‘PainTTless’ 9th annual AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building / Thunderbike

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

’PainTTless’ 9th annual AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building

Thunderbike, Germany, wins 9th annual AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. For the first time an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer has scooped the custom motorcycle industry’s top design and engineering prize. The detailing on the Thunderbike ”PainTTless” is impeccable!.

Thunderbike, of Hamminkeln, near Essen in Germany, was chosen by fellow competitors and selected VIP judges to have built the stand-out ‘class of 2012′ custom motorcycle with ‘PainTTLess’, a hand crafted one-of-kind tour de force that oozes stunning design and engineering excellence from every angle.

Each component was developed from scratch during the 8 month construction period by the motorcycle heavy weights at Harley Davidson. The custom bike has just been named the AMD World Championship Of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis 2012. “We gave everything and were rewarded with the coveted world title in the Freestyle class. With one of our most unique custom bike,” the moto-makers explained.

Andreas Berger Forth of Harley Davidson says “we decided to build a bike for the AMD World Championship Of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis.” The bike is made with “no paint, no varnish, no powder, no filler, no tin! Only those who have ever heard made to chrome knows what this means. The preliminary work has to be absolutely perfect!”

Thunderbike, of Hamminkeln, near Essen in Germany, was chosen by fellow competitors and selected VIP judges to have built the stand-out ‘class of 2012′ custom motorcycle with ‘PainTTless’, a hand crafted one-of-a-kind tour de force that oozes stunning design and engineering craftsmanship from every angle.

Using a restored and modified 1000cc Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster engine in a one-off, hand-built custom swingarm frame, Andreas Bergerforth and the dedicated team at Thunderbike (www.thunderbike.de) have cemented their reputation as being among the world’s foremost motorcycle customizers, following up on their multiple AMD European Championship wins and AMD World Championship top-five placings.

Their work received widespread acclaim for its attention to detail, originality, quality of execution and design harmony, beating off stiff competition from a field of top quality examples of custom motorcycle craftsmanship from all over the world.

Thunderbike has made a double-dose of custom motorcycle industry history at the AMD World Championship this year – not only are they the first authorized Harley-Davidson dealer to take home the ultimate accolade for their work, but they are the first customizers from Germany to take top honors at the AMD World Championship; there have now been winners from 6 different countries in the nine years that the AMD World Championship has been staged.

Thunderbike

How it all began..

When we decided to build a bike for the AMD World Championship Of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis, clearly it was to be the best that we have ever built. Here, the name says it all: no paint, no varnish, no powder, no filler, no tin! Only those who have ever heard made to chrome knows what is meant. The preliminary work has to be absolutely perfect!

Also easy to be anything but ordinary to the bike. No part of any shelf or catalog. Like the pioneers of the early race action, you need a solution that is (he) find a. And so, in due course all components are created.

Old School Racer …

A true Old School Racer, it should be that the topic has already impressed us with King Kerosin bike. Since a used Iron came as the base just right. First we have the Ironhead engine just cut off the gear and provided a WLA transmission behind. The ignition system I found on eBay, a Bosch magneto of 1928, cool! This thing must be before the engine throne, as in almost all legendary racing machines.

Next we have derived from the first sketches a sheet metal silhouette, to put some wheels and set so the rough proportions of the future racers.

The metal shoe .. .

Afterwards we went to the frame, the shoe plate for the engine and transmission. Combined with the pipe coating, he brings the necessary character in the racing bike. After we started so it can be useful to swing to a combination of flat steel and pipe. The first holes to be drilled!

Since we wanted a free standing hump we had to find a different kind of swing deflection, laterally arranged under the bump shocks fit perfectly there. Humps and tank were first contacted with plywood and cardboard in the form. For this, the metal silhouette and the first sketches were used as a guide.

We are on track …

In parallel to those previously drawn in the 3D program, wheels and triple clamps machined from Aluklötzen and, initially created as a cardboard dummy tank shape, machined into its final form of plastic, exhaust model is bent and a prototype the catch holder built. The first swing-coating of pipe had to make a drilled flat steel variant.

