Cafe Racer

The Grand Prix from Ardent Motorcycles

The Grand Prix. The bike has it all – unique looks, craftsmanship and… the story. And… it does stand out from the crowd.
It was built by Curtis Miller from Ardent Motorcycles in Milford, Michigan as a tribute to Japanese race bikes from 1960’s. But this is where it gets interesting – as it doesn’t have a small displacement engine… we are in the USA 🙂 So Curtis decided to squeeze in the frame a 1200 cc Sportster engine. And it does the job. The bike looks big and has this characteristic narrow stance.

What is most interesting – it was hand build. It’s obvious when You look at the fairing or the exhaust… but what You don’t see right away is that the frame! and even the swing-arm was handmade. I love the attention to details – especially the pipes under the seat.

It’s a head turner for sure. The fairing that covers only half of the engine. The general “bling-bling” looks.

To be honest – my grumpy inner voice is saying that this is not a proper cafe racer. It’s not. It doesn’t fit the street racing scene with it’s perfect and shiny accessories. The front forks, brakes, and wheels are an upgrade – for sure. But on the other end – You have the piggyback shocks are fitted to a very long and narrow swing-arm, which probably compromises the stiffness a little.
But – it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t race it anyway. I would put this thing right above the fireplace, to look at every day. And polish daily…