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SS1000 Carbon: A rapid Ducati 900 SS from Moscow

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
We don’t see many customs from Russia. But Moscow-based Birdie Customs and their founder Ilya are doing their best to remedy that, with a slow but steady stream of classy performance customs.

Birdie’s Ducati 900 SS knocked us out a year ago, and they’ve just returned with an even faster 900 SS, built in a different style and taking on board lessons learnt with the previous Duc. It’s sleek and stylish, and there’s nothing else quite like it—especially in the Federation.

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
“Sadly, Russian custom culture is far behind the international community,” Ilya tells us. “Clients mostly ask for Harleys with long forks and engraving; customization of a Ducati or BMW R nineT ends with a catalog.”

“Bike EXIF has made us rethink our projects and create something new and much more ‘technological’.”

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
This bike is called ‘SS 1100 Carbon.’ Ilya and his crew started with the frame of a Ducati 900 SS i.e. from 1999 and little else—which complicated the build somewhat. But it did at least give them a clean sheet of paper.

“Our core idea was futurism—customized carbon parts, combined with Ducati superbike parts, the classic air-oil engine, and high-end electronic Motogadget components.”

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The core of the bike is Ducati’s biggest air-oil engine, the Desmodue 1100. After squeezing it into the frame, Birdie grafted on Showa adjustable upside-down forks from an 848, using the bottom yoke from a 1098 and the upper yoke from a 999.

The heavily modified back end is now suspended with the monoshock from Monster 1100. “Based on our experience building the 900 SS ‘Red Alert’, we paid special attention to control and ergonomics,” says Ilya. The angle on this shock is less horizontal and likely to provide better bump absorption.

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
There’s an air of practicality around this build. “The wheels are from a Ducati 848,” Ilya says. “Initially, I wanted monobloc brakes—but after consultation with others, I realized that there was no point.”

“So I used the stock calipers from the 848, hooked them up to metal hoses, and used PT Performance Technology brake and clutch master cylinders.”

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The Desmodue 1100 engine punches out around 95 hp in stock form, so Ilya has left the internals alone and freed up the breathing with a free-flowing K&N intake and a custom exhaust system with a pair of slender mufflers—no chunky end cans here.

He’s also installed a 1098R slipper clutch to avoid any dramas on mistimed downshifts

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The mechanical boxes are all well and truly ticked, but it’s the completely custom bodywork that grabbed us first. Not least because it’s all carbon fiber, and makes an already light bike even lighter.

Unlike most carbon-based builds, the tank is ‘real’ and not a cover for another material. The low profile accentuates the trellis frame just perfectly. The wasp-like tail unit is even tinier, but caused more problems than anything else on this Ducati: “Surprisingly, it was this design that was the hardest,” Ilya reveals.

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The frontal lighting and surrounding trim was designed in SolidWorks, and tested with polystyrene molds before the final shape was locked down. The headlight itself is a Xenon unit, also modeled in SolidWorks. Like the brake light, it was constructed using an acrylic casting.

Juice for the lighting comes from a Hypermotard wiring loom, which links a Ducati Performance ECU with a Motogadget m.unit control box and m.lock keyless ignition system. “When people hear that it can be hooked up to an iPhone for settings and diagnostics, they are shocked!”

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The ECU has been retuned, but it was no easy task. “We encountered difficulties with changing the firmware of the ECU,” Ilya says. “So we analyzed the software and changed it ourselves, because no one in Moscow can do it right.”

The next steps are track testing, and tuning the ECU on the dyno to create track and city modes. Ilya’s planning to show the bike at World Ducati Week 2019, along with ‘an aggressive Scrambler’ with a similar carbon tank.

Our eyes will be peeled.

Birdie Customs Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Mikhail Kolotushkin

Ducati 900 SS cafe racer by Birdie Customs of Moscow

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This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod

This ex-Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
In the automobile world, if you need a millimeter-perfect restoration or subtle upgrades to the icon in your garage, you go to guys like Classic Motor Cars, Zweimüller or François Sicard.

In the Ducati world, if you live in Europe and know your stuff, the name Harné Heuvelman is likely to be on your list. With the help of his son, Harné runs the workshop Back To Classics in the western Netherlands—and he can rebuild, redesign and remanufacture anything you need for a Borgo Panigale classic.

