably close to the MSRP of the donor bike ($21,999), and if you also take into account the paint job, the man hours, and who knows what else, you quickly realize the Silver Blast is probably worth at least twice the price of a stock Fat Boy.