Shaw Harley-Davidson And Bell & Ross – A Combination Of Expertise

March 07, 2011

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An interesting combination by Bell & Ross and Shaw Harley-Davidson. Shaw Harley-Davidson is the current world champion in modified Harley motorcycles and together with Bell & Ross, they present the one-off custom Nascafe Racer.

As my motorcycle knowledge is very limited (understatement), I hereby copy an excerpt of the Bell & Ross press release:

The methods used by Bell & Ross master watchmakers when developing and assembling their timepieces was employed by the Shaw Harley-Davidson master technicians when building the project bike, which is based on the Harley-Davidson® FXSTB Softail® Night Train, one of the more radical Softails – long, low and naked and named by Willie G. Davidson.

The motorcycle was totally stripped down to the last nut and bolt in the Speed & Custom workshop of the East Sussex dealership, and every detail was taken into account on the rebuild.

Using the BR 01 Carbon – the iconic time instrument produced by Bell & Ross – the Shaw Speed and Custom team mounted the timepiece in a handcrafted center console using a machined piece of aluminum. The watch mounting positioned the timepiece in the ideal place for its function as a professional tool for the rider. A combination of anodized blue, carbon and stealth-like matte black custom paint was used on the bike to reflect the design of the timepiece.

“We wanted to mirror the Bell & Ross timepiece wherever we could on the motorcycle to ensure that the essence of the finished product was never compromised by superfluous design or extraneous items,” said Steve Willis, Shaw Harley-Davidson Sales Director and Head of the Speed & Custom design wing of the dealership.

“We were immediately excited by this project,” explains Bruno Belamich, Designer and Co-founder of Bell & Ross. “We identify with the values portrayed by Harley-Davidson, values that we share such as the search for the extreme, adventure and precision.”

Bell & Ross hopes that this partnership will allow Shaw Harley-Davidson to qualify for and defend their world title in Sturgis, South Dakota in August 2011.