Earle Motors Ducati Monster Flat track kit

How cool is this??! Lovely looking conversion kit for the Ducati monster made by Earle motors. Superb photos too. Check out his website here for more info and photos. Has the same grips and Bars on it as my 150SX so I imagine it would feel perfect if I sat on it!

from DERESTRICTED

SPORTSTER CAFE RACER

Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, is not where you’d expect to find a 1960s-style cafe racer. But this Sportster-powered machine would look right at home in the parking lot of London’s Ace Cafe.

It belongs to enthusiast Faizal Yusop, who’s crammed a modified 1969 Ironhead motor into a Norton Featherbed Wideline frame. Which makes it both a ‘Sporton’ and a ‘Norley’, I guess.

The specifications are truly impressive. The Sportster engine has been bored oversize, and treated to big valves, uprated conrods and high-compression pistons. It’s also running an Andrews street/drag cam—a ‘Y’ grind with .425 of lift. The engine is now fed by a classic Weber 40 DCOE racing carb and breathes out via a Dunstall two-into-one exhaust system. Spark is courtesy of a Joe Hunt Magneto with a manual retard/advance lever.

“It wasn’t a case of just ‘bolt it together and go’,” says Faizal. “We’ve shifted the whole Sportster motor and drive train about 19mm towards the centerline, to make it a well-balanced bike. We made a motor mount from 1½ inch steel plates, which took quite a bit of machining for the right geometric balance.”

Other top-shelf components include 18-inch alloy Borrani rims, a handcrafted alloy Norton Manx five-gallon fuel tank (and central oil tank), 4-leading shoe brakes and Tommaselli hand controls. As befits a true cafe racer, weight has been kept to a minimum—a mere 180 kg (just under 400 lbs).

I’m not sure what the roads are like around Kuala Lumpur, but I hope they’re good. This machine must be an absolute blast to ride.

Images by Sollehim Abdulrahim.

Specification

Make: Norton/Harley-Davidson (the Sporton)
Model: Cafe racer / grand prix roadracer
Year: 1957

Engine and drivetrain
1969 Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster rebored 900cc XLCH motor, .30 thou oversize bore
CCI conrods
Oversize inlet and outlet valves
Silicone bronze valve guides
Oversize AMF Harley-Davidson high compression pistons
Andrews ‘Y’ cam (57-70) with .425 lift
Joe Hunt magneto ignition system
Spitfire silicon HT cables
Weber 40 DCOE race carburetor with custom jets, tubes and linkages
Custom intake manifold and aluminum rampipes
Ramair air sock filters
Lockhart 9-row oil cooler
Facet 4psi electric fuel pump
Braided fuel and oil hoses all around
Barnett kevlar 9-plate clutch with heavy duty springs
Stock Harley-Davidson 4-speed transmission with Andrews close ratio gears
Electric start and kick start

Chassis, brakes and suspension
1957 Norton featherbed wideline frame
Ohlins steering damper
Four-leading brake shoes, 4LS front hub (Suzuki GT750 model J)
Suzuki twin pull brake lever system
Suzuki GS550 rear hub
Borrani rims and Dunlop TT100 tires
Shortened Roadholder forks
Marzocchi AG Strada shocks
Tommaselli hand controls and clipons
Paul Dunstall aluminum alloy rear sets

Body
Norton Manx aluminum alloy petrol tank, oil tank and seat pan
Norton Manx steel rear fender
Triumph headlamp, Tommaselli head brackets and custom rear brake lights
Paul Dunstall Decibel Silencer exhaust system with custom exhaust manifold

Thanks to fellow members of the Mug Town Rockers, Ohio USA. A big pat at the back also to Pak Lah, Awe and Ramli Norton and also the original members of the Brit Iron Brothers Kuala Lumpur.

from BIKEEXIF

Best of Show: Our favourites from the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013

Being awarded the coveted Coppa d’Oro is one of the highest honours that can be bestowed on a classic car. Alongside the deliberations of the judging panel, we chose our own ‘Best of Show’ from the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. 

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#1 Ralph Lauren's Bugatti Atlantic 57SC


It’s little surprise that Ralph Lauren’s Bugatti 57SC Atlantic has been crowned our Best of Show: it won its first post-restoration award at Pebble Beach 23 years ago, and has picked up numerous accolades since. 

