Harley-Davidson Midnight Joe Is a Disappointingly Simple Custom, Until You Look Closer

Look as I might, the Midnight Joe we have here comes with no such distinctive features. It's all black, and we've seen plenty of those before. It has gold accents here and there, and so do many other such builds. It lacks any markings and adornments like tons of custom rides presently roaming the roads.

Why then, you could ask, are we talking about it? That's simple: all you have to do is look closer and you'll immediately notice is exactly this indistinctness that makes it stand out.

The bike started out into this world as a brand new, 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Bob. The bike Harley itself calls the "stripped-down bobber cloaked in black" was taken further in the same direction by German custom garage Thunderbike, who didn't stop until the goal of the build was achieved: a 1960s-style ride, simple, unassuming, effective, purist even.

We're told the Street Bob was chosen as a base bike because it is closest, even in stock form, to the desired result. That's visible in the lack of many custom enhancements we are used to seeing, and not only visual ones: the Midnight Joe, for instance, does not roll on an air suspension system (it does feature a lowering kit that was more than enough to get the desired effect), the original fork is still there, and so is the fuel tank.

The rigid frame look of the custom bike had to come from somewhere, so changes to the original Street Bob were of course made. The most visible is the fitting of a new set of wheels, with such a big margin between the two ends that it's impossible not to notice them: the front wheel is 21 inches in diameter, while the rear one is only 17 inches. Aftermarket fenders float over both of them.

Thunderbike also fitted a new footrest system and handlebars for the rider's comfort, a new swingarm at the rear, and a swinging saddle made in house that, at 499 euros ($542), is among the most expensive piece of hardware used on this project.

Speaking of expensive, we've gotten used to Thunderbike not sharing the full cost of the bike. These guys do however share the pricing for each individual piece of hardware used on the build, and that generally helps us get a pretty decent idea of where we stand.

The Harley-Davidson Midnight Joe (named so, apparently, after a 1964 song by Lorna Dune and Joey Powers titled Midnight Joey - check the video below for the song), uses just 5,300 euros (roughly $5,800) of extras. Add to that the starting price of a Street Bob of $16,599, and you end up with a unique-looking bike that's not at all expensive.