This ex-Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
BTC’s latest showpiece is this 1978 Ducati 900 Super Sport, an NCR-fettled racer that began life as a privateer entry in the Isle of Man TT. It was originally delivered to Steve Wynne of Sports Motorcycles, a key figure in Mike Hailwood’s TT success.

Wynne sent the cylinder heads to NCR for a performance boost and conversion to twin-spark ignition. He also reinforced the frame around the headstock, fitted a new swingarm designed for longer suspension travel, and installed a set of (very early) Öhlins rear shocks.

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
The bodywork was changed around the same time: there’s an aluminum long-range fuel tank and a proper racing seat. And there are plenty of other typical late 70s racing tweaks, including a stunning set of wide magnesium Campagnolo wheels.

Harné’s client raced the bike throughout the 1980s and early 90s, and then parked it up in his shed for 20 years. “Then he decided to have the Ducati brought back to its former glory,” Harné tells us.

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
On arrival at the BTC workshop in the rural village of Bergambacht, it was time for a check-up. “The frame needed straightening—probably because it was in a minor crash—but this was easily fixed. We did have to make (and weld) a lot of the lugs though.”

The engine rebuild was a little trickier. “The bike had spent a lot of time on the racetrack, and many parts needed extra attention and in some cases replacement.”

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
BTC rebuilt the crankshaft, and installed new Carrillo conrods. The Venolia pistons were matched to a new set of liners, bored and honed to the correct clearances.

The NCR-tuned cylinder heads were rebuilt, and tuned and flowed still further. A new exhaust system was made up from steel tube, and ceramic-coated inside and out.

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
The suspension is resolutely stock however, even though it would probably have been easier to machine up some new triples and bolt on later-model forks.

“The rear Öhlins shocks were originally fitted in 1978,” says Harné. “We found out that Öhlins started up the same year, so these are very early units made by this company. We of course restored and rebuilt them completely.”

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
The front suspension is the standard Marzocchi unit the bike raced with back in the day. This was also restored and rebuilt.

The aluminum fuel tank is the original too, but with the dents removed. The seat is an original brought back to its former glory, but the fenders and front fairing are new items.

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
BTC pride themselves on being thorough, right down to x-raying the wheels to find cracks. They even manufactured and fitted a brand new gearbox. “The gearbox is our own product,” says Harné. “It’s a standard street 3-dog version of the original 6-dog gearbox.”

“We could have gone for a racing gearbox with different ratios, but decided not to—given the owner’s desire to be able to ride on the road as well.”

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
Yes, this machine is road legal in the UK. It still has its original UK registration, so BTC made a few discreet changes while staying as close to a full racing bike as possible.

There’s now a bolt-on side stand, a Motogadget rev counter with digital speedometer readout, a tiny horn, and lighting.

This Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod
Those parts—and the incredible rosso paint—are pretty much the only ones that weren’t made in the BTC workshop. Everything else was done in-house for this 900, including all the machining, the engine building and the restoration of aged individual parts.

At forty years old, this Ducati TT icon is now in the prime of its life.

Thank goodness there are still people like Harné Heuvelman and his son in this world.

Back To Classics | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Ernst Klip.

This ex-Isle of Man 900 SS is the definitive Ducati restomod

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Motorworks’ Ducati 900: The SuperSport revival continues

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Ducati’s back catalog is littered with hits and misses. Consider the Ducati 900 SuperSport: the early 1990s version is a classic beauty; the early 2000s version, not so much.

Pierre Terblanche‘s 1998 revamp of the 900SS was an acquired taste, and hasn’t dated well. So it’s in no danger of becoming an overpriced collector’s item.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
For now, you can still pick one up for under $3,000 in the States, peel back the layers, and enjoy a custom bike with decent performance. Which is probably why so many Ducati 900SS projects have been creeping out of the woodwork lately.

This latest example comes out of Rochester, NY, and it’s the first Ducati build by Sean Pelletier, sole proprietor of The Motorworks.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
“I’ve historically built Japanese vintage bikes,” he explains, “but when I started playing with Italian v-twins, I fell in love with the way they make power and the no frills design. This was an exercise in reducing weight and seeing what I could build in-house.”

The donor was a 2001-model 900SS, with an older motor wedged in. And it was in a state. “The previous owner liked wheelies and hated routine maintenance,” explains Sean, “so it needed a thorough going-through.”

