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ADV BikesMeet The ‘Carducci SC3 Gera Baja’ Harley-Based Dual Sport

Meet The ‘Carducci SC3 Gera Baja’ Harley-Based Dual Sport

Carducci builds a Harley Davidson dual sport to compete in Baja 1000.

Published on 12.03.2018

Who says you can’t race a Harley-Davidson in the Baja 1000? Well, definitely not Carducci, a company well versed in the brand that have decided to take on the rocks, sand, silt and speed of this legendary off-road race on a highly modified 2003 Sportster. As an added thumb in the eye to all the naysayers, they plan to ride their competition bike to and from the race.

Carducci SC3 Gera Baja
The bike features a BTR Moto 2-into-1 Custom SST Header with Leo Vince Spark Arrestor Muffler
Carducci SC3 Gera Baja
Corbin MX Control Tech Hand Formed Seat.
The bike is a Carducci SC3 Gera Baja, and as the pictures show it is a thing of beauty. From the upswept exhaust, to the Ohlins suspension front and rear, to the billet aluminum “truss” style swingarm, to the custom translucent IMS gas tank, to the Trail Tech eight-inch headlight and Baja Designs spotlights, it’s pretty clear this isn’t your dentist’s Harley. In the middle of it all is an air-cooled, 1200cc Harley V-twin pumping out an estimated 100 horsepower and ground-shaking torque.

All that said, it weighs in at a rather portly 442 pounds (201 kg) without fuel. That’s 180 or so pounds heavier than a Honda CRF450X, the bike that won this year’s race. And you might have to be a dentist to afford the $100,000 price tag, that is if Carducci were to build any more of them (Carducci is open to building more if demand exists).

Carducci SC3 Gera Baja 1000
The SC3 Gera Baja is fitted with a 100 W Trail Tech halogen headlight and Baja Designs aux lights on the crashbars.
Carducci SC3 Gera Baja
The Carducci Gera Baja won the People’s Choice award at the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show.
Carducci SC3 Gera Baja
Carducci’s bike sports Ohlins suspension with 10 inches of travel front and rear and features a custom built high strength billet aluminum ‘truss’ swingarm.

This particular bike is a one-off race version of Carducci Dual Sport’s SC3 Adventure, which itself is an award-winning custom Harley V-twin-based adventure bike first introduced in 2013. The SC3 Adventure sells at about $70,000, plus the cost of a donor Sportster, and has received solid reviews from people who’ve had the chance to ride it off road.


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The SC3 Gera Baja will be piloted by 2016 Baja Pro Ironman champion Tony Gera, hence the model name. He’ll start his ride in Santa Cruz, California, travel 550 miles south to Ensenada, MX, pre-run the course, run the race, then ride home.

And in case you think this is all crazy, keep in mind that it’s been done before. In 1986, a Hollywood stuntman, a television commercial director and a desert-racing veteran teamed up to build a Sportster-based desert sled they dubbed “Harley’s Comet.” They finished fourth in their class.

Carducci SC3 Gera Baja
For the ride down to Baja, the SC3 has lights and a plate to make it street legal. The aluminum rear fender will be swapped out with a plastic one for the Baja 1000 race next November.

Carducci SC3 Gera Baja Specs

  • Engine: 1,275cc 2003 H-D Sportster
  • Transmission: H-D sportster 5-speed
  • Horsepower: 100 horsepower
  • Frame: 2003 H-D sporster w/mods for 10″ Wheel Travel
  • Front Suspension: Ohlins 10″ vertical travel
  • Rear Suspension: Ohlins Twin Shocks; 10″ vertical Travel
  • Front Wheel: Woodys Excel 1.85″x 21″ rim
  • Rear Wheel: Woodys Excel 3.50″ x 18″ rim
  • Skid Plate: Custom 5052 aluminum
  • Hand Guards: Cycra Ultra Pro-Bend
  • Mirrors: DRC 161 Off-Road Adjustable Mirrors, 10mm
  • Rear Fender: Custom 5052 Aluminum
  • Front Fender: Cycra Cycralite vented
  • Final Drive: RK Racing Gold 530 Chain, 25/56 gearing
  • Exhaust: BTR Moto 2-into-1 Custom SST Header w/ Leo Vince muffler
  • Swingarm: Custom High Strength Billet Aluminum ‘Truss’
  • Battery: Antigravity Lithium Ion
  • Tires: Motoz Tractionator Desert H/T
  • Front/Rear Brake: Beringer 4-piston axial caliper
  • Wheelbase: 62.5 inches
  • Seat Height: 33 inches
  • Dry Weight: 442 lbs (201 kg)
  • Gas Tank: Custom IMS 5 gallons

Author: Bob Whitby

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.

Author: Bob Whitby
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wfo75080
wfo75080
December 3, 2018 3:38 pm

Beautiful!

Jacob Murray
Jacob Murray
December 4, 2018 9:07 am

If the Pan America is 1/2 as nice as that bike, I’d be thrilled to own one, haha.

Rob Newman
Rob Newman
December 20, 2018 12:20 pm
Reply to  Jacob Murray

it won’t even be close.. this is a one off hand built race bike built by a private team using a 2003 883 as the basis.. the same folks also built an ADV version similar tho again, these are not HD engineers or design partners.. but still.. cool stuff.. and one can dream I suppose.

https://carduccidualsport.com/sc3-adventure/

Paul Davis
Paul Davis
December 15, 2018 1:08 pm

I like the rear shock mounts on the frame!

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