Everything looks just fine. And best of all, we are on schedule! Time to make a list with all the things that are not done yet – and one is overcome again “we never make it” feeling!

The fork – direct hit …

The fork of a different kind, a combination of jumpers and fork with two dampers is a real gem and works very well. Shortened springs Streetbob a fork combined with two bike dampers. Unusual? Yes! Clean response? Yes! Fittingly Negativweg? Yes! Direct hit!

The functions …

Now that the chassis and engine are grossly’s off to the functions: braking, clutching, shifting, choke, advance mechanism, gas, pegs, levers, deflections, poles, trains, and much more – just all the controls.

Speaking of ignition: The way there was very rocky. The Lima away the detonator out. Sounds easy? Yes, but – the translation does not fit naturally. The ignition must 1:1 rotate the crankshaft, which means – matching pinion must be made and the bearing seats are rearranged. On that occasion it has to take a mill a new cam cover for the old man no longer fits well. Oh, one turning mounted securing the magneto still needs so that you can also adjust it afterwards. Child’s play?

The oil cooler oil tank hump …

One of my favorite parts is the hump, oil cooler and oil tank – all together in one piece. Milled from a Aluklotz, covered with cooling fins, oil sight glass on the side filler neck top and sunken oil lines – exacerbated total!

Sheet metal work. Surfaces: Paintless …

The hump gets his bodywork. Next, it’s going to tank. A component of the difficult way – mainly because after all supposed to be “paintless”. To achieve this, the surface must be perfectly clean, without the smallest dent. This block is used as a form of 3D-machined plastic tank. Cautious hours hammering and welding pass. The result is really impressive!

Sheet metal work. The masterpiece …

The hardest thing about this project is but the lining. The same game with the tank only viiieeeel consuming. Mill until a plastic model, then artfully formerly the plano piece of sheet metal, wrinkle free knocking around. With an air hammer, the sheet is stretched to the extreme curves and brought so millimeters in shape. To reach the complex form, it must be cut in the sheet metal, welded back clean and so on. Finally, set a carbon fiber hood to the precise cutout for the fork.

The motor …

If even a Bosch magneto, then Amal carburettor namely TWO – it must be possible? Possible yes, but not easy. Take a second rear cylinder head rotates it 180 degrees and installed it again. It sounds simple. But the side effects are not without. New oil wells must be placed into the cylinder, slide guides milling new, reworked rocker. On that occasion, can also equal the lower fins shot and the rocker boxes are shared – brings true Old School look.

For the primary side there will also be a new lid with adjustable chain tensioner, a new sprocket for crankshaft with Sporty shaft and WLA duplex chain pitch . Oh, fancy new pushrod tubes and outer brass pipes for Kipphebelschmierung and ribbed intake is of course available too.

The brakes …

Huge vented brake drums, brake discs, but the women have, are just right for the “PainTTless”. Gave the brake discs and calipers to it on eBay – Honda parts from the 80s. The “drums” with matching fins we have also machined from one Aluklotz to match our wheels.

2012 Sturgis AMD World Championship Of Bike Building. Top FreeStyle Winners:

WINNER – Company: Thunderbike in Hammiken, Germany.

Name: PainTTless
Builder: Team Thunderbike
Engine: 1984 Sportster Iron

2nd Place – Company: LC Fabrications in Crawford, Virginia USA

Name: Old Black
Builder: Jeremy Cupp

3rd Place – Company: Abnormal Cycles, Milan, Italy

Name: Speed Demon
Builder: Samuele Reali
Engine: 74″ Harley JD

Data

Name: PainTTless
Type: Motorcycle
Materials Combination: Mix / Multi Materials
Dimensions: n/a
Colour: Mix / Multi Color
Year: 2012

Awards:

2012 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building – 9th annual – FreeStyle Winner

The people

Product Designer: Thunderbike, Harley-Davidson® & Buell Niederrhein, Güterstrasse 5, 46499 Hamminkeln, Germany
Manufacturer: Self-production
Text Description: © Courtesy of Thunderbike, AMD
Images: © Thunderbike, Onno “Berserk” Wieringa, Frank Sander, AMD