Swiss watch retailer Bucherer has decided to demonstrate just how much money it makes by commissioning the world's most expensive motorcycle. The Harley-Davidson Blue Edition is a US$1.9 million cruiser that comes with two free watches, so some might consider it a bargain.
Demonstrating a watchmaker's flair for stuffing a product with ostentatious bling, Swiss custom house Bünderbike managed to pack no less than 360 diamonds into the build, along with gold-plated screws and two tastefully LED-lit, rotating armored glass-dome safes you can use to store your fancy watches and jewelry in while you're looking at it in your lounge room display. These domes are rigged to isolate their contents from vibrations, and include watch winders to save owners from the onerous task of twiddling their fingers.
Starting out with a Harley Softail Slim S, the team removed basically everything to replace it with hand-made bits and pieces in a process the company says ate up 2,500 hours of labor. In fact, it's hard to say why they started out with a full stock motorcycle at all when Bucherer claims "every metal element on this one-of-a-kind motorcycle has been produced, welded, beaten, ground and polished by hand."
Highlights include a hole in the engine cover, through which you can take a world-first LED-lit peek at the camshaft and gold-plated throttle valves even while the bike's running. The rims are fully custom creations, and there's rose gold plating on the headlight, hand levers, front springs and shock, and vertical shotgun exhaust pipes. Oh, and the foot levers too; there's nice gold-plated footpegs to stick your muddy boots on if you ever ride it. Which you won't.
The tops of the fork tubes and handlebar ends feature Bucherer's own diamond-encrusted, rotating Dizzler rings, for which we sincerely hope Snoop Dogg is paid naming royalties.
For all the grotesque excess that this bike represents, I'm ashamed to say I actually think it looks pretty cool. Much of that might come down to its almost luminescent blue color, which is achieved by putting six color coatings over top of silver plating on every part it's applied to.
I'd argue the lines are nice and the execution superb – once you surrender any notion of actually riding the thing. And heck, maybe it's worth the $1.9 million asking price. After all, you get not one, but TWO free watches and a diamond ring thrown in! Twist the dealer's arm and he might throw in on-road costs and breakdown insurance.
No performance specifications are mentioned, but this bike can be expected to perform admirably in its chief task of demonstrating to visitors how much money you have, and how little of substance you have chosen to do with it.
Take a closer look in the video below, which is only 35 seconds long, but features music that makes it feel much, much longer:
Source: Bucherer