Italianiron & BritIron Classics - More Unique Race Bits
Posted by Scot Wilson on Mar 31st 2021
At Italianiron & Britiron Classics, we continue to stay busy providing items for customer projects and to finding more items to offer for Ducati's and Nortons. We remain laser focused on supporting the international community of Classic Motorcycle Racing from the early belt driven Ducati engines to the 1 liter Ducati 996 & 999 Superbikes as well as the Norton Commando's and Manx. We are excited by the amount of enthusiasm for our TT racer chassis & bodywork kits and have been having fun working with enthusiasts who are using our kits to build their own classic TT racer or Ducati F1 classic street bike. In that spirit, it is my hope to provide some additional items that may be of interest. Recently, I had shipped to my shop from the EU, a container of very nice Ducati Superbike fuel tanks and OEM bodywork. Shown below is our refurbished fuel tank for the Ducati 888 Superbikes. Check out the other 888 bits like an aluminum mono posta rear subframe and other bits that are now available.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-888-superbike-oem-fuel-tank
Having raced the Ducati 996 and 748, I have a special place in my heart for the Ducati 916 Superbike and its derivatives. Shown below is an exceptionally nice fuel tank for the Ducati 996 that we refurbished in the Ducati red that has more orange in the paint. Do note that the later Ducati red is different from the early 916 color that has more burgundy in the paint or referred to as the Cagiva red. This is an early fuel tank with the black interior lining and is in a structurally sound condition. There were no rust issues found in this 20 plus year old fuel tank. As a result, we just color-matched it and repainted it. Decals are OEM and were ordered from the Ducati factory in Bologna, Italy. I also have another half a dozen 996 fuel tanks that we will be refurbishing over the next few weeks. We try not to be too "mercenary" in our pricing but due to COVID, features like shipping from overseas and the cost of paint, for example, have increased exponentially.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-996-superbike-derivatives-oem-fuel-tank
We remain very excited by the amount of enthusiasm for our TT racer chassis & bodywork kits and have been having fun working with enthusiasts who are currently using our kits to build their own classic TT racer, Pantah or Ducati F1 classic street bike. Whether restoring your Ducati or prepping it for Vintage Racing, we are here to assist your ambitions. Our Items are made of top quality fiberglass matting in a red gelcoat and not the substandard, chopped strand material. Our bodywork kits arrive in that original state or professionally painted as shown below for an additional fee. Additionally, we also offer both fiberglass and aluminum fuel tanks that are modeled after Tony Rutter's Formula 2 World Championship winning TT 2. Both of our TT fuel tanks shown below are available in a deep sump configuration as shown in fiberglass on our yellow-on-red TT 2 or in a shallow sump configuration as shown on our blue-on-red TT 1 that uses our aluminum fuel tank. Let us help you with your build at Italianiron7@gmail.com.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/ducati-tt-900-aluminum-shallow-sump-fuel-tank
Shown above is the link to our most common aluminum TT fuel tank that we offer and use on builds with modern Ducati engines where the carbs face each other between the cylinder heads. We can also provide fairing brackets, fairing mounting hardware, windscreens and decal kits as well. In addition to our TT 1 and TT 2 bodywork kits, it is interesting that here in the US, we have had a significant number of purchases of our F1 bodywork kits that different builders have used on their F1 street bike projects or F1 projects using 1990 or 2000 era Ducati 900 ss's. It has been suggested that the popularity of our F1 bits is due to the fact that most American race fans are more aware of the F1B, Santa Monica, Laguna Seca and Montjuich street bike models than the TT racers. This may be due to the fact that Ducati TT racers were primarily competing in series such as Formula 2 on the European continent. Please know that whereas the set of F1 bodywork shown below has the old Two Wheel Classics decal, that TWC was purchased by TGA/Molnar Precision LTD and the updated offerings have received significant improvements in the quality, the function of that portfolio and in some cases, adjustments in pricing.
