Harley-Davidson and Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross watches and Shaw Harley-Davidson – the current world champions in modified Harley-Davidson® motorcycles – have teamed up to develop a one-off custom motorcycle: the Bell & Ross-inspired Nascafe Racer.
Shaw Harley-Davidson is a leading dealership in the United Kingdom and six times award winner for best UK Dealer. They approached Bell & Ross about a bike design project that was inspired by the watchmakers’ vision on performance, precision and engineering. The same technical exactness that Bell & Ross rule by was taken into account with the build of the unique motorcycle.
The way that master watchmakers Bell & Ross develop and assemble their timepieces was reflected by the Shaw Harley-Davidson master technicians when building the project bike, which is based on the Harley-Davidson® FXSTB Softail® Nightrain, one of the more radical Softails – long, low and naked and named by Willie G. Davidson.
The motorcycle was totally stripped down to every last nut and bolt in the Speed & Custom workshop of the East Sussex dealership, and every detail was taken into account on the rebuild.
Using the BR 01 Carbon – the iconic instrument produced by Bell & Ross – the Shaw Speed and Custom team mounted the timepiece in a handcrafted centre console using a machined section of aluminium. The watch mounting positioned the timepiece in a perfect place for its original function as a professional tool for the rider. A combination of anodised blue, carbon and stealth-like matt black custom paint was used on the bike to reflect the timepiece.
”We wanted to mirror the Bell & Ross timepiece wherever we could on the motorcycle and to ensure that the essential piece was never compromised by superfluous design or items,” said Steve Willis, Shaw Harley-Davidson Sales Director and Head of the Speed & Custom design wing of the dealership.
“We were immediately excited by this project, explains Bruno Belamich Designer and co-founder of Bell & Ross. We identified with the values portrayed by Harley-Davidson, values that we share like the search for the extremes, adventure and precision”
The Bell & Ross mission statement is that every detail has its purpose and function. This technical exactness is expressed through pure lines and timeless elegance and is one that has inspired and driven the Shaw Harley-Davidson team in the United Kingdom to design and build this one-off Custom motorcycle.
The bike was a crowd pleaser on its debut at the American Motorcycle Dealer (AMD) World Championship round of Modified Harley-Davidson Class at the London International Custom Bike Show at Alexandra on February 26 and 27. The bike will be seen at other events including:
– The Dublin International Motorcycle Show
– Custom Chrome European Show Mainz
– St Tropez Harley-Davidson Euro Festival
– Bournemouth International Custom Motorcycle Show
Bell & Ross hopes that this partnership will allow Shaw Harley-Davidson to qualify for, and defend their world title, in Sturgis USA in August 2011
