Sportster & Ducati Marriage Makes a Superb Custom Cafe Racer
‘The Ivory Comet’ Sportster took a year to perfect.
Hey, here’s a great custom motorcycle idea that’s never been done: Make a cafe racer out of a Harley Davidson sportster. What’s that, you say? What rock have I been living under? You say there are hundreds, maybe thousands on the planet already?
True, but how about a cafe racer that combines a Sportster and a Ducati? Now that sounds intriguing. The old reliable sportster tossed together with one of the world’s most famous high-performance motorcycles.
This innovative custom design comes to us out of JSK Custom Design out of La Puente California.
Customizers Love Sportsters
The Sportster of course is one of the longest-running and most reliable bikes in the history of the Motor Company. Until recently, that is, with the introduction of the new Nightster and Sportster S, both liquid-cooled models powered by the new Revolution Max engine.
The Sportster is a favorite for custom shops, many of which specialize in turning them into cafe racers, motorcycles made famous in the early 1960s by British racers who took stock motorcycles and souped them up for short-distance racing.
Some enthusiasts turn their noses up at sportster/cafe racer customs, mostly because the brand is associated with the chopper scene, big, fat touring bikes and comfort over speed, but they have thrived nonetheless. There are all sorts of top-10 Sportster/cafe racer lists around, like this one.
Amazing Metalwork
Ducati speed designs are known the world over as well, and the 916, the bike used in this custom job, is a fully-faired sport bike made from 1994 to 1998.
This custom bike, called the “Ivory Comet,” melds a Sportster frame and a Ducati front and back end. And here’s something cool: the custom metalwork was first carved in wood and then fabricated with sheet metal. It took a year to complete this build, and the amazing metalwork that makes it all work is very impressive.
Silodrome, an online publication dedicated to gasoline culture, calls it a “remarkable feat that’ll be deeply impressive to anyone who’s ever created complex 3-dimensonal bodywork from raw steel.”
‘Modern Retro’
The builders call it a “modern retro cafe racer” that uses the front shock absorbers, rear single sided swingarm, and the brakes from the Ducati 916.
They wanted to stay with the traditional look of a cafe racer and so followed three basic rules: make sure the front fairing, gas tank, and rear cowl lined up in a horizontal line parallel to the ground.
The other goals were to ensure the rear axle lined up properly with the tail, and to include the duck-tailed rear cowl.
Awards Galore
The rims were a particular problem that had to be overcome. In order to make the bike a single-sided swingarm with wire rims, they had to go to Europe to find someone who met their requirements.
They painted the bike mostly white, but with red, black and gold to project a feeling of “overwhelming power and grace that comes from a speeding comet.”
It certainly all comes together; the custom has won number awards, including “Best Cafe Racer at the Born Free Motorcycle Show, Pro Builder First Place at the Los Angeles Motorcycle Show and MOD Custom Class Champion at J&P Cycle’s Ultimate Builder Award.
Photos: JSK Custom Design
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