Custom Harley Street Bob ‘Radical Queen’ Is One for the Good Guys – Or Gals
Thunderbike wanted to create a hero version of its villain build, and as a result, this cool custom Harley Street Bob came to life.
Over the years, we’ve featured more than our fair share of custom builds from the German outfit known as Thunderbike – and for good reason. That particular shop churns out more of those types of things than we can possibly count, each with its own unique theme and purpose. Oftentimes, the direction of Thunderbike’s builds is determined by the future owner, and sometimes, the company is given free rein to do whatever it sees fit. In the case of this Harley Street Bob build dubbed “Radical Queen,” it’s all about creating a “good guy” – or “good gal” – version of an existing bike called Vader’s Fist.
Vader’s First features the same basic style as Radical Queen, albeit with a dark, ominous feel fit for someone like, say, a movie villain. Thus, for this latest variant, Thunderbike went with more of a hero theme – something of an image overhaul, if you will. Furthermore, the customer that commissioned the build wanted handlebars with pointed tips, which required a bit of work to incorporate into Thunderbike’s own proprietary Radical 2.0 fork.
Luckily, since the Milwaukee Eight powerplant in this Harley Street Bob has no throttle cable, as it’s drive-by-wire, this wasn’t too difficult to overcome, as the bike utilizes a hydraulic clutch that allows a steel braided cable to be routed closer to the handlebars. Yes, you heard that right – Thunderbike switched back to a hydraulic clutch in this application for two reasons – it looks better, and the customer preferred it.
From there, Thunderbike added goodies such as a disc brake that’s located behind the pulley, a short fender, Thunderbike struts, an 18-inch FLH rear wheel, and a 180 width tire, which – like the other one – features a classic whitewall style. There’s also a stretch tank that adds even more flair to the mix, along with an air ride suspension to smooth out bumps and give the owner control over ride height.
The result of all that work – as is usually the case with Thunderbike creations – speaks for itself. Radical Queen is yet another unique take on a Harley Street Bob that has style for days, but isn’t so radically different that one can’t tell what model it is – and while others may prefer something a bit more radical, we think it hits the proverbial sweet spot just right.
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