My trip to Verona last year made one thing incredibly clear - the Italians are VERY GOOD at Harleys. I don't know what it is about that country, but they just seem to get the Motor Company. Looking at this early JD model, it's hard to believe that the 1920 frame was found sitting on a farm in Tuscany. This build was done with style, soul, and looks like it came straight out of the pages of a history book.
Wheels and Waves brings together some of the top builders from all around the world to display their custom motorcycles and surf/ hangout in the beautiful Biarritz, France. The bikes are incredibly diverse. Some familiar, some totally new. Stefano and the crew, brought a bike with some serious history. It was here that we met Stefano of Punto di Fugo Motorcycles.
The engine is a 1927 1000cc, 8-valve factory race engine from Harley-Davidson that they had shipped over from the US. If you're unfamiliar with this type of engine, just read as "unobtainium." And as if that little brilliant piece of historic machinery wasn't enough, the original 1920 JD frame was found on an old farm in Tuscany.
Due to the absolutely absurd price that these engines and frames tend to fetch, it's hard to find them done custom like this. They tend to be resto-mods just because original parts are so hard to find that modifications tend to be made. This one, however, looks like a racer owned it back in the day. The spare plugs, gas gauge, writing on the frame, skull between the tanks, it just goes on and on: this bike looks well loved.
The original 1920 hubs were used, but new wheels were made to fit the new look of the bike. They decided to use all noble materials like brass for the gas tank and fender, and the braising work adds a brilliant rustic charm. This is the sort of bike you could stare at for hours, hell-- years, and never get tired of.
It's great to see bikes like this done in the true style they were meant to be. Hot, fast, loud, and still fun 100 years later.