Sporton Norley Cafe Racer

Although they call each other allies the US and the UK never quite see eye to eye. One area where this has always rung true is in the world of motorcycling, thankfully though there are those who recognise the potential of mixing British iron with American steel like our friend FaizalYusop in Malaysia. With a Norton featherbed frame and a Harley ironhead motor he pieced together this Norley Cafe Racer that he’s named the ‘Sporton’.

Influenced by the style of classic Cafe Racers and Grand Prix Racers Faizal’s Sporton is a thing of beauty. The Sporton’s fuel tank, oil tank and seat pan are all original Norton Manx alloy parts and the Manx rear mud guard is stainless steel. Nestled in the half fairing is a Triumph headlight mounted with Tomaselli brackets while the stop light is a one off custom. An Ohlins steering damper keeps the front end in check and a combination of Suzuki GT750 and GS550 hubs and brakes manage the stopping. Topping off the list of classic Cafe Racer components are Dunstall rear sets and Decibel Silencers mounted to a custom set of headers and who could forget the bikes ’57 Norton Featherbed wideline frame.

With the Norton featherbed delivering awesome handling the ’69 Harley Sportster Ironhead was in need of some performance improvements to make the most of it. An oversize bore increased capacity up to 900cc and an AMF high comp piston has been installed. A high lift street drag cam, oversized inlet and outlet valves and a Weber race carb with custom jet configuration boost power figures well beyond the engines ability in stock form. Custom mounts made from extra strong 1.5 inch steel plate secure the Ironhead in place and position it squarely in the centre of the frame to maximise balance. Despite the use of the Harley engine the Sporton weighs in at a mere 180kg making this not just one of the best looking but also one of the best performing Norley’s we’ve seen to date.