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Sean often calls in his friend Toby to help with engine work. Toby stripped the 900’s motor, inspected everything, and replaced anything that wasn’t within spec. “I got a lot of info from Bruce Meyers about those motors,” says Sean. “Things not in the shop manuals. So I would consider it a semi-blueprinted engine built to be ridden pretty hard.”

The cylinders were rebored and plated, and fitted with 94mm Pistal Racing pistons—pushing the displacement out to 944 cc. The guys also installed new valves, recut the seats, then installed a Barnett clutch assembly. They built covers for the clutch, belt and sprocket out of carbon, and ditched the air box in favor of a pair of pod filters.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Sean didn’t wedge the hot-rodded motor back into the original frame though. Instead, he picked up a truly exotic upgrade: a Walt Siegl Leggero frame. “His shop is about five miles from where I grew up, and I went to high school with his lead fabricator. I visited, and was really impressed with how light and small the Leggero was.”

All that was needed now was a redesigned subframe to hold the tail section Sean planned to build. “I welded on two side frame mounts and brazed on some weld nuts and that was it,” he says. “Working with Walt’s frame was so much nicer than spending hours grinding pounds of steel tabs and mounts off stock frames.”

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Sean hooked the chassis up to a set of Suzuki GSX-R750 forks, using custom triples CNC machined in-house. The forks were resprung and fitted with Race Tech ‘Gold’ valves.

The 900SS’s stock Öhlins shock felt great out the box, so it was left alone. And the donor came with upgraded front brakes, so there was no need to swap those out either. Sean simply switched the master cylinders for Brembo units, to improve braking feel.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
All the bodywork is Sean’s handiwork—starting with the carbon fiber fairing and tail section. It’s the first time he’s shaped with carbon fiber, and that meant a steep learning curve. “To make nice, light parts, you need to build them in a flawless mold,” he explains.

Step one was to mock up the shapes with steel wire and a MIG welder (“sort of sketching in 3D”). Sean then took photos and measurements, used 3D software to create the final design, and CNC cut molds from high-density urethane foam. Then he coated the molds in primer, polished them, and shaped up a final set of molds from fiberglass. The carbon was then vacuum infused.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
“Aside from the design time,” says Sean, “building patterns this way is much faster than older techniques and hand carving. Ironically though, weeks before going to the 2017 Handbuilt Show, I got an itch that the front fairing wasn’t shaped the way it should be.

“I reworked the patterns with thickened bondo, wood carving tools and sandpaper, because I didn’t want to completely throw away what I already had done. So the bike is still a mix of old and new techniques.”

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Sean has way more experience bending metal, so he opted for aluminum for the tank. The metalwork was done with an English wheel that Sean built himself, along with a small electric power hammer and hand tools.

The number of one-off pieces on this Ducati is staggering. Sean machined up a whole stack of aluminum parts, including the gas cap, rear-set hangers, heel guards, muffler caps and fairing mount bracket.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
The taillight and license plate arrangement is custom too, and is kitted with lighting from Dime City Cycles. Then there’s that exhaust; hand-made stainless steel headers, flowing into hand-made mufflers, wrapped in carbon fiber with a high heat resin.

There’s a lot of practical thought too. The custom clip-ons can be adjusted up and down just by rotating them. And the foot controls were built with a locating pin, which can be moved to adjust the angle in 12-degree increments.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
The handlebar switches are also custom, with the throttle reel integrated into the right side cluster. And there’s an RFID keyless ignition from Motogadget integrated into the top tripe clamp. “If I can find something on the market that I really like, I use it without fail,” says Sean. “But when that doesn’t happen, I wind up spending (probably a bit too much) time making my own.”

The Ducati’s new speedo takes this philosophy to the extreme. Sean had a really specific look in mind—and couldn’t find something off-the-shelf to match it. So he built his own housing, designed the circuitry, and programmed an Arduino microcontroller kit to drive an analog needle and run the LCD display.

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
Naturally, Sean tackled the upholstery and paint too. “I get to use this cool old Singer 29-4 treadle machine I got from my grandfather,” he says, “He used it to repair saddles and it works like a charm for thick vinyl and leather.”

“I also did the paint—there weren’t any available bike painters in town. My shop is hardly clean enough to do A-plus work, but at a pinch, I can do it—and wet sand and polish out any bugs that land in the clear.”

