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Individualism matters
Others talk about diversity. We prefer to call it crossover, and that’s what we’ve always been building! In Thundertalk, our Stefan Hutmacher speaks the truth: “Nobody can find the right drawer!” He’s talking about our speed gliders, because anyone who wants to classify them has a hard time. But nowadays nobody has to. We are free to choose our gender, and no one has to decide if the Speed Glider is a Bagger or not. Individualism is what counts. Thank you, politicians, but we Harley riders have always known that!
Unwanted pigeonholing
It starts with the dominant batwing fairing in the style of a classic E-Glide. Now an icon of a ’60s design culture where everything was clearly categorized, the E-Glide fairing, for example, represented the class of the tourer, which then became the dresser and finally the bagger.
There's a lot going on in there.
The Speed Glider’s fairing can be removed with a few pushes of a button. What remains is … well, what then? Is it still a bagger? It wasn’t a bagger before, because we don’t have bags in the back. But with the fairing off, it looks more like a cruiser with the extra-wide Hollywood Light 32 handlebar on the old-style rails. If it weren’t for the sporty Crossfire spoiler and especially the 110cc Screamin’ Eagle engine, whose transparent Clarity cover doesn’t hide the fact that there’s a lot going on inside.
The extra-wide Hollywood Light 32 handlebars turn the Speed Glider into a cruiser when the fairing is removed
In addition, bright red accents on the pushrod covers and pushrod feet, even under the tank logo, always in an exceptionally standardized color: RAL 3000, fire red!
Gone are the running boards of the former Twin Cam Softail Slim, in favor of satin-finish footpegs and handlebar grips. The drilled power filter breathes into the engine, which blows out a totally legal sound through the Jekill and Hyde pipes at the rear.
The transparent covers don’t hide the fact that there’s a lot going on in the 110 Screamin’ Eagle engine
Simply chic at the rear
And in the back… yes, in the back it’s completely different. Neither sporty nor baggy, it is simply chic. A design flow runs from the pop-up fuel filler caps over a fuel tank whose halves were once hidden by an obtrusive dash cover, now ending in a clean-cut surface. We call this treatment Chicano.
The elegance continues in the red stitching of the saddle on a steel seat pan. The rear fender is also steel, and the two go together. This fender can be lowered close to the tire with our Air Ride, and a pressure gauge mounted to the left behind the tank tells you how low to go. Just lower it and the 18″ Big Speed rear wheel with 260 rubber is just right.
Kreuzfeuer swingarm
This is what’s inside our Crossfire swingarm. It really is called that, with a German name. We combined it with our disc brake to make the Big Speed wheel really pop. There are no cases on top of it, so we can no longer call it a rear bagger.
The Speed Glider can do everything
So what is all this? Our politicians invoke diversity, and now it should even be possible not to define it at all in our society. It’s been possible on two wheels for a long time, we just never called it that. Maybe it’s more of a crossover, when so many different styles merge into one individuality. But we don’t really want to limit ourselves to one style. The name of the Speed Glider says it all, it can go fast, it can glide, it can be a custom Harley, and it can do it all. That’s what we’ve always built.
Parts & Details
- Thunderbike Big Speed wheel
- Thunderbike Rear Fender Steel 18''
- Thunderbike Seat Plate
- Thunderbike Air Ride Suspension Kit
- Thunderbike Pulley Speedstar polished
- Thunderbike Pulley Brake Kit
- Thunderbike Brake Disc Floated Big Speed 292mm
- Thunderbike Primary Offset kit 6-speed 14mm
- Thunderbike Swingarm Kit Kreuzfeuer 18''
- Thunderbike Side Mount Licence Plate Bracket medium
- Thunderbike License Plate Frame Inside Plate
- Thunderbike License Plate Lighting
- Thunderbike Tank modification Chicano
- Thunderbike Handlebar Hollywood Light
- Thunderbike Riser Kit Old Style with wireholes
- Thunderbike Riser Adapter Set
- Thunderbike Grips Base Satin black cut
- Thunderbike Toppers Base
- Thunderbike Mirror Joker
- Harley-Davidson Leather Windshield Bag Road King Classic Style
- Thunderbike Forward Control Kit Satin black cut
- Thunderbike Front Fender Recall
- Thunderbike Brake Disc Floated Big Speed 300mm
- Thunderbike Brake caliper cover
- Thunderbike Power Filter Kit Drilled
- Roland Sands Design RSD Derby Cover Clarity, Black Ops
![Ahlsdorf](https://www.thunderbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/michael-ahlsdorf-300x300.jpg.pagespeed.ce.WK4_qtn91B.jpg)
Author / Editor
Michael Ahlsdorf
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