View from the Sidecar
(Page 2 of 3)
January/February 2005
By Motorcycle Classics staff
Handling is excellent, too, especially on the Smart bike, which comes with multi-adjustable Öhlins suspension at both ends. The Sport, which doesn’t have the Smart bike’s steering damper, has slightly lighter steering but is still admirably stable.
The only real drawback with both models is that the forward riding position puts more weight on the wrists than some riders will find comfortable.
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Ducati’s more conventional Multistrada and Monster M1000 provide similar performance with more comfort, at roughly similar cost to the Sport. The limited-edition Paul Smart model comes at a price premium. But if you lusted after a Ducati V-twin superbike in the Seventies, these cleverly crafted modern reincarnations will surely appeal. — Roland Brown
Lawwill Street Tracker
Truth is, I’m not a Harley guy. Big cruisers just don’t do it for me. My tastes run to vintage machines built by workers who drink espresso or grappa at the trattoria across the street. No surprise, then, the only Harley of any appeal to me is the old XR-750 with a street kit; twin discs hanging off the Ceriani’s. Nothing but bare essential fast. Way cool.
Milling about the pits at the Sandia Classic vintage races I spied a couple black and orange fairings at the end of the row and headed off for a look. I didn’t get that far. My feet quit working as my eyes became glued to just about the coolest street bike I’d seen in a month of Sundays — Mert Lawwill’s Street Tracker, a modern interpretation of Harley’s legendary XR750 that ruled the tracks in the Seventies.
Lawwill himself was on hand, recounting how folks have been bugging him for years to make a replica of his ’69 champ-winning XR. Seems he finally gave in. The trick for Lawwill was making a replica that looks authentic, yet was updated with modern components. Mission accomplished, and in doing so Lawwill has created an instant classic, with each machine carrying an individual sequence number. We’d say market timing is pretty good, with makers like Ducati and Triumph producing their own modern retro machines.
The engine is lifted straight from the new 1200 Sportster, using new cylinder head castings with improved and modified ports that put the exhaust on the left and the intake on the right, just like the original XR. A pair of stock 38mm carbs and a custom cam grind by John Andrews offers a comfy 100bhp-plus. And a nice fat torque curve makes the performance of the modern machine comparable to the old full-race setup of the XR, all in a nice, low-maintenance package easily serviced at any HD dealer.