I met Mark, the owner of Fat Boy Designs when I attended the 2017 Bangkok HRCS, Mark, the man responsible for the Bangkok HRCS is also the owner of the MOONEYES Shop in Bangkok, he is definitely a busy boy. Fat Boy designs are responsible for some of the best Custom Bikes in Thailand, the incredibly high standard of the work they do was evidenced by the Jewel Bike.
The Jewel Bike is impressive, it looks fabulous! the design is beautiful the craftsmanship faultless every little detail and there are hundreds adds to the overall concept, the thing that i did not realise when I first saw it was exactly how brilliant this bike was, almost every part of this bike has been machined and/or fabricated from Aluminium, the petrol tank, oil tank, the seat, all Aluminium, the forks and tripple clamps, the wheels, the bars and forward controls all designed and machined from billet in house. The tube and lug frame was fabricated in house using aircraft grade Aluminium tubing, the lugs are machined from the same grade of material and finished in way that makes them look like cast pieces, there are polished brass details all over the bike again all done in house, the paint and pinstriping in house, you can spend ages looking at this bike and still more detail emerges.
The week after the show I went to visit Mark at Fat Boy Customs, I was expecting a small work shop with a crew of very good tradesman working away, but what I found was a facility that included a retail showroom with several Custom Bikes for sale, Accessories, Custom Painted Helmets, MOONEYES Gear, a whole wall displaying Trophy’s that mark had won for his Drag Racing and various other exploits, complete Harley engines and custom worked Barrels and parts.
They also had a NC Machining room, a Metal fabrication room, a Fibreglass fabrication room, a Pinstriping room, a Spray booth, a huge Custom parts store that they could raid when they needed something special for a build, Fat Boy Designs is the most impressive Custom Bike Work shop I have visited.
Marks story is an interesting one, he started working in the family auto parts manufacturing business and trained as a machinist, the company employed a lot of NC machines for parts manufacture so Mark learned not only how to use the machines but design and program creation as well, in his spare time he indulged his love of Motorcycles by building, riding with his mates and racing his Bikes, “he still has most of his old Bikes and Go Karts in storage at the workshop”.
Eventualy there came a time when his father wanted to retire and he asked Mark to take over the management of the Auto Parts business but Mark was having none of that, he wanted to start his own Custom Bike Garage and so Fat boy Designs was started, Marks professionalism and drive are incredible, he gathers skilled people around him and takes exceptional pride in everything that is designed and built at the workshop, he is a great organiser, Bangkok HRCS is proof of that, he had also entered into a collaboration with Cherry Company Cycles of Japan to make one piece moulded fibreglass fuel tank, seat and rear guard units for late model Harley Sportsters.
Mark gave me the full guided tour through the Workshop which not only builds Custom Bikes but also services and repairs Harleys and the odd Triumph, they also build and maintain the companies Drag bikes a new one of which was under construction when I visited and has since hit the track, they had three Custom bikes on the assembly benches, all belonging to local customers, Mark stated that the Custom scene is strong in Thailand and they are kept busy building bikes.
From talking with Mark and his guys I got the impression that working at Fat Boy Designs was more than just a five day a week nine to fiver but that they often hung out at the drag strip and Motocross track, Mark also sponsors a Vintage Motocross bike which was built at the shop and is ridden by one of his employees, Fat Boy Designs seem to be one of those rare places where the Owner and his Employees are all totally committed to the Motorcycle lifestyle and to the quality and expertise it takes to design and build fabulous Custom Bikes, I got the feeling these guys would work for free if need be.
To say I was impressed by Mark and the crew at Fat Boy Designs is an understatement, I try to visit the shop whenever i am in Bangkok and always love to see what they are up to, If you are ever in Bangkok drop in and say Hi, many thanks to Mark and the crew for their hospitality and for the chance to see their fabulous worksop.
If you would like more info about any of the events or business’s on here contact me at www.customasia.asia