The bobbed (shortened) rear fender became the keynote of a whole bobber tradition, a Harley motif that in recent years has been overshadowed by the elaborate custom choppers produced for television shows.
"Willie G.'s own bobber — a '47 knuckler — sits 6m from my desk," Christoph said. (For aficionados, the knucklehead engine is a landmark of Harley history.) Bobbers contributed to the outlaw image of Harleys and bikers in general.
Aiming for what he calls "the clean bobber look," Christoph devoted considerable effort to the bike's rear view. Instead of hanging a stoplight from the fender, he combined its function with the turn signal lamps, as is typical on cars, and placed the license plate on the left side of the bike. That side-mounted plate is the signature of the Nightster's outlaw theme of rebellion.
"I wanted people to wonder if it was legal," Christoph said. Among the first to wonder was Harley's legal department. The design sent them digging through motor vehicle statutes; even after assurances that it was in compliance, many in the company were nervous and wanted to change the arrangement. "We organized project "save the license plate,'" Christoph said.
Davidson added: "The clean rear fender is the key to the styling of the Nightster. It's a look that couldn't have been achieved without the stop-turn taillights and the side-mount plate."
Even with Davidson backing the idea, according to Christoph, it took weeks to get the configuration approved.
That process may suggest why the personality of the finished product contrasts with the mood of Christoph's jagged original sketches and enthusiastic descriptions of the bike. As produced, the Nightster is awfully well housebroken for a machine with aspirations of grit and grunge.
It comes with elegant details: a classy orange pinstripe on the fuel tank, and light stitching on the seat that emphasizes its handmade quality.
"I also wanted it to have a rat-rod quality," Christoph said, referring to the revival of interest in historically authentic finishes among hot rodders. He thought of matte black, like the repainted 1961 Chrysler Imperial he once drove. The wheel rims and hubs, handlebar and front suspension legs are black. Most of the chrome is gone, to be sure, except on the exhaust pipes, whose length and cut was specified by Davidson.
The engine, the same rubber-mounted, fuel-injected V-Twin used in other 1,200cc Sportsters, is done up in a matte finish called Medium Gray, a hue also found on the transmission and airbox cover. All that gray mutes the bike's rebel black, a reminder that for all its overtones of rebellion, Harley-Davidson is quite a conservative company.
And why shouldn't it be, given its record of success?
The company reached its 100th birthday in 2003 and during the decade preceding, the average age of its riders had increased by roughly 10 years. It has since held roughly steady. Luring 20-somethings will require squaring respectability with rebellion.
Is the Nightster different enough to appeal to younger riders? "I expect it to be highly customized," Christoph said of the bike. The company's huge accessory catalog may be the true masterpiece of Harley design today. The success of Harley has always been in the ability of riders to imprint the bikes with their own personalities.
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