Description
It’s a ‘Burton’ – a Norton Dominator Frame with Buell X1 Motor
- Buell X1 motor with 100bhp+
- Mikuni HSR42 Carb kit
- Upgraded starter motor
- Norton featherbed wideline frame
- Steve Hollis custom tank
- Triumph Speed Triple front end
- Hagon adjustable rear shocks
- Brembo discs & calipers
- Motogadget m-Unit control module
- 18” spoked wheels with Avon Roadriders
- Motogadget speedo
The result of a singular vision and many (many) months of hard graft on the build, this unorthodox yet stunning Café Racer isn’t powered by a Triumph or even a Harley Sportster engine—but one from a Buell X1. And a sorted X1 at that— the donor Buell had already been tuned and kitted with a number of performance parts and is putting out over 100bhp.
That didn’t stop the creator wanting more so the engine went off to Steve Piper Motorcycles in Hampshire where it was bead blasted, stove enamelled the barrels, polished various bits and various parts polished, and the cam cover reshaped to fit the new frame. It was also converted it from EFI to carb, installing a Mikuni HSR42 kit.
Once that was done, the engine was carted off to Redmax Speed Shop in Devon (best known for their flat trackers, but they’ve got a knack for building classically styled café racers too!) where they wedged the Buell powerplant into a Norton featherbed wideline frame and installed a pair of adjustable Hagon shocks at the rear.
With a little hunting, a supplier was found to lace up a set of 18” spoked wheels that could handle the torque from the X1’s motor. Redmax fitted them with a set of Avon Roadriders, and installed twin 320mm discs and Brembo calipers.
The bike is wired up around a Motogadget m-Unit control module with a super-light Shido LTZ battery. Everything’s stashed in a neat tray under the seat, and there’s also a Motogadget speedo.
The bike then went to the late Steve Hollis who crafted a new seat and tank, added the Triumph Speed Triple front end and gave it a complete respray.
The bike’s been finished with a host of bespoke parts—including the front fender, seat (with integrated tail light), the exhaust is a custom-made megaphone unit which nods towards the bikes’ Manx Norton heritage, as well as making a great sound.
There are also removable passenger pegs, rear-set foot controls, and clip-on bars equipped with vintage Triumph replica switches from Sparx.
As Norton cafe racers go, this may not appeal to the purists but we like it all the more for it!
