Photo: Hollister’s Motorcycles
One has to admit, blue is not exactly the most used color when it comes to motorcycles, be it factory-spec or custom-made ones. Yet a single look at the contraption we have here is enough to make us believe this hue would not look half bad spread on more two-wheelers.
What you’re looking at is called Ocean, and it started out in life as a stock Victory Hammer motorcycle. It got converted to its current form by a German custom garage that specializes in Indian and Victory builds, Hollister’s Motorcycles.
For those of you who might have missed its meteoric appearance on the motorcycle scene, a quick recap. Victory was set up by Polaris back in the days when it was looking for a way into a market seriously dominated by Harley-Davidson and Indian.
The company started production in 1999 and came up with a number of models that are held in high regard by bikers even today. We’re talking about nameplates like High Ball, Gunner, or the likes of this here Hammer. Then, in 2011, Polaris managed to get its hands on one of the companies it was trying to fight with, Indian. In doing so, it kind of started competing with itself, and as a result, Polaris killed Victory in 2017.
The 18 years on the market left however quite the number of Victory two-wheelers getting out there, and some of them have begun going down the customization path.
The Hammer Ocean we’ve got here is still its stock self underneath, boasting the factory 106ci engine and 6-speed transmission, but has Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde end pots over the exhaust. The frame is also stock, and so are things like the shock absorbers or fuel tank, even if in the case of the latter Hollister's had a contribution in remaking it.
Aside from the main idea for the build, the German shop also contributed things like the front and rear fenders that hang over the equally-sized 18-inch wheels (which come wrapped in Avon tires), the risers, and electrics, which started out as motogadget hardware.
The main thing that catches the eye on this build is however the paint, a beautiful shade of blue that was sprayed over the rims of the wheels, the fork and swingarm, the fuel tank, and even the frame of the bike. The paint job, we’re told, is the work of someone called “King Color” Klaus Beutler.
Now, there is no shortage of Victory Hammer motorcycles on the used market, and you can get one for around $10,000, on average. But this Germany-modified one (or a conversion just like it) will set you back almost five times that much, 40,000 euros, or over $46,000 at today’s exchange rates.
For those of you who might have missed its meteoric appearance on the motorcycle scene, a quick recap. Victory was set up by Polaris back in the days when it was looking for a way into a market seriously dominated by Harley-Davidson and Indian.
The company started production in 1999 and came up with a number of models that are held in high regard by bikers even today. We’re talking about nameplates like High Ball, Gunner, or the likes of this here Hammer. Then, in 2011, Polaris managed to get its hands on one of the companies it was trying to fight with, Indian. In doing so, it kind of started competing with itself, and as a result, Polaris killed Victory in 2017.
The 18 years on the market left however quite the number of Victory two-wheelers getting out there, and some of them have begun going down the customization path.
The Hammer Ocean we’ve got here is still its stock self underneath, boasting the factory 106ci engine and 6-speed transmission, but has Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde end pots over the exhaust. The frame is also stock, and so are things like the shock absorbers or fuel tank, even if in the case of the latter Hollister's had a contribution in remaking it.
Aside from the main idea for the build, the German shop also contributed things like the front and rear fenders that hang over the equally-sized 18-inch wheels (which come wrapped in Avon tires), the risers, and electrics, which started out as motogadget hardware.
The main thing that catches the eye on this build is however the paint, a beautiful shade of blue that was sprayed over the rims of the wheels, the fork and swingarm, the fuel tank, and even the frame of the bike. The paint job, we’re told, is the work of someone called “King Color” Klaus Beutler.
Now, there is no shortage of Victory Hammer motorcycles on the used market, and you can get one for around $10,000, on average. But this Germany-modified one (or a conversion just like it) will set you back almost five times that much, 40,000 euros, or over $46,000 at today’s exchange rates.
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