"Orange County Choppers built a custom motorcycle to mark the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2 stealth bomber." Northrop Grumman photo
Posted on 01/19/2009 11:26:16 AM PST by BenLurkin
PALMDALE - As part of this year's celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the B-2 stealth bomber's first flight, manufacturer Northrop Grumman Corp. commissioned a special-edition motorcycle which echoes the iconic aircraft's design. The "Stealth Bike" features details which mimic elements of the distinctive bomber, including a gas tank and front cowling shaped to resemble the cockpit and fuselage and a rear fender made from a scrap piece of titanium used for the original B-2's aft deck.
The motorcycle was built by Orange County Choppers of Newburgh, N.Y., and will be featured on an episode of the cable television series "American Chopper" on TLC.
"We named the bike 'The Spirit of Innovation' to honor the engineering innovation and spirit of partnership between Northrop Grumman and the Air Force that enabled the development and on-going modernization of the B-2," said Dave Mazur, Northrop Grumman's vice president of long range strike and B-2 program manager. "It is also a tribute to the men and women of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., who fly, service and maintain the fleet."
The name also echoes the "Spirit of" moniker given to each of the bombers, which are named in honor of individual states.
Among the design details are five B-2 silhouettes on each side of the wheels, positioned in the shape of the Air Force star. Each bears the tail number of one of the 20 B-2s in the fleet.
The motorcycle itself bears its own tail number: 0789, to commemorate the date of the first flight.
The Stealth Bike will be featured at various events throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary.
The highlight of the yearlong celebrations will be a re-enactment of the first flight from Palmdale this summer.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
"Orange County Choppers built a custom motorcycle to mark the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2 stealth bomber." Northrop Grumman photo
Great to look at, but I have to wonder how it ‘rides’. Then again, I find myself considering that aspect every time I watch the show.
B.tt Ugly
But can it avoid detection by radar?
No. The front fender winglets form a near perfect radar reflector with the struts.
Windows on a gas tank? Give me a freaking break...
We personally know one guy who has one of their bikes.
It handles so “squirrelly” that he crashed going down his lane at low speed.
Anecdotally, we have spoken to a lot of people who either own or have ridden them and they all say the same thing; handles *awful*.
[we have a bike building biz, ourselves so we talk to a lot of bikers from all over the country]
Hubby keeps threatening to call and reveal the secrets of “perfect rake and trail” to them....:))
Those are the headlights and turn signals.
I’m more worried about the air intakes on the gas tank...
Yup. That there is one butt-ugly scoot.
Lights?
People who buy their silly stuff are into looks, not riding. They make show pieces, not motorcycles.
You ever see their Comanche Bike? Windows on the gas tank.
I remember Peter Fonda’s comment about ‘the bike’ in Easy Rider.
“Looked great, was a bitch to ride”.
OCC builds bikes designed to win Cavalcade of Custom trophy’s, not to ride coast to coast...or as you say, slowly down a quiet lane.
Precisely.
Hubby just sold his original “The Reaper” trike to a guy and he’s happy as a clam with it.
He shows it to death and wins every time but he’s not the hard rider hubby is.
The trike looked awesome but driving it was tiring for him.
He bought a Night Train to replace it and redid it just like the old The Reaper but used an 8-over front end instead of a 10.
It may not look as radical but it handles much better and we can ride a lot longer without his back bothering him.
This is the old Reaper:
http://www.ustrikes.com/DSC02998.JPG
Personally, I go screaming crazy when we enter shows.
I want to *ride*...not sit around for 4 hours watching people look at my ride.
If you watch the movie closely, you can actually see how uncomfortable was.
Hopper looked downright cheery and comfy on his “stock” bike.
I’m still amazed by the mile-high ‘ape hanger’ bars some folks use.
My shoulders go into a spasm, just looking at them...:))
I wish I could still ride. :( Getting old (42) and a really bad ankle make it unsafe now.
You probably wouldn’t like my type of bikes though, i rode foreign stuff, never did like the harleys or S&S motored type stuff. More into touring and sport bikes after I got done with the atv’s and off-road stuff killing myself in the woods.
Be well,
TTOJ
I used to have Triumph Bonneville and still have an ATV.
Hubby used to pro drag race Kaws in FL.
We’re not Harley snobs.
Get a chain or belt drive touring metric bike and we’ll get you back in the saddle, bad ankle and all....:)
‘If you watch the movie closely, you can actually see how uncomfortable was.
Hopper looked downright cheery and comfy on his “stock” bike.
I’m still amazed by the mile-high ‘ape hanger’ bars some folks use.
My shoulders go into a spasm, just looking at them...:))’
In order, yes, yes, yes, and same here!
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