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Inspired Design A P Assion F or M otorcycles
S tory | M atthew N euNdorf P hotograPhy | P eter h eSSelS
The first time I met Nicholas Harrison was in his hotel room in Austin, TX. I shook his hand and exchanged pleasantries while, stripping down to my skivvies, I tried to squeeze myself into a new set of motorcycle racing leathers. I had been in town for the MotoGP race as well as some track time of my own at the Circuit of the Americas (hence the leathers) and a mutual friend, the designer of my new onesie, had wanted us to meet. That might read more like the beginnings to some bizarre forum letter to some of you out there but for those of us with a passion for motorcycles, it’s really just another day at the track. And make no mistake, Mr. Harrison has a deep passion for motorcycles. Especially those with Italian lineage. Currently his collection of motorcycles gamut from a modern Ducati Multistrada tourer to a gorgeously restored, vintage Ducati 900SS. And these are no garage queens. Nicholas subscribes to the “ride ‘em, don’t hide ‘em” school of thought, so every bike is familiar with Toronto’s streets, as well as many tracks. His latest acquisition though -- our feature bike for this current issue -- truly takes things to the next level. The culmination of over three years of design and development, the SBK#1 is custom builder extraordinaire, Walt Siegl’s interpretation of the ultimate Ducati Superbike. Designed around a vision of integrating modern technologies with a classic aesthetic, this completely custom motorcycle starts with a bespoke, aircraftgrade chrome moly trellis frame. Structural carbon fibre was used to create the rear subframe and aerodynamic tail and the composite was also used for the exquisite bodywork. The engine is based off of a Ducati 2-valve, L-Twin but has been hybridized to use the bottom-end from a later model 4-valve, 1098 block. The result is trackready weapon that tips scales with less weight than a current MotoGP bike and, as Nicholas tells me, rides incredibly well.
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