We also work hard to offer unique items from racing's past history. Shown below is a copy of the famous DMD Streamliner "Dustbin" fairing from the 1960’s. Our Dustbin fairing will fit most machines whether solo or sidecar. However, we do not currently offer mounting brackets for this item and any purchaser needs to have the requisite skills to make their own brackets. Also due to the size of this fairing, shipping can be a major consideration. However, if you want your restoration project to be correct, then it is always worth the extra effort and we will work hard with our shipping partners to find you the most cost effective shipping rates available worldwide. Remarkably, 67% of our sales continue to be international. Alternatively collection may be possible at certain classic racing events. Do contact me at Italianiron7@gmail.com with any questions that you may have about this historically significant piece.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/dmd-streamliner-dustbin-fairing
When Honda introduced their new 4 cylinder engine, the world of racing was forever changed. Due to Honda's significant contributions to racing history, we now offer our copy of the original Honda CR750 race fairing. Our fairing will fit most 4 cylinder machines. We have provided sizes for the fairing on the product listings on Italianiron.com, however, due to the curvatures and 3 dimensional shapes of fairings, measurements are approximate and should be used for guidance only. Understanding that fairings are fairly flexible, in most cases, please know that it is possible that the lower parts of a full fairing could be widened or narrowed from the widths given on our listing. As always, please contact me at italianiron7@gmail.com with your questions and specifications.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/honda-cr750-daytona-race-fairing
Decades ago, I can remember learning to ride a motorcycle on the very popular Honda twin cylinder motorcycles. I graduated first from a Honda 175cc Scrambler to the CB 350 and then to the impressive Honda CB 450. It is my opinion that my experience with the different Honda models is not unique. Due to the reliability of these CB twin cylinder Honda's, we can offer our small, tidy fairing designed for the popular CB250/350/450 and it will fit most twin cylinder racing machines. We have provided sizes for the fairing on the product listings page on Italianiron.com. However, due to the curvatures and 3 dimensional shapes of fairings, measurements are approximate and should be used for guidance only. Understanding that fairings are fairly flexible, in most cases, please know that it is possible that the lower parts of a full fairing could be widened or narrowed from the widths given on our listing. As always, please contact me at italianiron7@gmail.com with your questions and specifications.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/honda-twin-cylinder-race-fairing
Thank you also for the many questions and orders of our aluminum Norton Commando & Manx fuel tanks. I am using one of our aluminum Norvil fuel tanks on my next restoration, a 1972 Dunstall Norton. It, too, will receive the "royal" treatment as I will be using many of our specialty race items on that Dunstall racer. We enjoy working with craftsmen who manufacture our aluminum fuel tanks by Hand using a mallet, sandbag and an English Wheel. Our fuel tanks for Ducati's and Norton's are made by human skill. According to Andy Molnar "all that is used to turn them from a flat sheet of aluminum is skill, experience & the rack of the eye!" All of these aluminum fuel tanks after being formed, are Gas-Welded which is arguably an art form in itself. As anyone who has worked with aluminum knows, as soon as you touch a thin piece of aluminum with a torch, it instantly distorts like a crinkle potato chip or crisp! TIG welding aluminum often leads to a Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) next to the weld which often leads to premature failures. Under the photo below is my blog post on the production processes of our range of the different aluminum fuel tanks offered. I hope that it effectively communicates the value proposition of our portfolio and why we are fans of hand crafting and gas welding.
https://www.italianiron.com/blogs/news/britiron-classics-norton-commando-aluminum-tank-offerings
Additionally, I am very excited to have in my hands, our compact, specialty, race designed oil filter kit for your classic Norton Commando or Manx race bike. This item is being used on my Norton 850 JPN build along with many of the bits that we offer. Originally this kit was designed for the Manx in a Featherbed frame. This compact filter fits neatly between the engine plates of the Manx and is completely hidden from view. I have mounted the oil filter kit to the timing side of this Norton Commando gearbox cradle as shown in the photo below. I believe that our billet oil filter kit fits neatly into this Commando frame. Machined from billet aluminum for low weight, it is a great piece of race kit. Fasteners are pre-drilled for safety wiring and oil filters are easily accessible for replacement and are available to order. For consistency with TGA/Molnar Precision LTD in the UK, we offer our items in British Pounds Sterling (GBP) and US Dollars. We are working hard to maintain accurate prices as currency values rise and fall. Please direct Norton and Manx enquiries to Britironclassics@gmail.com.
https://www.italianiron.com/products/norton-commando-manx-oil-filter-kit
We can also offer a Norvil Dual Disc Front Fork kit that is an impressive piece of race kit that was developed and manufactured by TGA/Molnar Precision LTD for their road racing machines. Our kit is suitable for Manx`s, Seeley`s, Cafe Racers, Commando`s, Norvil`s, Norvin`s and any other classic racer or street bike. This Norvil kit comes complete with magnesium fork sliders and ground stanchion tubes. The forks are available for the Manx, Seeley, standard Norton Featherbed or Norton Commando length stanchion tubes. Further, these forks can also be fitted with standard internals or with our K-tech adjustable cartridge kit. Also included in this kit are 2 Norvil semi-floating discs that are manufactured in iron and mounted to an aluminum Norvil front hub that is built into a complete wheel. An 18" front wheel is offered as standard to suit a 110/80/18 tyre. If a different rim is required please contact me at Britironclassics@gmail.com. To complete this high quality racing front end, stopping power comes from two Lockheed AP racing magnesium alloy calipers that come complete with pads. Time to hit the track!!
https://www.italianiron.com/products/norvil-double-disc-front-end
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 Atlas twin. Thank you again for your interest in our products. Do know that many of our products are manufactured in the UK by TGA/Molnar Precision LTD and Molnar Manx. Andy Molnar is a master engineer and purchased the rights to the technical drawings for the Manx. As a result, he and his team lead their class racing both the Molnar Manx 500 cc & 350 cc machines in competition. Maximizing quality is the most important goal for the items that TGA/Molnar manufacture for us whether for our Ducati TT racers or our Norton Commando racers. Our race spec items are race tested for quality in performance, light weight and reliability. That is the measure for everything that we do. As a result, being cheapest is not our primary mission but providing good value is. Our customers who buy our Norton Commando orManx aluminum fuel tanks and Commando 920 cc barrels, for example, understand that they are paying for state-of-the-art, custom made bits. However, we readily acknowledge that is not the desire of every customer.
We remain thrilled and excited to support enthusiasts of vintage racing machines whether Ducati, Manx or Norton Commando racers through our Italianiron, BritIron Classics Norton and Molnar Manx portfolio of specialty spare parts. As mentioned before, I am currently working to work on listing our entire portfolio like our speciality aluminum fuel tanks, for example, in British Pounds Sterling as well as to our pricing in US Dollars. Please contact me with any currency questions. A new "Make An Offer" feature is currently available for our used OEM Ducati and Norton items. 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!!
