Harley XRTT Cafe Racer

By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. To build a superb cafe racer like this you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, but it helps. The builder of the XRTT Harley-Davidson cafe racer is Bill Nigro, and he holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. After graduation, he was keen to spend his life in the aviation industry—but after managing an airport for a year and a half, he realized that this stressful job was not for him. So he quit, turning to his true calling of working on motorcycles. And after 30 years, he’s never looked back. Bill is also the owner of American Motorcycle Parts (AMCP) and has a long history of building some very unique motorcycles. Although he usually specializes in American-style choppers, it’s refreshing to see him build this amazing cafe racer. The powerful 1750cc XRTT is a true mongrel; a cross between American heart and soul, and classic British styling. Noticeable features include those prominent twin Supertrap mufflers, the retro-style orange tint fuel tank, the cafe single seat, spoked wheels and copious amounts of chrome. Visit the AMCP site for more images of the XRTT and to see more creations by this legendary builder.

1931 Harley VL Bobber

One of the coolest bikes in the latest issue of Greasy Kulture magazine belongs to Chris ‘Simo’ Simmonds, a certified old bike nut who lives on the south coast of the UK. As well as this 1931 Harley-Davidson VL, he owns three Indians and a brace of Triumphs. Simo found the 1200 cc VL on eBay UK, and describes it as a “rolling, held together basket case”. But it had the essentials he was looking for: an original frame, a springer fork and an engine. He didn’t want to do a restoration, so he created his own vision of a bob-job, inspired by the American cut-downs and racers of the 30s and 40s. VL Heaven provided many of the missing parts; the headlight, fuel tank and footboards are reproductions. The original fenders and taillight were taken off and put safely to one side, and a ribbed rear fender from Baron’s Speed Shop was fitted to the back instead. The engine was supposedly rebuilt, but wouldn’t run right, and Simo eventually discovered it had mismatched heads—one low and one high compression. After a top-end rebuild by RTO Engineering, Simo reckons “It’ll do 70-80mph. It’s like a tractor, but so much fun!” [Order your copy of Greasy Kulture for more of this goodness.]

1937 Harley-Davidson bobber

James Roper-Caldbeck doesn’t churn out bikes by the dozen. So when a new one rolls out of his Copenhagen, Denmark shop, it’s invariably worth a close look. And this lean green Harley-Davidson bobber is a curious mix of components that work well together. You’re looking at a 1937 flathead engine and gearbox, sitting in a panhead frame—hence the slight rake on the forks. The engine has way more pep than the original: it’s topped with later-era ironheads, and breathes through a Dell’Orto carb. The forks are from an obscure World War II XA (Experimental Army) shaft drive bike, and the tank is a 1947 item. A Bates seat adds to the authentic look, along with Stewart Warner gauges up front and a Sparto taillight out back. And repro Avon tires sitting on lovely 16″ rims. Unfortunately, the bike isn’t for sale: it was commissioned for a customer. But if you live in Europe and you’re looking for a beautifully crafted ‘Old School’ Harley bobber, give Customs From Jamesville a call.

Harley-Davidson Pea Shooter

Harley-Davidson Pea Shooter

To my eyes, many of the most desirable Harley-Davidson vintage motorcycles are those that were built between the Wars. And not just the heavy machinery: the lightweight racing ‘Pea Shooters’ had an elegant style that has worn well over the years. These very rapid singles came into being after the AMA launched a ‘21 cubic inch’ racing class in 1925; Indian was ready, with its Prince model, but Harley was not. So Milwaukee got its skates on, and within months had designed and built two new singles. One was a side-valve flathead, and the other was an overhead-valve. The ‘S’ was the racing version of the OHV, with an innovative detachable cylinder head, and that’s what you’re looking at above. The bikes were known as ‘pea shooters’ on account of their distinctive popping exhaust note, and they cleaned up on the flat tracks of the day—both in the US and abroad. Weighing a mere 98 kg (215 lbs), the highly tuned engines nudged the S models towards the magic ‘ton’. Which in those days, was a remarkable achievement. Many of these supposed race bikes ended up as road machines; they became a popular choice for enthusiasts in Europe, and some were even used as everyday bikes. This particular example, a 28S in excellent condition and with a lovely patina of age, lives in Holland. It’s for sale for €45,000 (US$60,000) at the dealer Yesterdays, which is a veritable treasure trove of vintage motorcycles and worth a browse if you have a few minutes to spare. [Via Loudpop Voyager.]

