With enough talent and ideas, customizing a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is not that hard. On top of that, it's not that expensive either, as we've seen time and again memorable bikes coming to light with the minimum of investment. But what do you do when you're faced with a build so extreme that the wheels on it are worth, on their own, a full, brand-new Chevrolet Camaro?
Enter the Harley-Davidson Ocean Force, a former Fat Boy sent in a while back for a powerful makeover at the hands of German garage Thunderbike. And it stayed in this crew's garage for years, before coming out in the open looking like this.
The first thing that strikes one when looking at the ride is the matt-ness of it all. Not only the black elements of the bike, but also the blue-green of the body and the gold on the wheels come in the same treatment.
Then come all the other modifications Thundebike made to make sure the bike stands out. After all, it'll go in the garage of the same guy who owns two other extreme projects we've discussed in the past, the Red Booster and the GT 5.
By modifications I mean the fitting of no less than 36 distinct aftermarket bits and pieces, including an air ride suspension, a lowering kit, proper covers in all the proper places, a single-sided swingarm at the rear, modified brakes, and so on.
Combined, the extra hardware fitted on the bike amounts to some 39,000 euros ($42,100) spent by the customer. That's insanely expensive, no matter how you look at it, especially when you consider the fact the amount does not include the base bike, man-hours spent on transforming the bike, and probably a host of other pieces of hardware, including the obviously aftermarket exhaust system.
And now consider the two wheels alone are worth a combined $26,700 of the total. That's right, the starting price of a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro, which is still listed on Chevy's configurator, spent on motorcycle wheels. Talk about true passion…
The wheels are monoblock and part of Thunderbike's Grand Prix series. At the front, the hardware is 23 inches in diameter and four inches wide (and it costs $17,400), while at the rear it comes in at 21 inches in diameter and nine inches wide (this one is priced at $9,300), with a 260 mm wide Cruisetec piece of rubber wrapped around it.
Are such an effort and expenditure worth it? For most of us spending the money for a full muscle car to get motorcycle wheels may seem a bit of a stretch, but the short answer is that yes, at least for the Ocean Force's owner they were both worth it. And we're kind of glad they did, as now we're able to enjoy the bike ourselves, even if only through a screen.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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