A crisp Honda V30 Magna tracker, a swooping Norton/Vincent hybrid, a Ducati Hailwood replica up for auction, and a very sharp Ducati ST4S cafe racer. We’d happily put any of these into our garage.
Norvin by Stile Italiano We’ve all seen plenty of lust-worthy Tritons; Triumph motors stuffed into Norton frames. The crew at Stile Italiano has built six, plus four ‘Hartons.’ But now they’ve really gone overboard, with this stunning Norvin.
You’re looking at a Norton featherbed frame, equipped with one of the most desirable engines ever made—a Vincent.
The crew started by sourcing an original ‘wideline’ featherbed frame. They obviously had to mod it to hold the Vincent motor, but they also cut out the bottom and rebuilt it, so that the motor (and center of gravity) would sit lower. The engine itself is the 998 cc mill from the Vincent Rapide, but it’s been bored out to 1,140 cc, and upgraded with forged pistons and a twin spark conversion.
The bodywork is all hand-formed, as are the snaking exhaust headers, which terminate in a pair of Virex mufflers. Modern touches like Öhlins forks are offset against retro parts like the exquisite drum brakes. With a classy black paint job and gold highlights, it’s nothing short of exquisite. [More]
Honda V30 Magna by MotoRelic Ever heard of the V30 Magna? It was a 498 cc V-four cruiser that Honda released in the 80s, with ‘custom’ styling typical of the era. Not surprisingly, you don’t see many custom examples—so when Sean Skinner at MotoRelic in Virginia got his hands on one, he had nothing to reference for inspiration.
That didn’t stop him from building a sharp street tracker that’s miles ahead of the source material. Sean’s V30 is also something of a parts bin special, with an Interceptor swing arm, CBR600F2 forks and wheels, and a Suzuki T500 fuel tank.
Swapping out the tank was no walk in the park: the Magna has two fuel tanks, with a massive air box in between them. So Sean had to rip everything out and fabricate a new custom air box to house a K&N filter. Getting the wheels and swing arm to fit required a fair amount of machine work, and the forks are attached via the triples from a Nighthawk.
The bike also features a custom subframe and tailpiece, complete with tracker-style number boards. Counterbalance Cycles handled the upholstery, while Knights Kustoms did the paint, pulling inspiration from classic Honda color schemes. Other upgrades include LED lighting, a custom headlight nacelle and fender, and twin two-into-one exhaust systems built with parts from Cone Engineering.
The parts list is exhaustive, the custom work even more so, and the stance and livery are flawless. Sean wonders if the V30 Magna could be the new CX500, and he might just be onto something. [More]
Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica Mike Hailwood is undeniably a legend of the sport, but one of his most remarkable victories came 11 years after he first retired. In 1978 he went back to work, and won the Isle of Man TT at the age of 38.
‘Mike the Bike’ entered the race as a privateer, piloting a Ducati 900 SuperSport. A year later, Ducati cashed in on the fame, and released the limited edition Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood replica), producing just 7,000 examples.
The MHR was closer to a stock 900SS than the highly custom version Hailwood raced, but its bodywork and livery did a good job of mimicking the style. It also featured a few upgrades: Dell’Orto carbs with velocity stacks, and better performing Conti mufflers. Later models featured an electric start and hydraulic clutch, and eventually a more reliable 973 cc motor.
This 1985 MHR’s just popped up on the auction website Mecum. With only 11,713 miles on the meter it appears to be in tip-top shape, and was bought by its current owner from a Ducati dealer. It’s a stunning slice of history, and, as we’ve said before, one of few bikes we wouldn’t dare customize.
It’s going on the block in mid July, with no current estimate … so start saving. [Via]
Ducati ST4S by Moto Motivo Johann Keyser is a South African living in the US and he’s turned his custom motorcycle hobby into a career, under the banner of Moto Motivo. Some time ago, he built a Ducati ST2 for a client; the owner of this 2005 ST4S spotted that build, and asked Johann to build something similar.
To turn the sports tourer into a cafe racer, Johann started by ditching all of its bodywork. In its place he fitted a Ducati 999 tank, followed by a custom tailpiece that integrates neatly with the rear edge of the tank. The subframe was shortened and narrowed to match.
The ST4S also wears Monster gauges, clip-ons, an aftermarket Harley V-Rod headlight, and a saddle and rear-sets from Japan. The bike came with Öhlins suspension, so Johann turned his attention elsewhere. He installed a set of Monster S4RS wheels with Continental Road Attack 2 tires, wedging the single-sided S4RS swing arm into the frame at the same time.
On the performance side, this ST4S benefits from a set of K&N filters, and a custom-built ceramic coated exhaust system, capped with a yellow carbon fiber Akrapovič can. Johann remapped the ECU too. As for the bright yellow design—that’s a hat tip to the first cafe racer he built as a teenager, and the Alfa Romeos he used to race. [More]
