PainTTless Custom Harley
Interestingly, in the nine year history of the AMD World Championship (where Harley-Davidson-powered bikes are prominent), Thunderbike have been the only authorised Harley-Davidson dealers to have won the coveted major award for design and engineering excellence. Thunderbike are also the first team from Germany to take the event's World Champion prize.
Located in Hamminkeln in western Germany, Thunderbike are one of their country's most prolific custom bike builders. But reputations and pedigree count for nothing in the AMD World Championship. Like every other builder, Thunderbike (who have entered the AMD Championship twice previously) had to graduate through the local rounds before taking PainTTless to compete against the world's best at the 2012 final, held at the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota.
The "retro" look and feel to PainTTless is no accident. From the outset, Thunderbike wanted to create a machine that evoked the glory days of the Tourist Trophy racers (hence the capitalisation of TT in the name), as well as pre-war salt flats bikes. PainTTless is also notable for its minimal use of paint. Nearly all the hand-formed metal components are either anodized, nickel plated or buffed and polished.
The starting point for PainTTless was a 1984 Harley ironhead Sportster engine, with the transmission supplied courtesy of an even older Harley WLA. Mated up to these is a bespoke frame and swingarm created by Thunderbike's Andreas Bergerforth and his talented team. The first part of the frame that stands out is the front down tube with its sinuous curve, which is echoed in the handmade exhaust pipes, but it's the details on this build that really capture attention.
Gold and brass anodized elements, combined with ribbed, drilled and perforated parts, create a look that's part steampunk, part 60s drag racer. The 'drilled for lightness' ethic extends to the kickstart lever, fork covers, pedal levers and even the bespoke footpegs. It's worth noting that those wheels, with their swiss cheese-style detailing, are completely bespoke units, too.
The tinted screen casts a golden glow over the top end of PainTTless' springer front suspension and headstem, with the warm tones complemented by the bronze-finished wheels and natural leather seat and handgrips. Gold-anodized spinner-style caps on the hubs and headstem continue the vintage theme, while knurled finishes to selected parts, like the hand shifter, fork tops and clip-on bar endcaps, offer a textural contrast to the ultra-smooth finish of the tank, tail unit and fairing.
As the name implies, paint on PainTTless was kept to a minimum, which meant all the hand-fabricated metalwork had to be finished to a high standard. Thunderbike called on three specialist German companies for this important part of the build.
"The 'difficult' parts of the bike are 100% clean," explained Thunderbike's Martin Mix. "It's high gloss nickel with many, many layers of copper. On our last two World Championship bikes, we wanted to hide as much as possible. This time we showed every single detail of the bike."
What little paint there is on PainTTless is confined to an identifying name on the tank and a compass point graphic on the fairing, both of which were executed by Kruse Design, a painter based in Kamen (near Dortmund, Germany), with three decades of experience custom painting cars and bikes.
Entered in the Freestyle Class, an elite category which usually features the wildest customs, PainTTless was selected by fellow AMD competitors and selected VIP judges as the best in 2012, winning the Freestyle Class and overall World Champion award.
Shortly after the win, Thunderbike's Martin Mix declared their entry into the 2012 AMD entry would be the team's last. But with the AMD World Championship relocating to Essen - virtually next door to Hamminkeln - for 2013 and beyond as part of 'Big Bike Europe,' Thunderbike just might be persuaded to come out of retirement!
While it's predominantly a show bike, PainTTless is actually a runner, with images and footage showing the bike in action at Sturgis. More info on Thunderbike and their creations can be found at www.thunderbike.de
Source/Images: bike exif and AMD World Championship.
PainTTless specs
Builder: Thunderbike - Hamminkeln, Germany
Build Time: 8 months
Completion: July, 2012
Build Cost: _150,000
Engine
Type: 1984 Harley-Davidson ironhead Sportster v-twin
Capacity: 61ci (998cc)
Carburettor: Amal Monobloc
Ignition: Bosch
Exhaust: Thunderbike custom build
Transmission
Type: Harley-Davidson WLA 750
Gears: Three
Primary Drive: Harley-Davidson WLA 750
Final Drive: Thunderbike custom build
Frame and Tinware
Type: Thunderbike custom build - 36-degree rake
Front Fork: Thunderbike custom build
Swingarm: Thunderbike custom build
Fuel Tank: Thunderbike custom build
Oil Tank: Thunderbike custom build
Wheels and Tyres
Front Wheel: Thunderbike custom build - 2.25 x 19-inch
Front Tyre: Avon Roadrunner - 3.50 x 19-inch
Front Brake: Thunderbike custom build - Honda calipers
Rear Wheel: Thunderbike custom build - 3.00 x 19-inch
Rear Tyre: Heidenau - 4.00 x 19-inch
Rear Brake: Thunderbike custom build - Honda calipers
Accessories
Handlebars: Thunderbike custom build
Handgrips: Thunderbike custom build
Footpegs: Thunderbike custom build
Brake Master Cylinder: K-Tech
Switchgear/Electrics: Thunderbike custom build
Tachometer: MotoGadget
Seat: Warmbach
Plating and Painting
Nickel plating: A. Kruse Metallveredelungen
Anodizing: Fischer Oberflachentechnik
Metal Finishing: BEWICO Oberflachenveredelung
Paint: Ingo/TB
Airbrushing: Kruse Design
