In 1993 Harley-Davidson became almost-half owner of the Buell Motorcycle Company. Milwaukee, in a refreshing bit of candor, admitted its specialized factory sport bikes had achieved little success. Better to assist someone well-suited to the design, chassis and assembly requirements of those machines, with Harley-Davidson acting only as the engine supplier.

The timing was right. Buell was under-capitalized, Harley needed a sport bike and an investment opportunity. In 1994 the Thunderbolt was the first product of the new partnership between Milwaukee and Mukwonago. The chassis' wheel-base and steering geometry were unchanged, but the new design left more of both the engine and frame visible. The riding position became something of a compromise between the racer's crouch and the cruiser's slouch.

The Thunderbolt bristles with tasty techno-pieces, from the frame and engine mounts, huge disc brake with 6-piston caliper, inverted fork, to the subverted shock absorber and carbon-fiber air cleaner cover. The oversize muffler permits some tweaking of the 1200 Sportster's performance profile, and the horsepower rating bumps up to 76 at 5,200 rpm, with exactly matching figures

for torque. The curb weight is 481 pounds (218kg). The production schedule was set for 300 Thunderbolts in its debut year.