Thunderbike Unbreakable is the Sistine Chapel of Choppers [w/ Video]

Although the chopper is a distinctly American breed of custom motorcycle, that hasn’t prevented bike builders from other parts of the world from getting in on the act. The chopper-building scene is particularly strong in Europe, where Old World artistry and craftsmanship meets New World swagger and rebelliousness. Hard to beat a combination like that, don’t you think?

And we can’t recall seeing any motorcycle that has combined the above-mentioned attributes better than the stunner you see here. It’s called the Unbreakable, and it comes out of the workshops of Thunderbike in Hamminkeln, Germany (a town north of Dusseldorf near the Dutch border). But the Unbreakable isn’t just a visual stunner; it’s also peppered with clever design and engineering tricks.

However, it’s hard to ignore those looks, at least initially. The hand-fabricated frame contains very little in the way of straight tubing, and it sits absurdly low to the ground. A tiny seat sits in the valley between the top frame rails and the stubby rear fender. The front suspension is a sort of hybrid design that combines attributes of a traditional, “springer” and trapeze style front forks. The fork also features built-in LED turn signals, and it’s topped by Thunderbike’s own controls. The front wheel is a custom CNC-machined 26” piece with a pair of 13.4” brake rotors, and the rear is a similar 21” wheel with a 10.2” Buell perimeter rotor.

For power, Thunderbike has installed a 110 cubic-inch Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle V-twin. It sends to better part of 100 horsepower to the rear wheel through a 6-speed transmission (also from Harley-Davidson) and a belt-drive system. Exhaust gases are expelled through a stylized header with polished trim on the tailpipe. Other trim scattered around the bike is also polished, while some is anodized and still more is nickel-plated.

No matter how you slice it, this bike is a stunner. But don’t take our word for it; the judges at European Bike Week in Austria earlier this month named unbreakable both Best Custom and Best in Show. The only downside to the Unbreakable that we can think of is Thunderbike founder/head honcho Andreas Bergerforth and his talented team of designers and fabricators are going to have a hell of a time topping it. But we’re eager to see them try.

Source: Thunderbike