Harley-Davidson RockSTar Is More About Tobacco and Whiskey Than GTA VI
By: Daniel Patrascu Courtesy: AutoEvolution
With the launch of the latest installment in the GTA gaming franchise just around the corner (hopefully), the simple mention of the name Rockstar is probably enough to get people’s blood pumping. This time, however, Rockstar has nothing to do with perhaps the most anticipated video game of all time, but rather with the smell of tobacco and whiskey, grafted onto a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
You may remember how, back in 2024, the American bike maker released something called the Enthusiast Collection. Comprising three models in all, they were called in bulk the Tobacco Fade bikes. All three of them, namely the Low Rider ST, Ultra Limited, and Tri Glide Ultra, were not necessarily meant to honor the rides Harley makes, but the riders themselves.
Despite the name that clearly references tobacco (to me, it also spells out whiskey for one reason or another), the three machines also became Harley’s way of paying tribute to what it called at the time the burst of collective energy released by live music at the corner tavern, at a motorcycle rally, or the live stage of the still young Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival.
How did the Milwaukee crew achieve this effect, you ask? Well, by giving the three rides a special makeover consisting of a special paint job called, how else, Tobacco Fade, taking after the sunburst wood finish that was common back in the 1960s on rock and roll musical instruments the likes of guitars, bass, and drums.
Basically, we were dealing with a shade of warm brown spread over the bikes’ main body components, the fairing, fuel tank, fenders, and covers, enhanced here and there by caramel-colored pinstripes and metallic gold.
As finishing touches, Harley installed a medallion on the fuel tank, whose shape is inspired by the grooves one sees on a vinyl record, and a graphic on the front fender meant to resemble a guitar pick. In terms of extra gear, the three Harleys were fitted with the Tour-Pak luggage carrier on the rear fender.
Harley only made 2,000 units of the model two years ago, selling them for prices close to those it charged for the base models. The limited edition was meant for the global markets, and that means some of them have also reached European shores.
This week, I stumbled upon a customized Low Rider ST that is either based on the Tobacco Fade models from two years ago, or simply tries to honor it. The bike’s maker, Thunderbike, is not very clear on that (it’s likely the former), but this doesn’t change the way the custom ride looks and feels in the slightest.
For reasons that have not been disclosed, the bike is called in this modified form the RockSTar, spelled exactly like that, and it carries a paint job not unlike the one Harley chose for the 2024 Enthusiast Collection. On top of that, though, it also throws in a number of modifications the original didn’t have. Untraditionally, Thunderbike didn’t swap the motorcycle’s stock wheels, meaning we’re still dealing with the 19-inch one at the front and the 16-inch one at the rear, but this time shod in Metzeler rubber. Just like on the original, they come with bronze rims. The braking system that’s tied to these wheels is, however, custom, with fresh wave-spoke discs and calipers taking center stage.
Elsewhere, Thunderbike went for a club-style riser kit and similar handlebars, a tinted windscreen, and a spoiler. One very imposing element of the project is the Saddlemen seat, which is accompanied on the RockSTar by aftermarket floorboards and multi-function taillights. There are no major mechanical upgrades attached to this project, but the German crew did attach a Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde two-in-one exhaust system to the stock Milwaukee-Eight engine. It’s unclear if this changes the powertrain’s output and, if so, by how much.
Usually, Thunderbike performs a lot of modifications to base Harleys, but that’s not the case here. Compared to the Fat Boy-based Royal Purple we discussed earlier this week, for instance, the RockSTar is quite the poorer sibling. While the Royal ate up custom parts (around 40 different ones were used for that project) worth a total of $35,000, the Low Rider here only required some 14 major components, whose combined value sits at around $3,500 - one tenth of Purple’s build cost.
That value, naturally, does not include the base motorcycle, the paint job changes, and the man-hours spent on putting the bike together in this form. As a reminder, the base Low Rider ST Tobacco Fade sold off the Harley lot back in 2024 for $25,299.
Thunderbike does not say who the customer who had the RockSTar is, or where the bike is located now. We do know it roams the roads of the Old Continent, and chances are you’ll spot it immediately if it passes you by.