Back in June 2007 there were rumors flying about of the possibility of Harley-Davidson purchasing Ducati. We now know that the Monster from Milwaukee was looking for an Italian meal when it indeed purchased MV Agusta last July. Ducati must have been too big a morsel, or maybe it just doesn’t like Bologna. (Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week! Drive safely!)
Anyway, customizer Chris Barber was one guy who thought a Harley-Ducati merger was a swell idea, at least from a custom-bike point of view. He went about engineering the “DesmoHog,” a hybrid Duc/Big Twin motor in a custom rigid frame.
The running gear is pretty standard bobber/chopper fare, but the planning and work that went into that motor is what’s remarkable about this bike. Chris started with two rear 900SS cylinder heads (so the fins would both point the same direction) and had Axtell custom-make cylinders to mate the heads to the Harley-Davidson crankcase. He then cleverly engineered a pulley system to drive the belts off the Harley cam. Displacement is 1340cc, and with flat-top pistons, compression is a healthy 10.3:1. With 38mm Mikuni flatslide carbs, it should produce some healthy horsepower.
Chris started this project well before anybody knew Harley-Davidson was looking for an Italian manufacturer to round out its European product line: is he psychic? If he is, you’d better inform the Alfa owners in your circle of friends; he’s also built a Harley-framed custom with an Alfa-Romeo V-6 (pictured at bottom)…
Got a cool custom you’d like to show off to MD? Send us some pix and a detailed description of your bike and what makes it special.
