Although Ducati is now owned by Automobili Lamborghini, the Bologna company is regarded as the Ferrari of the motorcycle world. Since the 1950s, its sporting motorcycles have been a favorite target of racers, tweakers and customizers.
In the custom world, the SportClassic is regarded as the archetypal modern-day café racer. Designed by Pierre Terblanche and launched in 2003, the SportClassic was way ahead of its time and sold poorly until its demise in 2010. But nowadays, values of Ducati models are rising rapidly and the styling is uniquely pleasing to the eye.
The Pantah and Monster have always been popular Ducati bikes with builders, but we’re now seeing the purer sportbikes creeping into the scene—often with ‘retro fighter’ builds—and a huge number of Scrambler customs.
There’s something lacking in contemporary superbike design. Aside from the odd alluring exception, most modern superbikes look sterile—even if they are lightning fast. Walt Siegl’s made-to-order, Ducati-powered SBK series is the antidote. Each SBK combines modern performance with timeless styling, sprinkled with cherry-picked parts and a healthy dollop of unobtanium. This is the fourth one…
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This week’s bikes come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve got a Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer from Poland, a Suzuki Thunder 125 chopper from Indonesia, and a custom mini-bike from a small Hungarian village. Plus we take a look at BMW Motorrad’s fourth Pure&Crafted show.
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I’ll admit, my knowledge of vintage Ducatis is rudimentary at best—so I always feel a little out of my depth when talking to Mike Watanabe. He and Luke Ransom run Union Motorcycle Classics out of a barn in Idaho, where they specialize in charming classics and restomods. And their knowledge runs deep. Mike put that…
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We’ve always had a thing for the machines that roll out of the deBolex Engineering workshop: they’re sleek, fast and exceptionally well made. Unfortunately for most of us, perfection at this level takes a long time to create, and deep pockets to purchase. Shop founder Calum Pryce-Tidd and his right-hand man Des Francis have now…
Read more »We’ve got a major surprise this week, with Italdesign revisiting its controversial Ducati 860 for an electrifying update. Elsewhere in Europe, Honda…
Read more »Not all custom motorcycles built for reality TV are bad. Anthony Partridge is the bike guy on Discovery Channel’s Goblin Works Garage…
Read more »It’s all about nostalgia this week, with a special Brough Superior SS100, a new exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum, and a…
Read more »We’re not precious about which motorcycles shouldn’t be customized. But we still feel a pang of sadness when a classic is butchered—and…
Read more »When a new custom builder hits the scene, there’s no way of knowing if they’re a one hit wonder, or if they’ll…
Read more »Paint is the last thing that happens on a custom job, but it’s the first thing that people notice. And the livery…
Read more »The custom scene in Brazil doesn’t get much recognition on a global scale, which is surprising. Last year, a whopping 900,000 bikes…
Read more »MV Agusta updates the Superveloce, while Ironwood Custom Motorcycles partners with a US-based shop. Plus we’ve got a handsome Yamaha SR400 from…
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