by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com
Generally speaking, Harley-Davidson motorcycles are not prohibitively expensive. Pair that with the iconic status of the brand, and you get the most important reason why there are so many Harleys on our roads.
A good chunk of them are of course stock. Of the modified ones, most have minor enhancements, both in scope and price, derived from the owners’ need to stand out in a crowd. But there’s a sizeable number of Harleys whose modifications amount to at least half the price of the standard bike.
Take the Street Bob we have here. Today, the starting price for the model as it exists the factory doors is $14,599, but this particular one is worth a lot more than that.
It’s officially called Black Denim, and was made by German shop Thunderbike at the request of one of its customers. The idea was to go with subtle changes, but the project ended up costing at least $7,000 on top of the stock two-wheeler.
Visually, the bike is no longer your average Street Bob. The rear end was made a tad fatter with the addition of a swingarm kit, new fender, and custom wheel. Up front we get a new wheel as well, a new handler bar for a more chopper-style look, and new signals.
Mechanically, the bike has changed with the addition of a new pulley brake kit, and an exhaust system from Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde. Other enhancements come in the form of air filters, covers for the clutch / ignition, and toppers.
Usually, Thunderbike does not say how much their builds cost to make, but at the same time they do list most of the parts used, and simple use of elementary math gives us a pretty good idea. In this case, we’re talking about roughly 6,000 euros, or the equivalent of $7,000 at today’s exchange rates – and that’s not including the man hours and the exhaust system.
