Ducati Cafe Racer

Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati has been producing motorcycles since 1926. Recognised for the bold red livery and revered for their racing heritage, the Ducati brand is considered the two-wheeled equivalent of Ferrari.Although most commonly recognized for their sports bikes Ducati's street bikes have played a very important role in the growth of the company and motorcycling history. The Monster revolutionized the naked motorcycle category and the Scrambler is set to become one of their best selling models of all time.Riding a Ducati cafe racer carries the kudos of race-bred Italian engineering.

Show Stopper – Thornton Panigale 1299

This year the London Bike Shed show played host to an astounding 281 custom motorcycles and over 17,000 visitors. As I watched the event unfold from the other side of the world it was obvious the quality of builds has reached all new heights. Amongst all the incredible bikes at the show,…

Ducati

CARACCHI TRIBUTE – Ducati MHR 1000

If you ride a Ducati and don’t get tingles when you see the letters NCR it’s time for a history lesson. NCR is an acronym of its founder’s names, Rino Caracchi, Giorgio Nepoti and Rizzi. Together the trio (and later just Rino and Giorgio) laid the groundwork for Ducati’s racing success. During…

Ducati

What lurks beneath – Ellaspede Ducati 848

Is it a Ducati 748/749 with bigger muscles or a trimmed down 1098? The Ducati 848 was a new bike in the Italians lineup for 2008 and we’ve found that 10 years later it might just be one of the perfect donor bikes for a custom build. When it was released the Ducati…

Ducati

CaféCorse – Barn Built Bikes Ducati 916

The notion of building a cafe racer using a Ducati platform brings a few ideal donors to mind. The most obvious being any of the models that fall under the Monster moniker. After all, cafe racers are all about minimalism and the Monster’s naked design is about as minimal as they come. Despite…

Ducati

The Ugly Duckling – Ellaspede Ducati 900SS

The story behind the success of Brisbane’s Ellaspede workshop is one of good old Aussie grit and determination. They started out in a home garage back in 2009 without any financial backing or angel investors. Just the change in their pockets and plenty of enthusiasm. Then they survived the 2011 Brisbane floods despite…

Ducati

Monstrosity – Roissetter Ducati Monster 1100

Rebuilding wrecked bikes means being prepared to take on some real challenges. When Marc Roissetter bought his Ducati Monster 1100 he knew he had his work cut out for him. Marc found the donor bike at a wrecker in the United Arab Emirates where he lives. Along with having sustained crash damage it…

Ducati

Reborn in Britain – John Fallon Bimota DB1

Anyone who has a passion for Italian motorcycles is sure to know the significance of Bimota. The small privately owned manufacturer made their mark building quality performance focused motorcycles using existing engines from other manufacturers. Although Bimota started out using Japanese made engines, in 1985, after mounting pressure from local fans, they…

Ducati

Narrow Escape – Alonze Ducati 350 Special

I love a good story and when it’s told right it’s worth sharing. Here’s the tale of how Alonze Customs in the UK created this stunning, Ducati 350 cafe racer from scratch… “My name is Jim Alonze and I come from Scarborough, England. I’ve been working for myself for 8 years performing welding repairs…

Ducati

Neon Noir – Helmade Ducati 999S

If I was to sum up the Glemseck 101 event with one sentence it would be; “Looking good and going fast.” The events spectacular 1/8th-mile drag races are unlike any other. Reading through the Sprint race entry requirements conjures up memories of the Wacky Racer cartoons from my childhood. It’s all about…

Ducati

Well Travelled Italian – Ducati 848 Cafe Racer

Keeping track of all the parts you pull off your bike during a build is a daunting task. When I heard that Mike Salek tore his bike down and worked on it at 2 different international locations all I could think of was how many parts he lost. Thankfully, Mike’s clearly more organised…

Ducati

Cafe Racer Cup – Rob Jarvis Ducati 750SS

On July 21st 2018 the Bike Shed London held the inaugural ‘Cafe Racer Cup’. An event designed to allow everyday riders the chance to run their motorcycle on a professional race circuit. Recognising the significance of cafe racers to the resurgence of the custom motorcycle scene the event was open exclusively to…