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks
It looks very good from where we’re standing. And apparently it goes well too—Sean’s been using it as both a show bike and a track day weapon.

“It’s quite a blast on the track,” he reports. “I love how well it handles, the light weight helps keep the speed up through corners and chicanes.

“I’m now planning on building a dedicated track bike based on this design, with a more developed engine and lighter weight. I estimate I can get the track bike down to less than 300lbs.”

Well…we’re waiting.

Images by Michael Hanlon

Custom Ducati 900 SuperSport by The Motorworks

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Caffè Nero: Lossa Engineering’s Ducati 900SS

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Jay LaRossa is one of those guys who was probably born with copper grease under his fingernails. His parents ran motorcycle dealerships, and as a kid he spent his weekends at racetracks and motor shows.

After a stint building hot rods and custom trucks for export around the world, Jay returned to his first love: two wheels. Since 2007 he’s been running Lossa Engineering in Signal Hill, California—and carving out a rep for fast, focused customs designed more for performance than posing. Like this highly tuned and very rapid Ducati 900SS.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Like many of the best custom builds, this amazing 900SS was years in the making. Customer builds and not one but two battles against cancer got in the way. But it’s been worth the wait.

“I bought this 1991 Ducati in 2009 from a guy who had powder coated the frame and wheels, but couldn’t figure out a few things,” says Jay. “I scooped it up dirt-cheap.”

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Jay quickly fixed the stuff the previous owner couldn’t, but 300 miles later, the motor said arrivederci. So Jay pulled it out of the frame and called up Ducati guru Scott at Motorservizio. They split the cases, and Jay prepped and painted the whole engine black before Scott re-assembled it.

Scott gave the cylinders new Nikasil coatings before slotting in a pair of high compression pistons. He also ported and polished the heads, fitted oversized valves, and ‘degreed’ the cam. Even more power comes from new Dell’Orto 38mm carbs and Malossi intakes.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Scott then put it all back together with APE heavy-duty cylinder studs (wise move) and an STM crankcase breather.

The transmission has been upgraded as well, to fix another known 900SS weak point. The goodies include a Nichols lightened flywheel for an instant horsepower boost, an STM clutch slave cylinder, and a billet clutch basket and race clutch from Barnett.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
The final touch was to discreetly move the oil cooler toward the top valve cover, and reconnect it with custom oil lines.

The motor was fresh and ready for action, but sat out of the bike for about three years. “I moved into my new shop, and just stuffed it upstairs,” says Jay. “Then I started to miss this bike: I’ve had a handful of Ducatis, but I really loved this one.”

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
After battling cancer for the second time in the midst of running his own business, Jay decided it was time to build the 900SS into a proper high performance beast. “I knew it had to have a full Öhlins setup, like any proper Ducati should,” he says.

“I scored a 999 front end and bought a new Öhlins rear reservoir shock and steering damper.” The forks are anodized for a more low-ley look than the usual gold.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
The front end had a 1” stem, longer than the factory 900 stem, so Jay made a jig and machined a new lower cup for the frame. He TIG welded it in with a new steering stop, and sourced the proper tapered head bearings.

Some 900SS frames are prone to cracking up front, so Jay welded in a Nichols frame gusset kit too. Then he scored a set of Ducati Sport Classic spoked wheels, mocked the bike up with them, installed the suspension, and squeezed in the motor.

And then the Ducati sat for another three years.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Fast forward to 2018, and Kevin Dunworth called up Jay about The Golden Bolt show: a winner takes all event, with three pro judges, a $25,000 prize and only 25 entered bikes.

It was the motivation Jay needed. With just two months to finish the Ducati, he whipped out the grinder and chopped off the whole back of the frame, reconfiguring it to be slimmer and cleaner than the factory item.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
“I MIG welded the new tubing to match the Ducati factory welds, hopefully to impress Mark Prosser—who was judging welding and fabrication.”

Ian Halcott from Twinline Motorcycles is a good friend of Jay’s, and flew down to help make a one-off tank and tail section out of aluminum. “He came up with a design to mimic the old Ducati Imola race bikes,” says Jay.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
“We grafted the stock 900SS gas cap ring into the top of the tank, and sculpted it around the top triple-mounted Öhlins steering stabilizer. He left after three days of long, hard work beating the aluminum into submission!”

Jay then hid the coils and electrics under that tank: “I wanted the least bit of wiring on the bike, and none of it visible.”

