Thunder Mountain Custom Cycles, Inc. (TMCC) in Loveland, CO has brought the past back to the future with a retro-style bobber motorcycle for 2007. Maintaining TMCC's quality reputation for being dependable, ridable, and unique in style, this bike is comprised of over 90% Harley-Davidson and 10% TMCC components. This new model is a total blast from the past! The old-school bobber introduces two new versions that will tempt your riding spirit.
We got our hands on the new Sterling RM. It's a bike built with back-to-the-basics classic looks. The Sterling RM comes equipped with a blacked-out road-ripping Screamin' Eagle 103 engine under the tank with standard carbureted intake, and it also comes with the option of an Electronic Sequence Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI). A five-speed H-D transmission is coupled with an H-D primary drive to a chain final drive. The exhaust is a 2-into-1 fishtailed muffler; the muffler is not too loud, but still has a solid bass sound. This is all mounted in a TMCC Softail-style frame with 35-degrees of rake in the neck and stock backbone and downtube lengths. An H-D swingarm and shocks will smooth out the bumps in the road for the back of the bike as a black powdercoated FX Springer handles the front. Keeping with the retro look, a set of spoke wheels fit this bike, 21-inches up front and an 18-incher out back, and both are covered in Metzeler rubber. With a 103ci motor, a good set of brakes are a must, so a set of TMCC rotors and H-D calipers at both ends of the motorcycle will bring this bike to a quick stop. The TMCC utilizes an all-H-D wiring harness for one of the most reliable and easy systems to service. There are as many different accessories to add to the bike as any H-D out there. And that's the basic rundown covering the big things and a quick overview of the TMCC Sterling RM.
When you look at this bike, the first thing you may notice is the blacked-out Springer frontend, along with a set of 12-inch ape hanger handlebars fitted with H-D hand controls with retro grip. The sheetmetal is covered in gloss black paint with pinstriped red flames with a devil head graphic on both sides of the gas tank and rear fender. The overall look is a clean bike with simple lines that anyone would be proud to ride.
The first day we got the bike we headed out and hit the Azusa canyons. This is less than 50 miles from the office, so by the time I got to the mouth of the canyon I had a good feel for the bike. It had a solid feel at every turn, and the brakes had plenty of stopping power to match the powerful motor. Now, we know that this bike has all the California carb crap on it, so we are sure that it has a lot more torque in it somewhere, but for being choked down it performed amazingly well.
With a full tank of gas, we headed up the canyon. The bike handled very well with plenty of ground clearance, even on the higher speed turns and a full lean. This bike has an H-D Springer, and we were surprised by just how well the Springer did in the canyons. As we were riding through all of the switch-backs the Springer felt solid with the tire on the road. Some Springers have a tendency to hobble or bounce even on small bumps, but this bike felt as solid as a Wide Glide. By the time we got to the top of the hill we had about 90 miles on this bike and did not feel like it. The riding position was right for me; I'm just over 6-feet tall, so the bars needed to get pushed forward a bit, but the factory settings were pretty good. Heading down the backside we stopped off at one of the lookouts to watch some of the 4x4 trucks trying to get stuck in the mud. This happens to be a spot were all the bikers, metric and V-Twin alike, stop, and here is where the bike got a lot of questions. Most were "What year is the H-D?" and "Is it a custom?"
After explaining just what it is and where to get one (about six times), we headed out and back down to the highway. On the way back to the office (the long way) we headed out in a different route down to the coast. By the time the day was over, we had 340 miles on the bike, and I spent a lot of time telling people that this was not a Harley-it was a TMCC, and telling them how to get one built the way they wanted from paint and wheels to the power and style. The bike got a lot of attention, and unfortunately we did have to give it back after about three weeks, but it was a good ride. Hopefully they can send out a different model to put some more miles on; we'd love it!