A world-famous custom builder recently told us: “I never want my Harleys to look like Harleys.” We wonder if Tom Mosimann had the same thought when he built this outlandish Harley Fat Boy.
Based in the Swiss capital of Bern, Tom is a sign painter who started building bikes three years ago under the moniker of GS Mashin. This 2000-model Fat Boy is his first Harley—you can’t miss the muscular V-twin, but it’s now clothed in most unusual swooping bodywork and a retina-searing paint job.
Tom drew inspiration from old salt flat racers and drag bikes. He shaped everything himself out of steel—from the prominent headlight shroud, through to the hard-edged tank and the tail section with its integrated rear light.
The seat’s been covered in leather, and Tom’s made a neat little belly ‘spoiler.’ The exhaust system is his handiwork too, as is the angular ‘GS’-adorned air filter.
Accompanying the bespoke metalwork is a bevy of choice parts. Hiding behind the headlight shroud are an Auto Meter speedo, LSL bars, Roland Sands Design grips and Beringer controls. The mid-placed foot controls and primary drive are from Performance Machine.
Tom kept the Harley Fat Boy’s rear wheel and shocks, but lowered the forks and upgraded them with Progressive Suspension springs. The front wheel’s a 21-inch unit from another Harley; both wheels are running Dunlop D402 rubber.
Tom wrapped the project up in nine months, finishing it off with a livery that unashamedly flaunts his skills with a paint gun. The greens used are echoed in places like the wheels, air filter cover and spoiler.
It might not be the most practical custom, but we love it. And, despite its outlandish appearance, it’s fully road legal in Switzerland—a country that has some of the most stringent noise regulations in the world.
“GS Mashin only builds roadworthy bikes,” Tom explains. “Because bikes are for riding.”
Absolutely.
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