Meet the ‘Mutant’ Harley Davidson V-Rod Custom
Custom bike features gargantuan rear tire.
Nothing screams “custom” like a big, fat rear tire on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and nothing screams “bad-ass” like a big, fat rear tire on an HD. The latter scream is probably why we are seeing more and more and bigger and bigger rear tires on custom jobs these days.
A custom bike maker in Estonia has taken the trend to the next level. Meet the Mutant, a bike that sports a rear tire that looks like it belongs on a John Deere tractor.
The Mutant is a custom job by a man named Fredy Yaates – and yes, that is the correct spelling. Yaates designs extreme bikes in Estonia, a country that is known for its clean air, hundreds of uninhabited islands and now: The Mutant.
‘Special 1’
The custom is officially named “Special 1” by Yaates, but the Mutant is a much better fit. The bike began life as a 2008 Night Rod. Yaates and his team made a number of modifications to the bike, but the most obvious one, the one that catches the eyes of most custom lovers, is the gargantuan 360mm rear tire.
It is twice the size of the front tire, which is 140 mm, though interestingly it has the same 18-inch diameter as the rear. Both tires are made even more dramatic – as if the rear needed it – by wheels and rims painted a bright, weird shade of red.
The Mutant is not for sale on Yaates web site, but several other V-Rod Customs are, ranging in price from 8,200 Euros to 35,000 Euros.
Batman Drives One
The fat tire trend is not really that old. In fact, you may remember when 150mm was considered “fat.”
We started to see custom jobs not that long ago with “fat” 180 and 200mm tires and from there the trend just grew.
It is now not uncommon to see custom motorcycles with rear tires as big as 300mm and even 320mm. Even Batman drives a fat tire bike.
‘Menacing Beasts’
The Motor Company knows how to spot a trend and even start one. It has produced several fat tire bikes right off the assembly line.
The Breakout has a 240mm “beast’ in back. “It’s a huge tire that looks even more menacing with a large 18-inch wheel,” says Joel Patel in a hdforums.com article.
HD V-Rods are known for big rear tires and straight-ahead speeds, and the 2017 Night Rod Muscle also has that 240mm wide rubber in back. “The bikes are meant to cater to those that live their lives a quarter-mile at a time thanks to sleek styling that mimics the look of a drag-bike,” Patel writes.
People thought the 200mm tire on the Fat Boy was impressive. The Fat Boy now sports a rear 240mm, just like the Breakout and the Night Rod Muscle.
More than ‘Just for Looks’
Fat rear tires are favored for straight-ahead speed because they handle the power from the engine to the wheel more efficiently, and they can handle the bigger, more powerful engines.
Drag racers like them because all that surface area makes better contact with the asphalt and thus, better traction.
Fat tires also help prevent slippage in wet conditions. They provide a smoother ride, absorbing bumps better than skinnier tires.
Photos: Fredy Yaates
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