Custom Harley Night Train

Custom Harley Night Train

Harley hasn’t attempted to create a modern-looking bike since the 2002 VRSCA V-Rod. And you can’t mine the past forever, even if parts of that past—the XR-750, for example—are very evocative. So I got to wondering, what should a cool, contemporary Harley muscle bike look like? I think the answer has got to be pretty close to this one, built by photographer Richard Krall. The bike is a 2007 FXSTB Softail Night Train with relatively subtle but very effective mods that transform the look of the machine. The biggest change that Krall made is at the front end, which now comes from a Suzuki 750 and will probably improve handling. The front wheel is a Harley Fat Bob slotted aluminum wheel, with an inch of hub material shaved off so it would fit between the Suzuki forks. The front fender and headlamp cowl are from a V-Rod, and Krall designed the fuel tank himself—using a hinged V-Rod airbox cover to allow refueling. The internals of the 96ci engine are stock, but a Screamin’ Eagle Heavy Breather air intake and 2-into-1 D&D performance pipes boost breathing and horsepower. Krall had the wheels powdercoated black before adding a red pinstripe, and built the seat frame himself, using a local upholsterer for the finish. A chopped, lowered and re-contoured rear fender completes the look. To my eyes, it’s the best-looking contemporary Harley custom I’ve seen for a long time. What do you think? [Thanks to Chris Ronan.]

Harley XL 1200 custom

Harley XL 1200 custom

If Harley-Davidson needs any more guidance on how to create Sportster range extensions for the future, this beautifully detailed XL 1200 custom from Nice! Motorcycles should help. Nice! MC (their exclamation mark, not mine) is headquartered 500km west of Tokyo, and a well-known name on the Japanese custom scene. For this new bike—revealed in latest issue of Hotbike magazine—they’ve taken a 2002 Sportster and revolutionized its looks with several well thought out changes. The tank and seat unit are new, along with the wheels, brakes and Gold Wing-spec Dunlop Elite II tires. The side covers are gone and the bike has been lowered, with new shocks at the back; there’s what appears to be a new triple clamp at the front, along with clip-on bars, a bobbed fender and a smaller headlight. The result completely transforms the look of the XL1200, giving it a racier stance and a classic 70s vibe. There’s no word on engine upgrades, other than an air filter—but power junkies can get up to 100hp out of Harley’s 1200 twin-spark lump with the help of specialists such as Zippers Performance. Could this be the kind of Harley that people who don’t like Harleys might buy? [Images via Bike Bros Japan.]

Bike EXIF is produced with the help of premium motorcycle boot maker Vitesse Moto. Their super-stylish boots are engineered for performance, but comfortable enough to be worn every day. Check them out on the Vitesse Moto website.

1951 Harley Panhead

1951 Harley Panhead

Milwaukee’s current offerings rarely get my motor running, but I find it hard to resist a good Panhead. And this one is an absolute knockout. It’s owned by Troy Critchlow of the Chico Moto blog, and it’s the quintessential vintage Harley, as seen through a 70s lens. Troy has an eye for a good ride and he’s an inveterate fiddler when it comes to mechanicals—so it’s not surprising his own bike looks like a million dollars. His Panhead is something of a hybrid, with a 1951 FL motor (74ci, high compression) connected to a 1939 EL transmission case with Pan gears. It’s all sitting in a 1949 wishbone frame with an offset Springer fork—“Bed springs on a pogo stick,” says Troy. The carburettor is an authentic Linkert, the magneto is a Morris, and there’s no battery—just a Cycle Electric generator and an Electric Franks regulator. Troy himself made the sinuous, stainless exhaust with the perfectly-judged upkicks, along with the sissy bars, and he also modified the tank to hold a little more fuel. And as you can see, he’s pretty handy with a camera too. Close to Harley perfection, don’t you think? [Check out Chico Moto for more vintage chopper goodness.]

1915 Harley-Davidson

1915 Harley-Davidson

You can do motorcycle touring the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is to ride a modern, cushy dual-sport machine, where the toughest decision is what to pack. The hard way is the Motorcycle Cannonball, an endurance run for pre-1916 motorcycles that starts next month. The vintage Harley shown here is one of the machines that will be doing the trip—and I don’t know about you, but that seat makes me wince. The Motorcycle Cannonball is not a leisurely loop over a long weekend; according to the website, “Riders will virtually dip their tread in the salty waters of the East Coast’s Atlantic Ocean as the officials wave the green flag, then come to rest some 3,320 miles later, at the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean’s West Coast.”