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
The paint mimics the old bass boat flake style that the old Imola race bikes used. Jay usually prefers his bikes with heavy flake, but on the Ducati he’s restricted the effect to the frame.

Clary’s Custom Colors applied the flake, and then a gloss black for the bodywork—plus a stripe using the colors of the Italian flag. He also downplayed the 1990s carbon fiber elements with another coat of black. Revs Custom Upholstery created a seat to match, using a subtle black suede.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
While he was going over the top with this build, Jay decided he needed titanium bolts everywhere. After emptying his pockets of $1,500, every bolt he could replace was sporting the pretty sheen of precious metal.

Jay now puts Beringer brakes on all his personal bikes, and for the 900SS he’s chosen the black Aerotec six-piston calipers up front and a four-piston setup out back, with gold stainless rotors. (Since this bike is a mash up of different Ducati parts, he had to custom space all the wheels and calipers.)

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Unlike most customs, this 900SS is set up for track as well as road use. So there’s safety wiring everywhere, right down to the brake calipers and axle bolts. Then Evan at Iron Cobras Fabrication hand made the 2-into-1 exhaust with a GP-style muffler.

The electrics consist of Dyna coils, aftermarket igniters, an Antigravity 16-cell battery, and a gauge and a RFID m.lock unit from Motogadget. The wiring harness is new and made from scratch.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
Everything on this machine is top quality. The grips and brake lever guard are from Rizoma, the clip-ons are LSL, and the rearsets are Woodcraft. There’s a SpeedyMoto top triple clamp, CNC machined out of billet 6061 aluminum. And to keep all this precious componentry safe, the anodized wheels are shod with a set of sticky Dunlop Q4 Sportmax tires.

Jay made it to the Golden Bolt Show at the last minute, with only just enough time for a few passes up and down his street for testing.

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering
“I didn’t win,” he shrugs. “But I met a bunch of good people. Miguel Galluzzi was the third judge, and I believe the only one who really got what this bike was about.”

Well, we ‘get it.’ Totalmente.

Lossa Engineering | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Paul Rivera

Caffè Nero: A Ducati 900SS cafe racer from Lossa Engineering

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Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
The Ducati 900 SS is one of the great bargains in the motorcycling world. And not because it’s a bad bike. On the contrary, it’s an entertaining ride in an old school kinda way. It’s cheap because the styling missed the mark when it was launched nearly 30 years ago, and it hasn’t aged well since.

That makes the 900 SS an excellent donor bike for a custom job. You can pick up a good example in the USA for as little as $2,000 these days, and if you still need convincing of the Ducati’s potential, just cast your eyes over this slinky new cafe from Ad Hoc.

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
It’s the first machine to roll out of David Gonzalez’s new workshop. He’s now based in Sabadell, a town just outside Barcelona that’s chiefly known in the moto world for being the birthplace of racer Dani Pedrosa.

“The past year has been one of transition,” David reveals. “With the change of workshop, the projects slowed down. I wanted to tackle the most important builds with calm and a new perspective, and this Ducati is one of them.”

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
Just before he left the old Ad Hoc workshop, David stripped off the Pierre Terreblanche-designed bodywork. Then in the new shop, he started afresh and began to look for the best shapes and style.

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
“We wanted a retro motorcycle: elegant, small and compact,” he says. “As opposed to the striking yellow paint and bulk of the original.” A clear inspiration emerged: the TT1 European endurance racer of the 1980s.

David cut out and reconfigured the rear part of the frame, right up to the anchor point of the Showa monoshock. (The tubing is also now chromed, like the rest of the iconic trellis frame.)

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
The rear footrests are now attached to removable hangers that secure to the frame under the seat—to get a cleaner line when the bike is in single seater mode. “When we attach the metal lid over the seat, we get an authentic monoposto. And when we remove the lid and add the footrests, we have a motorbike to enjoy with company.”

The new headlight bucket and taillight are chromed too, to match the chassis and amplify the timeless effect, and there’s a discreet Motogadget Motoscope Tiny speedo just ahead of the top yoke.

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
David’s known for his angular, brightly-colored bodywork, but he’s gone for restraint with the 900 SS. He’s crafted the tank from sheet metal, leaving space for the pump, and has given it a flat top line to echo the straight lines of the frame.

