Ivory Comet XL Sportster
"Modern Retro". That's how Taiwan born, LA based Samuel Kao of JSK
Custom Design describes his 'Ivory Comet' Cafe Racer. Based on a '97
XL1200 Harley Davidson Sportster the Ivory Comet takes fundamental
aspects of Cafe Racer design and blends them perfectly with modern
styling and modern performance components. Since its completion earlier
this year the bike has brought home an impressive collection of
prestigious trophies including "Best Cafe Racer" at Born Free 6. Taking
over a year to complete the build of the bike pushed Sam to his limits,
but as I'm sure you will agree his hard work was well worth it.
"For the fabrication of the bodywork I insisted on using traditional
bodywork techniques. To do this I used the 60's method of creating a
wooden mold to form the metal gas tank, front fairing and rear cowl
from. When I began I had several fairing designs in mind, but when I
decided to use a Harley Davidson engine I believed it will be a shame to
cover it, so the version I settled on left the engine completely
exposed."
"My vision for a modern retro cafe racer necessitated a suspension
system that was unique and high performing. I decided to transplant the
forks, single sided swing arm and brakes from a Ducati 916. Finding
someone who would then assist me with fitting a spoked rim to the single
sided swing arm was a real challenge. I was turned away many times
being told it couldn't be done before I finally found a company in
Europe that met my requirements and even supplied a warranty for their
work."
The name Ivory Comet came from Sam's idea of mixing elegance and speed.
With it's angular lines and pin striped bodywork the bike looks fast
while it's standing still, like any good Cafe Racer should. Final
touches of gold detailing and a diamond stitched red suede leather seat
add the elegance element and even though gold isn't really my thing,
this time I'm willing to make an exception.
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