Special ThunderBuell

Thunderbike, the fine custom company from Germany, is well known for their outstanding low-riders and high-neckers. What most of their clients don’t know is that head honcho Andreas Bergerforth started in the two-wheel racing circus many years ago, and until 2000 he ran a private street endurance team called “Little Racing.” That might be the reason why his customs work so well. He not only thinks about the appearance but performance, as well.

From time to time race-infected Bergerforth has to make something outside of the low-rider scene. Being an official Harley-Davidson and Buell dealer in addition to his custom work makes it easier to do that.
Bergerforth himself rides a 2006 GSX-R and wanted to build a Buell that will please his need for speed like the Suzuki while surrounded by the thunder of a V-twin and with the handling of a pocket bike.

At the start of the 2007 season the plans for the Buell Firebolt were ready: most of the parts were delivered and the complete concept only awaited the start signal. For some reason, though, other customs seemed to be more important than his own creation, so it slept for some weeks and no one ever touched a screw of it.

Then with a surprising bang the calendar showed the date of the first show of the year. The Buell was intended to be one of the eye-catchers on the stand of Buell Germany, but the bike was in as many pieces as a bike can be.

Special ThunderBuell

With time running short, Thunderbike builder Guido was told that during the following two weeks his life would be in standby mode. He had the task to create the Buell and he had time for nothing else.

The target was not to create a complete custom. They wanted to show a Buell concept that could be done by almost every rider who has some technical talent, a large garage and some fine tools. That doesn’t mean that this Buell is an amateur effort, not at all. But most of the parts can be attached to a stock bike and it will look close to the model shown. In this case, the art of building is based on the choice of parts and taste.

What may not be easy is the modification of the rear frame. The seat and the frame ought to be more lean and steep than the original one. For this Guido had to build and then attach two pieces to the front part of the subframe’s tubes. Then he was able to mount a shorter and more racy-looking seat designed close to the Firebolt’s original part. A tiny seat pad was added and after some fitting it now looks like it should be there. The undertail was modified and the small rear fender by Champion Motorcycles completes the view.

Airbrush-artist Gerd de Kock gave the Buell the final accent. The matte black paint was helpful to hide some mounts and original parts and to accent the important body parts. In this case the airbrush design had almost more to hide than to show.

The two-color rims underline the appearance, the rear one widened to fit a 200 rubber, the size that fits the swingarm without modifying it. The front rim is original, but the Buell calipers now bite into a more stylish Braking wave rotor.

The grim face gives the bike an alien, angry image. The mask comes from Acerbis and was modified to show a more aggressive wedge, a face usually shown by scooters. The importance of delivering the whole bike to the airbrusher is easily seen. The front view shows that the bows and curves of the color design follow exactly the lines of the handlebar and tank design. That couldn’t be done with the parts on a table.

But design is not everything: carefully chosen details are essential for the appearance. The Sebring exhaust fits perfectly with the polished original manifolds and sounds great. The Rizoma handlebars give a superbike attitude and the well-balanced air intake scoops create a compact frontal view. One of these magic boxes, the left one, is for oil-cooling purposes. The right one brings the air-pressure to a heavily modified F.A.S.T. system by Hillbilly Motors. Beneath the fake tank with additional intakes the air system is more open, with different filters and a wide tube that leads more air into the ignition chambers.

Buell and Guido have proven that ten days of assembling are all that’s needed. 2WT

Specs: 2007 Thunderbuell2007 Thunderbuell

Builder: Guido at Thunderbike (www.thunderbike.de)

Body: Thunderbike undertail, modified Acerbis mask, Champion Motorcycles mudguard and custom seat

Engine: Modified mapping, additional oil cooler with air intake scoop, faux tank, F.A.S.T. system by Hillbilly Motors, Sebring muffler

Chassis: Powdercoated frame, custom subframe, rear wheel widened to fit a 200 tire, Rizoma handlebars and risers

Paint: Custom paint by Gerd de Kock

Source 2wtmag.com