The owner of this Harley is Buzz Kanter, editor of American Iron magazine and the website caimag.com. Buzz bought the bike as a rough runner in January, with a plan to rebuild it for the Cannonball. Our pictures show what the bike looked like the day Buzz and Dave Fusiak finally got it running, after a total mechanical rebuild of the engine and chassis. “The 1915 Harley was the first model with a three-speed transmission and the bicycle-style pedal start,” says Buzz. “Mine is a magneto model, meaning no lights. (In 1915 they were an option, with electric or acetylene gas.) No front brakes or oil pump, either: It uses a constant oil dripper to keep the sump well lubricated. At sustained speeds above 45 mph or when there’s greater strain on the engine, I need to hand-pump extra oil.”

Buzz has had his Harley up to 60 mph since the rebuild, but says, “It can easily go faster once we break in the engine properly. For the actual ride I plan on adding a small front drum brake, modern wheel rims and tires, and some lights. Also a set of old saddlebags for my tools, oil and supplies.” In this era of electronically adjustable suspension, multiple engine maps and heated grips, it’s good to see some guys doing it the old-fashioned way. I’m just glad I’m not one of them.

Canon EOS 40D | 1/200s | f/11 | ISO 400 | Focal length 38mm

Harley Sportster custom

Harley Sportster custom

Of all the Asian countries, Japan has the highest profile in the custom scene, and has even exported the whole genre of SR400 modifications. But other countries are getting more press now, with Australian shop Deus moving into Bali and the whole Indonesian scene gaining momentum. Now it looks like the turn of Taiwan, helped by classy new magazines such as Free Biker. This hunkered-down Sportster custom is called Guerrilla: it’s just graced the pages of Free Biker, and comes from an upstart new Taipei shop called Rough Crafts. According to builder Winston Yeh, “The initial idea for this bike was to get it to look custom, without being too ‘far out’—because Taiwan has a crazy regulation that all bikes bigger than 250cc have to pass an annual exam after they are older than five years. The bike is compared to the stock picture and if it looks too different, it will be hard to pass. With that in mind, I tried to create a bike that has similar profile to stock. So you probably think it’s ‘normal’ from far away, but you can see the customization when up close.” The bike takes Harley’s Nightster theme a step further, with a chopped front end, new bars, bodywork and lighting—and a terrific exhaust system that adds to the compact, muscular vibe. Excellent work from a builder worth keeping an eye on, so check out Rough Crafts’ blog for regular updates.

Tech spec

2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883
Builder: Winston Yeh
City/state: Taipei, Taiwan
Company: Rough Crafts

Fabrication: Rough Crafts
Welding: Winston/Shin Metal Works
Parts Design: Winston Yeh

Air cleaner: Rough Crafts
Exhaust: Rough Crafts
Mufflers: Rough Crafts

Frame: Stock with a little chop-off
Front End: Stock chopped/Rough Crafts Triple Trees

Tank: Rough Crafts
Fenders: Rough Crafts
Paint: Rough Crafts/BianChin Paint Studio
Graphics: Rough Crafts
Tires: Coker 5.10×16″

Foot controls: Stock Mid
Handlebar controls: Rough Crafts
Throttle: Neo Factory
Headlight: Rough Crafts grill-type headlight
Taillight: Rough Crafts grill-type LED taillight
Seat: Rough Crafts
Mirror: none
Gas caps: Rough Crafts
Handlebars: Rough Crafts
Risers: Rough Crafts
Grips: Rough Crafts

1941 Harley Knucklehead

1941 Harley Knucklehead

Jesse James gets a lot of flak these days. It never seems to be about the bikes any more, which is a shame, because the man knows his stuff. His customs aren’t usually to my taste, but he occasionally hits a home run. Like this Knuckle he created for Gilby Clarke (who spent three years as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N’ Roses). Gilby had been looking for a Knucklehead for a while, and West Coast Choppers had already built a ’65 Panhead motor for him. A new deal was done, and now Gilby rides this delicious ’41 Harley EL—still vintage in the overall look, but WCC in the finer details. At the front there’s a 21” rim, and at the back a 16”. WCC built the frame and springer fork to original specs, but the engine has been heavily modified: it’s boosted to 71 cubes, hooked up to a WCC exhaust system, and controlled by a custom-made jockey shift. Pretty sweet, don’t you think?