The elegant black coupé was the creation of Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean, and is today considered one of the most valuable cars in the world – indeed, it’s been the centrepiece of Ralph Lauren’s collection for some time now, the last of only four Atlantics ever built. 

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#2 Mercedes-Benz 680S Torpedo Roadster by Saoutchik


In 1927, New York industrial magnate Charles A. Levine wanted to gift himself a very special Mercedes. He ordered a 680S, which was subsequently sent to respected French coachbuilder Saoutchik. The purchase price was never recorded, but it was likely to have been a substantial outlay above and beyond the cost of the rolling chassis, especially given such special requests as a lizard-skin interior (apparently, 760 reptiles gave their lives). Ultimately, financial trouble meant Levine was never able to take delivery. 

Today, the recently restored yet highly original Torpedo impresses with its unusual colour combination of grey with burgundy accents. 

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#3 Aston Martin DBS from 'The Persuaders!'


As the original ‘Banana Yellow’ steed of Lord Brett Sinclair (Roger Moore) in ‘The Persuaders!’, this DBS kindled much debate within the Classic Driver team, with some believing it worthy of first place. Rarely has a six-cylinder DBS been so perfectly presented – note the retention of V8-style wheels, true to its appearances in the 70s TV series. 

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#4 Lamborghini 350 GTV Prototype


Of huge historical interest is the first prototype of a Lamborghini sports car – the 350 GTV which evolved into the first production model, the 350 GT. Unveiled at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, the body was designed by Scaglione, while the 347HP V12 engine was the work of Giotto Bizzarrini. At this year’s Villa d’Este, vistors could marvel at the prototype sitting next to both the 350 GT it spawned and the ultra-rare open-topped 350 GTS.

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#5 Ferrari Dino 166P/206P


Badged a ‘Dino’ (after Enzo’s son Alfredo) rather than a Ferrari, since it had fewer than the requisite (at the time) 12 cylinders, this racing car is rich in history, both in its guise as a 166P (1.6-litre V6 engine) and later with its 2.0-litre engine. The fiercely competitive little car won ‘Best of Show’ at last year’s Schloß Bensberg Classic and we feel it deserves a place in our selection here, too.

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#6 Lancia Sibilo


The architect Corrado Lopresto is one of the most important Lancia collectors in Italy. His collection includes such rare and bizarre beauties as the Lancia Sibilo prototype from 1978, based on the Lancia Stratos, the result of a desire by Marcello Gandini, head of design studio Bertone, to create the ‘Stratos of the Future’. The removable circular section in the side windows is just one of its extremely odd features.

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Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Jan Baedeker / Nanette Schärf 

Ferrari 340/375 MM brings record price at RM's Villa Erba sale

RM’s Villa Erba sale was crowned by a series of home victories for Ferrari, including the factory 340/375 MM Berlinetta scooping a record-breaking sum. 

On the night of a chilly open-air auction in front of Villa Erba, the 1953-built factory racer made ​​for a heated bidding war. Auctioneer Max Girardo presided over the three-way battle in his usual animated way, his cheeky and charming manner coaxing bids from two potential buyers on the floor, and another on the phone. 

With offers heading upwards in increments of EUR 50,000, the 7.5 million mark was promptly surpassed, even the eloquent Girardo himself seeming a little surprised when bidding finally came to rest at EUR 8,800,000 (NOT including buyer’s premium) – accompanied by a round of applause from those in attendance. 


It had early on become clear that bidders were willing to part with good money – one example being the white 300 SL Roadster, the bidding for which levelled out at EUR 950,000. Prior to reaching this impressive figure – a price region usually associated with the more sought-after coupé variants – the audience was amused by an unintended EUR 850,000 'bid' that almost proved a very expensive way of greeting a friend for one embarrassed visitor. 

But it was the Italian marque which continued to dominate chatter throughout the night, with many selling above their estimates. Girardo’s hammer fell at EUR 420,000 for a 1989 F40, shattering its forecasted high of EUR 380,000. Meanwhile, the strikingly beautiful 400 Superamerica SWB Aerodinamico achieved EUR 1,950,000. 


Despite an impressive EUR 1.3 million bid for the 1905 Fiat 60HP, the car went unsold after failing to reach its reserve. 

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Jan Baedeker