Thunderbike becomes world champion in Sturgis
The Harley-Davidson luxury forge Thunderbike from Hamminkeln on the Lower Rhine was able to win the coveted "Best Custom Bike" at the World Custom Bike Building Championships in Sturgis (USA) on August 8, 2012. World Championship title and won the race with his classic Racer „PainTTless“ against tough competition from many countries around the world.
This was the 3rd time Team Thunderbike, led by founder and bike builder Andreas Bergerforth, had taken part in the event, having already been crowned runner-up in 2006.
After winning two European Championships, the only thing missing was the World Cup title, but this gap in the trophy shelf has now been successfully filled.
Thunderbike has been the official Harley-Davidson dealer for the Lower Rhine region since 2006 and is now one of the largest dealers in Europe.
It is therefore not surprising that the PainTTless is powered by a 1000 cc Harley-Davidson Ironhead engine, which was previously installed in Sportster models up until the 1980s.
However, this is where the similarities end, as almost every part of the motorcycle has been completely redeveloped. A particular highlight is the unique suspension and the rims with an internal brake system, which were milled from solid blocks of aluminum.
Andreas Bergerforth and his crew were inspired by racing bikes from the 1930s, which were used on dry salt lakes in the USA. Fittingly, the Bosch magneto ignition dates back to 1928 and the extremely narrow silhouette with a classic racing fairing is also reminiscent of this era.
A detailed documentation of the development history can be seen on the official website www.thunderbike.de.
The motorcycle cost around €150,000 to build, which is not surprising given that it took over 8 months to build and involved countless hours of work.
Text & Image: Copyright Thunderbike