1943 Harley WLC flathead

James Roper-Caldbeck runs Customs From Jamesville, a small Harley workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark. We’ve featured his flatheads before, but none can top the story attached to this army-spec WLC 750, the latest machine to roll out of his shop.

“In the 1940s, this WLC was pushed out of a plane somewhere over Europe,” says James. “I can only imagine that she saw some heavy action, because many of the parts were in pretty bad shape—or had been replaced by parts from other motorcycle brands, including the wheels, brakes, and back fender.” After WWII, the bike was used as a tow truck at a car dealership. “I was told by the owner’s sons that whenever one of the 6-volt cars wouldn’t start, they would hook up a rope and use the WLC to bump start it.”

Last August, a well-dressed businessman walked into James’s shop, and asked if he fixed old bikes. “He said, ‘I have this old bike that belonged to my grandfather and it needs some work. It’s been sat in a basement since the 60s’.”

James hit the road the next day to view the bike. “It was in a very sorry state after being sat in a basement for 48 years in a house next to the sea. Every nut and bolt on the whole bike was rusty as hell, all the aluminum had turned white, and parts had corroded away. I told the owner we can try, but I’m not sure if I can even get this thing to pieces. I said that if it was not your grandfather’s bike, then you would be crazy to even try and restore it.”

James spent the next month spraying the bike down with six cans of WD40. “Then in October I started to wrench. “To my surprise, nut by nut, bolt by bolt it came apart. There was some grinder, blowtorch and Sawzall action, but not as bad as I imagined. The biggest shock was opening the gear casing to find everything in perfect condition.” The engine only needed a top end rebuild, and the gearbox needed a new fork, but every nut and bolt on the entire bike had to be replaced and every part had to be thoroughly cleaned. “I used as many original parts as possible,” says Roper Caldbeck. “The only major new parts are the back fender, battery box, taillight and headlight.” The bike has been updated to 12-volt electrics, a belt drive, a Mikuni carb and new leather on the seat, but other than that, it’s pretty stock.

“It was a strange thing for me to start the bike for the first time after 48 years. That is a really long time: so much has happened, and this little bike just sat there waiting,” says James. “It was a good feeling building this bike—knowing that at least two more generations of the owner’s family will experience it. When I went for the first ride I thought, ‘How different these streets must have looked the last time this bike was ridden, half a century ago’.”

Head over to the Customs From Jamesville website for more vintage flathead and hot-rod goodness.

1950 Harley Panhead

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting one of Australia’s most renowned custom bike builders, Matt from Machine. This is his latest creation, and it’s just made it onto the cover of Greasy Kulture magazine. Matt built this bike for his good friend Joe, and its styling takes a little “from all the bikes we’ve loved and owned between us.” The base was a 1950 panhead that Matt found on eBay in the USA, and as you might suspect, the bike wasn’t quite as described in the ad. “The frame was so full of cracks that I had to TIG over every single weld to repair it,” says Matt. “I have 40 hours in the frame alone.” The engine was in better shape, having already been rebuilt. “You could see the hone marks in the bore, it was all pretty new. I only had to fit new valves, guides and hardened seats… And repair one of the exhaust ports.”

Everything else was handmade or modified to fit, in Matt’s workshop in the rural New South Wales heritage town of Braidwood. The tank is a Kawasaki item, the fender is from a Yamaha, and the front end was taken from a Harley Sportster. The front brake is a Kawasaki twin leading shoe unit, and the fairing is a heavily modified aftermarket piece. Matt also made the bars and the pipes, plus the manifold for that crazy looking S&S Super E carb with the velocity stack. He even laid on the stunning paint. He’s a talented guy; as well as building bikes, he’s an architect and furniture designer whose work can found in leading Sydney restaurants. The finished panhead certainly shows an architect’s sense of line and proportion. [Thanks to Guy Bolton of Greasy Kulture: order your copy here. Images by Matt and Kelly Sturgiss.]

Nikon D90 | 1/400s | f/5.0 | ISO 400 | Focal length 95mm | Lens 70-300mm f/4-5.6