Italianiron & Britiron Classics Commitment to Vintage Racing Motorcycles
Posted by Scot Wilson on Jun 13th 2021
At Italianiron/BritIron Classics, let us "Fuel Your Race Passions" is not just a slogan but a commitment, whether you are building a vintage TT racer for competition, a Ducati F1 vintage street bike or a classic Norton Commando, Dominator or Manx. My particular journey into racing started at the end of the 1980's first with a Norton 750 Commando and then I was introduced to the Ducati bevel drives that has resulted in a love affair for the past 40 years. Yet it has been so much fun to be working again and supporting racing efforts for the iconic Norton Commando's, Manx's and other British racers as well. I was never really a professional racer but an enthusiast racer that was enamored with these now "vintage" racers that represented the height of technology for their time. There was also something so alluring from the exhaust note of the early Taglioni created bevel drive "Beasts" and the performance that allowed me to enjoy racing these Ducati bevels. They are arguably the "Ferrari of Motorcycles" in terms of their design, racing successes worldwide and fit me "like a glove".
Ing. Taglioni's other masterpiece, the Pantah racer signaled to the factory the next evolutionary step in the Ducati racer thus carrying forward that successful DNA and becoming the forebearer of the current production of non-bevel drive Ducati Superbike and MotoGP racers. Shown above is an example of one of our Ducati Pantah racer builds that illustrates what can be built as a track day weapon or striking street bike. First and foremost, Italian Iron Classics, LLC was established decades ago to support the sport of Vintage Motorcycle Racing worldwide. In our inventory, we offer Pantah OEM frames in addition to our chrome-moly race frames and Ducati TT Racer chassis and bodywork kits. Worthy of note is that we continue to have great success with our Pantah fuel tank that is made in fiberglass as I consistently use ethanol-free race fuel. In the US, at least, we can buy 98 octane, ethanol free fuel that is the same price as premium fuel. However, this fuel tank does come with a limited warranty for up to E5.
We strive to maintain a very comprehensive offering, therefore, please check out our spares on our Italianiron.com website. We are also very excited to announce that virtually all of the bodywork that we offer can be made in Carbon Fiber for approximately 50% more than the cost of our fiberglass item. As a result of maintaining our own molds, we can make our own bodywork in carbon fiber with the only visual difference being that the carbon component on the inside of the panel is black. This is regardless of the colour of the exterior gelcoat. Worthy of note is that our gelcoat is manufactured and polished to a very high level of finish that does not require painting. This arguably represents a significant cost savings over standard fiberglass that requires painting. Almost any other colour of gelcoat is available for $75 extra. Specialty orders can take up to +/- four weeks to produce. Contact me at Italianiron7@gmail.com for pricing as often the additional cost of the carbon fiber is mitigated by avoiding painting costs!
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-tt-2-street-bike-fairing
In addition, we are also happy to assist that track day enthusiast or restorer with our knowledge and our portfolio. We have added to our race exhaust system offerings that are available in either stainless steel or titanium, one of our stainless steel 2:1 exhaust systems for your Pantah road bike. This exhaust system is designed to be compliant with international noise limits and is, therefore, available to be used on the road for all Ducati Pantah models. The system comes with a logo confirming the system is BSAU approved 193A - T3/1990 in line with The Motor Cycle Silencer and Exhaust Systems Regulations 1995. As this exhaust system is manufactured in a classic 2:1 race design in stainless steel, it weighs approximately 4.6kg. The design of these exhaust systems is to maximize performance and to offer that glorious Ducati twin exhaust note in a compliant form. Take this opportunity to "dress-up" your Pantah classic!
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-pantah-2-1-road-exhaust
In my 1 May 21 blog post, I wrote about our inventory of our early Ducati belt drive engines. In addition to those engines, I have numerous engine cases for Ducati Pantah 650's as well as Ducati 750's, 600's and 350's. Additionally, we have numerous 900 cc engine cases. If you have damaged your cases or want to build an additional race engine, we have the inventory to assist. Do also know that shipping companies are getting aggressive in their pricing as I just shipped a complete Pantah 650 engine, 18" wheel and a set of modern panniers for $571 from my shop in the American Southwest to New South Wales, Australia for example. I also have a Norton 750 Commando motorcycle traveling back to the UK in a crate for 550 GBP or $776 door to door. After the effects of the covid pandemic, the world of vintage motorcycle racing and restorations appear to be moving toward a greater state of normalcy!!
https://www.italianiron.com/blogs/news/italianiron-britiron-classics-vintage-engine-offerings
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-650-engine-cases-611447
We are also huge fans of the Norton Commando and Manx racers with their illustrious history of racing successes. It is my belief that offering Norton twin cylinder spares is a great compliment to our Ducati twin cylinder offerings. Thanks to our working relationship with team Molnar Manx and TGA/Molnar Precision LTD in the UK, we have come full circle to offer a significant inventory of OEM and newly manufactured engine bits for the Norton Commando, Dominator, Atlas and the Manx. Shown below is our Commando brake caliper adapter plate for our AP Lockheed magnesium alloy caliper. It is a beautiful piece of kit and CNC machined to precise measurements. I am using this plate with my AP Lockheed front brake master cylinder & caliper on my Norton 920 cc JPN and it mounted brilliantly!!
https://www.italianiron.com/products/norton-commando-ap-lockheed-adapter-plate
When racing my Norton back in the day, I was also using the Amal carbs. I found that the Amal carb on my Commando racer, for example, was especially good at the track when the engine was running at high revs and I had the throttle "pinned". As a result, so many Norton racers and enthusiasts continue to use their OEM Amal carb. As a result, we wanted to introduce our Replica T3 GP2 Amal Carb to those enthusiasts of the Amal brand. This carb is machined on state-of-the-art 5 axis CNC machines to incredibly tight tolerances. As a point of clarification, this carb has 65mm stud centers for Manx, G50 and 7R engines and not for Commandos. Once cut, our carb is then fitted with a complete set of new parts to be fitted internally to provide a brand new carb. It is always exciting for me to share our joint efforts to maintain the manufacturing of these "vintage" spare parts but with superior metallurgy and manufacturing techniques.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/t3-gp2-amal-carb
At Italianiron & BritIron Classics, we continue to offer quality OEM and newly manufactured engine and chassis bits for Manx, Commando, Atlas, Dominator, Vincent and Seeley road and racing motorcycles. As mentioned before, I am currently working to represent our listings in US Dollars and adhering as closely to British Pounds Sterlings (GBP) for items made in the UK. Please contact me with any currency questions. I have tried numerous "Make an Offer" apps but the technology is insufficient. I am happy to accept reasonable offers on any of our used OEM Ducati and OEM Norton items by email. Italianiron7@gmail.com is for Ducati, Italian and Japanese offerings and Britironclassics@gmail.com is for Norton and other British marques. As a result of our offerings, it is our hope to help you to become immersed in the history, the passion and the early technology of these amazing machines. Let us "Fuel Your Race Passions" to keep the sport of Vintage Motorcycle Racing alive and well!!
