CCE 50TH Anniversary Bike

50 years of Custom Chrome is more than enough reason to celebrate! To commemorate this anniversary, Custom Chrome Europe has commissioned a stunning custombike, built by German top-customizer and parts manufacturer Thunderbike in Hamminkeln/Germany. Premiered at Motor Bike Expo 2020 in Verona, the 50^th Anniversary Custom Chrome Custombike will be presented at motorcycle and custombike events all over Europe.

Building a “tribute bike” is always a challenge: Spanning the time of five decades even more! Just recognizing the different trends and styles of the last thirty years, when customizing individual one-off bikes reached never before seen levels in quality and technology, would be impossible to realize in one custombike. Since Custom Chrome Europe in 1998 was set up as the European branch of the then Morgan Hill/California based distribution company, it has encouraged its customers, professional and private builders from all over Europe, to realize their rolling phantasies – and during the last decades, many of these bike dreams have been forged into dream bikes. One of the long time CCE partners, Hamminkeln/Germany based Thunderbike, can also look back to a more than 35 years long history and has become one of the most active parts manufacturers and custom shops for Harley-Davidson in Germany, if not Europe. After building a considerable number of CCE’s “Bolt On And Ride” bikes since the program started in 2009, the team of Andreas Bergerforth was the logical choice for the challenge to create a fitting expression of half a century of Custom Chrome…

The project started with a stock Milwaukee Eight 2020 model year “Street Bob”, powered by the 107 Cubic Inch version of the 8-valve motor, Harley-Davidson’s answer to ever increasing noise and emission rules not only in Europe, but in California too. That the new M8-powered “Softail” has become harder to customize is a factor that all the more challenged Thunderbike’s R&D department: The CC 50^th Anniversary Bike is a visible proof of that, it is the first CCE Milwaukee Eight with pneumatic suspension front and rear. Plus the front end is a pneumatic “Springer” type fork, homologated and with full functioning ABS! Thunderbike had developed the new “Radical 2.0” front end when it became obvious that Harley itself would not return to the popular style they had re-introduced with the Evo-powered FXSTS “Springer” for the 1988 model year. The demand for a functioning Springer fork was coming from independent and authorized Harley-dealers alike – and Thunderbike came up with a superb design that combines state-of-the-art technology with modern retro look. All who know Thunderbike’s showbike history: The 2008 European Championship-winner “Open Mind” marks Thunderbike’s boldest steps into developing super-clean pneumatic front suspension. The rear pneumatic single shock comes from a traditional “air suspension” manufacturer: Sturgis-based “Legend Air Suspension”. Both suspensions operate independently, raising the bike from parked position up to well beyond stock “Street Bob” riding height. This “Softail” is a real rider!

With many of Custom Chrome’s own brands and even more of CCE long-time partners to be considered for having parts on this project, it was a difficult procedure to decide the final parts list: The stock spoke wheels were exchanged for RevTech’s superb “Velocity” design wheels, for not altering too many parameters of the rolling chassis, the wheel sizes of 21 front and 18 rear were retained. Shinko white wall tires add a touch of “Old School” look. As usual, the RevTech wheels are supported by brake discs and belt pulley of the choosen design, at the front end gripped by a 4-piston Performance Machine radial brake caliper.

The bodywork looks surprisingly stock, thanks to the use of the stock fuel and oil tanks, but front and rear fenders are both Thunderbike originals, the rear one perfectly fitted with Thunderbike fender struts to the stock mainframe. Thunderbike sidemount license plate and the new Highsider “Proton Two” LED Taillight/Turn Signal combinations add to the clean look of the tailend. The fitting single seat also comes from Thunderbike and offers long-distance capabilities. These will certainly be tested in the 2020 riding season, when the 50^th Anniversary Bike will hit the road to many European events. Riding position is somewhat relaxed, thanks to a Santee “Apehanger” handlebar, raised again 1 ¼ Inch by a Thunderbike riser. The stock Harley-Davidson riser-mounted digital displays will certainly dampen the demand for other miniaturized instruments – as it is well known that Harley-Davidson is following custom trends and reacting to them. A complete set of Rebuffini hand controls and switches are mounted to the “ape”, the Thunderbike “Phantom” grips are special made one-offs with distinctive “50^th Anniversary” logo. The almost invisible LED indicators hidden under the controls, a Thunderbike part that exchanges for the bigger stock parts. Highsider “Montana” mirrors have been choosen to be mounted as the bike will hit the road soon.

When introduced, the Milwaukee Eight motor (as every new Harley-Davidson motor since the Knucklehead), raised discussions about its abilities to be customized. Performance of the motor was rarely questioned, as the times of drag racing style duels at the traffic lights seem to be a thing of the past, both in the US and Europe, but the sound of the completely new developed V-Twin is always a highly discussed topic of Harley riders. The first to customize one of the new Milwaukee Eight touring models was the Arlen Ness team, which customized a brand new M8 quite literally “overnight” on August 23^rd 2016, when getting hands on a just introduced 2017 “Electra Glide”.