Hybrid CR1200 Harton Blends Best Bits

Timeless Affair

If the chopper is quintessentially American, then the cafe racer is uniquely European. An ocean apart, both custom styles emerged in the early 1960s, but with completely different applications. Their commonality is passion. Decades later, the genres are still going strong. For Stile Italiano, it is an everyday affair and their Harton CR1200 is a modern take on a timeless classic. 

Good Essence

Nicknamed the 'Black Knight,' the hybrid build is a combination of Harley-Davidson and Norton. In a transcontinental match-up, a legendary 'featherbed' frame has been mated to some down-home grunt in the form of a 1200cc XL motor. While the bike is a one-off build, it follows a long tradition of mounting beefy engines in good handling frames—the very essence of a cafe racer.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Modern Reproduction

Black Knight might be a one-off, but it's the sixth such example from the Italian custom shop just north of Pordenone. They also think it's their best one yet. While the Harton CR1200's styling is straight out of the 1960s cafe racer playbook, its components are all modern. Stile Italiano began the project with a reproduction Norton frame.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Chunky Engine

The most famous of the hybrid motorcycles from the 1960s is the Triton, a Triumph parallel-twin engine slotted into a featherbed frame. Other combinations followed suit, with the Harley-Norton fusion being a more recent development—especially with the almost bullet-proof XL Evolution engine. For their build, Stile Italiano utilized a 'wideline' frame to better accommodate the chunky V-Twin.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Ingenious Design

Even then, the Pordenone shop had to massage the Norton frame for a perfect fit. Produced in small numbers in both the US and Europe, 'new' featherbed frames are constructed from lightweight alloy aircraft tubing and take advantage of modern welding technology. It is a credit to Rex and Cromie McCandless, the Irish brothers who first developed the ingenious and lasting design.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Contemporary Duties

With the powertrain seated at home, performance suspension was next on the list. The front end received a set of Ducati Sport Classic forks, while the rear was fitted with a Bitubo racing shock. For a dead-level stance, a pair of 17'' laced wheels with contemporary rubber were fitted. Slotted brake discs and Brembo calipers, two out back and one in the rear, take care of the stopping duties.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Sweptback Form

A 'must have' cafe racer staple is the retro-styled Avon faring or one of the many replicas now available. The classic bullet-shaped fairing, and many others, were the brainchild of Doug Mitchenall, a prolific designer at the Avon works in Wiltshire, England. With streamlining sorted, Stile Italiano built a carbon fiber fuel tank and rear cowl to complement the fairing's sweptback form.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

Best Gold

Emulating the original Norton design, the oil filler cap is recessed into the front of the seat. Other classic touches include a chrome hold-down strap on the gas tank and a Monza-style filler cap. Stile Italiano's claim is not unwarranted, with its one-of-a-kind Virex exhaust system, this black and gold Harton CR1200 is really the best of the best.

>>Join the conversation on the Harley-Norton right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!

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