Swiss
Comes ripe with Ohlins, carbon wheels, and Brembo componentry
If you’re in the market for a no-frills Harley-Davidson cruiser, there's a high chance you’ve already checked out the Street Bob. After all, it promises simple underpinnings, classic looks, and blacked-out Milwaukee Eight mill for plenty of thump. But no matter how good this may be, things can always get better.
And you better believe they will when one such cruiser hits the deck of Bundnerbike–a Switzerland-based specialist in custom Harleys. Doing just that, the shop has whipped up a custom Street Bob that sways away from its usual self to focus on extravagant performance to shame your favorite sports bikes. That too, with components from big names like Ohlins, Rotobox, and Brembo!
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We usually start off with the design, but this Street Bob is worth making an exception for, credit to its jazzed-up underpinnings. Up top, the cruiser bids adieu to its gaited telescopic forks and makes way for fully adjustable Ohlins upside-down units. This is topped by a Rotobox Bullet carbon fiber wheel that houses not one but two 320 mm petal rotors from Galfer clamped by Brembo radial calipers. A closer look also reveals a carbon fiber fender in place of the OEM metal unit.
At the opposite end, the stock subframe remains as is but now pairs up with a wider chopped fender identical to the Fat Bob. Look closely, and you’ll also see a hand lever under the seat which gives away the adjustable Ohlins STX 46 monoshock tucked under the bodywork. A Rotobox carbon wheel, complete with a Rebuffini petal rotor and a Brembo caliper round things off outback. Meanwhile, Bundnerbike has wrapped the new wheels in uber-sticky Metzeler Racetec RR rubber, which–along with the lower unsprung mass–should make corner carving sessions feel as good as Christmas morning. Not to mention, the Brembos will ensure you don't have to plan your braking well before the turn, as you ideally would on the Street Bob.
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What will also elevate the ride experience are the tweaked ergonomics. You now rest your tushy on a new, considerably thicker saddle from the trusted craftworkers of Saddlemen while the hands lie on a custom handlebar-riser combo built by the shop itself. Once aboard, you’ll also appreciate the raised rearward footrests and the brawnier custom tank that houses two analog clocks.
What about performance, you ask? Well, in typical Bundnerbike fashion, the shop has the Milwaukee Eight 114 V-twin engine as is. The only notable upgrade is a new, full-system Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust system that ends in a burly single can. Though we don't expect significant power gains over the stock 119 pound-feet, we can surely confirm a thunderous exhaust note. Similarly, the belt pulley mechanism and six-speed gearbox remain unchanged, albeit with slight tweaks to match the overall aesthetic.
Speaking of aesthetics, we finally come to the design. Bundnerbike has wrapped the custom motorcycle in a brushed metallic blue finish, with rusty overtones and simple ‘Harley-Davidson’ logos on the tank. The blue also extends to the engine push rods and heads. It feels a little too simple to us, given the upgraded underpinnings, but we believe it will stand out in a crowd. In the meantime, the shop has also paid attention to the finer details, evident from the custom grips, edgy rear-view mirrors, and the side-mounted license plate holder. Take a closer look and you also notice the multi-projector all-LED headlight paired with sleek LED turn signals fore and aft.
Sadly, it doesn't look like it, as the shop hasn't listed this on its ‘for sale’ portal. The good news, however, is that most of these parts are available a la carte and you can contact Bundnerbike for the same. You can also do the same to get a quote on a full build, just like this. It won't be anywhere near cheap, though, because it had listed a custom Softail Standard for CHF 39,900 or $44,000. That's thrice the MSRP of the Softail here, so expect a similar feat for whatever you have in mind.
Punya is an avid motorcyclist who's always up for a ride to the canyons or the racetrack. He insists his riding skills are better than his writing skills, even though he's worked with some world-renowned automotive websites.
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