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A Cross Between A Ferrari, An Ac Cobra, And A Drag Bike

Thunderstruck Custom's "Hammer"

By Greg Friend
photographer: greg friend

 Right Profile

Mark Daley, the man behind Thunderstruck Customs in Medford, Oregon, set out to build a bike that the whole industry could appreciate, a bike that would put Thunderstruck Customs on enthusiasts' minds everywhere. While many of his customs have been featured in magazines, this bike was intended to be far more involved, and complex-the best bike he could create. When the future owner of the bike approached Mark about a full-custom bike that resembled a Ferrari, Mark decided to take the two ideas and combine them into a bike that evoked visions of a Ferrari, an AC Cobra, a concept car, and a drag bike. So a concept was drawn up to help Mark focus his build.

 Rear

This breakout bike needed an unusual frame to match the concept drawing, and Mark decided on an exotic one all the way from Germany: a Walz Hardcore Softail-style. The frame was stretched 2 inches up and out, and constructed with a swingarm large enough to hold a 280mm tire. Then a Legend Air adjustable suspension unit was secured to it. In the front, Mark bolted a painted inverted American Suspension frontend with a hidden two-piston caliper and drilled billet rings to the 40-degree steering neck just under the gun-blued triple-trees. He also designed a set of Ego Tripp wheels to match the concept: a skinny 21-inch in the front with a 90/90/21 Metzeler tire, and an 18x10.5 in the back with a Metzeler 280mm tire.

 Intake

A typical motor would not look right in a bike like this-Mark had a really big motor in mind. Specifically, a brushed-finish 147-inch Twin cam-style, billet Engenuity Monster motor with a Typhoon carburetor and a titanium-coated custom set of exhaust pipes that Mark built himself. Tucked in the frame behind the motor is another high-end component, an '06 Baker six-speed with a brushed finish with a PM hydraulic clutch-actuating side cover. A Thunderstruck-modified Billet-4-U 3-inch open primary received a brushed finish to match the motor and trans and transfers power from the motor with the help of a Barnett Scorpion clutch.


 Fender Detail  Plumbing  Primary

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