Home > Powersports > Motorcycle Culture >  

Gearheads Exclusive: Luca Manni and his Tuscany Deuce

Luca Manni, a man who eats, sleeps and dreams about engines. When he’s not eating, sleeping, dreaming or caring for his newborn, he’s passionately building cars and motorcycles. He knows a thing or two about building unique custom machines but today we’re looking at one thing in particular, his gorgeous 2000 Harley-Davidson “Tuscany” Deuce.

11411906_10207141485678921_7504762065654043623_o

If you know anything about the Deuce, you’ll know that it boasts a powerful 1449cc V2 engine, wrapped in a gorgeous frame and finished with some sensuous curves. Now, Luca isn’t your average builder – firstly, he’s a man with a regular full time job pushing permits for an Italian energy company rather than wiling away his hours in the garage and secondly, he’s a man with a vision that bucks our contemporary trend: “The current fashion is all about ‘vintage’… I believe that you can only build a ‘vintage’ style bike if you’re combining it with a vintage engine! Pan, Flat, Shovel. I hate to see motorcycles made in a vintage style when they’re combined with modern injection engines! Vintage motorcycles must have an OEM foot switch! It’s not enough just to have spoked wheels and high handlebars to be considered ‘vintage’ in my opinion!”

1559423_10207141481638820_3757313217288280713_o

The 48 year old from Grosseto, Tuscany took his own advice and built the bike of his dreams based on his own ideas: “My HD reflects the luxurious styles from the 90s, when every accessory was billet, expensive, and was a risky choice between fascinating and tasteful, and ugly, senseless upgrades.” Using the work of the Battistini brothers as his major influence, Luca turned to Harley Davidson Viterbo for help and advice.

10983173_10207141483998879_3749974570196964404_o

Together, they begun the build, swapping out the Deuce’s stock rims for Performance Machine ‘Tempest’ wheels, opting for a 5.5” rear that fits nicely with the Rebuffini Cycles custom swing arm, complete with unobtrusive, integrated turn signals. While the right side is unobstructed and gives excellent views of the rear wheel, the left side is geared towards the brakes, which boasts a GMA brake pulley system. The front brake assembly features a 13” Performance Machine floating disc (gifted by Ted Sands himself, no less) and coupled with a 6-piston caliper unit.

10368971_10207141482278836_1832153217160658631_o 10517320_10207141481238810_2968112557777180515_o

Engine wise, the Deuce was treated with a full Screamin’ Eagle kit, 95” displacement forged pistons with 2” valves and CNC ported heads. The fun didn’t stop there either, Luca also replaced the camshafts, added a programmable ECU, swapped the stock for PowerVent valves and a Mikuni flat side carb and coupled it with a Kuryakyn corsair air cleaner. Now the Deuce boasts around 118 hp and plays a gorgeous tune through it’s with V&H ShortShot staggered pipes.

1401578_10207141488638995_1527142966225817958_o

The exterior mods are endless, including a White Bros lowering suspension, anodized foot pegs, an integrated headlight extension, LED lights and a saddle courtesy of Badlender. Like many great builds, the beauty lies in the details and Luca’s Deuce is an exquisite example of passion and enthusiasm.

11402903_10207141499799274_4542354451161684992_o

We asked Luca what his favourite feature is: “Undoubtedly, it’s the ‘Moonline’swingarm from Rebuffini (which was built exclusively for me by Rebuffini Livio to accommodate the GMA brake pulley)” – but most of all, the man loves everything about his Deuce: “I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my things, and I love the accuracy. But at the same time I love to have things that others do not. Upgraded cars and motorcycles has always been my passion and I focus not only on the aesthetics but also the performance of the engine. My aesthetic is based on class, clean finishes and technology.” With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Luca’s Deuce has been featured in a large number of publications around the world and has even received critical acclaim from THE Willie G. Davidson.

10869675_10207141486518942_3849165723884497848_o

Finally, Luca has another thing to ask the Gearheads community: way back in the early 90s, one of his first builds – a Honda CB750 four chopper was stolen. It’s a unique piece featuring a rear wheel crafted from an old Citroen Diana, with bespoke triple clamps and if anyone knows anything about it, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s an image that might jog a few memories! Luca reckons it might be somewhere in Germany…

10945652_10206045084549578_450269932339968170_n

This isn’t the last we’ll hear from Luca either: he’s currently working on a Jaguar build that should turn a fair few heads in the near future. Stay tuned for more!









Joe Appleton
About Joe Appleton

Joe is a motorcycle industry veteran who has not only been paid for his words on the industry but also to throw a leg over a bike on the track. Besides riding, and occasionally crashing motorcycles, he also likes to build up older bikes in his garage in Germany. He says; "I like what I like but that certainly doesn’t make my opinion any more valid than yours…" We like Joe's educated opinion and hope you do too.

×