The creamy paint is deliciously understated, and contrasts with the dark grey of the most minimal fuel cap we’ve ever seen. It looks like it belongs more in a high-end Japanese hotel bathroom than on a motorcycle.

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
David has also replaced the air filter box with cone filters, and relocated the battery and the electrics. The engine required an overhaul, outside as well as in—since the Ducati had spent its life by the sea. But the internals are unmodified, since the booming L-twin is good for a quarter-mile time of around 12 seconds.

The exhaust is new though, with simple stainless steel headers terminating in a reverse cone silencer. David describes the sound as “elegant, in harmony with the characteristic clink of the Ducati desmo clutch.”

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer
The handling of the 900 SS was excellent for its day, and it’s still fine for the roads that snake through the mountain ranges behind Barcelona. And the original Brembo brakes—with two 320mm discs and four-piston calipers at the front—remain strong. So they’ve simply been overhauled and fettled.

But the wheels were another matter: the three-spoke alloys would have to go. David has built up new wheels using Morad rims, finishing them in a satin black, and lacing them to unspecified hubs. “It’s a bit of a secret,” he says. “It costs a lot to find front hubs for double discs with the right separation!” The tires are Continental’s ContiMotion ‘sport touring’ radials.

Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer

The litmus test for custom builders is knowing what to change and what to leave alone, and David Gonzalez has shown unerring judgment with his Ducati. He’s picked a solid, underrated base bike with excellent performance out of the box, and improved the aesthetics without compromising practicality.

If you’ve got a soft spot for thundering Italian twins, maybe it’s time to pick up a 900 SS on the cheap—before the rest of the world cottons on.

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Caffè Crema: Ad Hoc’s luscious Ducati 900 SS cafe racer

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As New: Reviving a Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
There are purists who baulk at the thought of changing even one bolt on a classic motorcycle—and then there’s folks like us. When you spend your days curating the world’s finest custom motos, you can appreciate a tasteful set of mods on even the most sacred of machines.

But there are some motorcycles that even we wouldn’t dare alter. It’s a short list, but the Ducati 900 MHR is near the top.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
If you’re not a member of the Ducatista, or a classic racing fan, allow us to enlighten you. Back in 1978, Mike Hailwood staged a legendary comeback at the Isle of Man TT, winning the Formula 1 class aboard a Ducati 900 SuperSport. The following year, the production Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) was born.

Under the hood it was essentially a 900 SS. But it was styled just like Hailwood’s race bike and treated to a few notable upgrades like Brembo brakes and Conti silencers. By 1984 it had evolved, with a new 973 cc motor making 76 horsepower, thanks to a bigger bore, bigger valves and a redesigned crankshaft.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
Now called the MHR Mille, it also featured an electric start, a redesigned instrument panel, folding foot pegs with rubber inserts, adjustable Verlicchi clip-ons, and a hydraulically actuated clutch. About 7,000 Mike Hailwood Replicas were produced up to 1985, but only about 1,100 of these were Milles. Oh, and they were the last bevel-drive twins that Ducati produced.

So if you found one, would you change a thing? We wouldn’t, and neither would the good people of Revival Cycles. The Austin, Texas-based shop is known for going deep on its projects, and we’ve seen some extensive custom work from them over the years. But when a customer rolled in with a recently acquired Mike Hailwood Replica, they knew what had to be done—and what not to do.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
“This machine had been in the same home for many years, but its owner seemed to have fallen out of love with it,” we’re told. “It was marred with cracked and chipped paint, worn suspension, an incredibly shaky kickstand, electrical gremlins and carburetors that were never tuned quite right. It took all the pleasure out of what used to be an amazing machine.”

This poor little MHR needed a ‘Revival’ of the highest order.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
With too many hard-fought miles under the belt for basic maintenance, a full restoration was on the cards. So Revival tore the bike down to the bare frame for powder coating, replacing every bushing and bearing along the way.

They rebuilt the Ducati’s stock Marzocchi forks, but opted to ditch the worn out rear shocks for a new set from Progressive Suspension. The gorgeous wheels were brought back to their original gold luster, and every last shiny bit was re-chromed to better-than-new condition.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
Revival naturally tore into the engine too, giving it a good refresh before re-sealing it with new gaskets and seals. Then they set their focus to ironing out the old 900’s numerous wiring issues.

Leaving no stone unturned, the guys treated the cockpit to a serious refresh too. They did make a few changes though: along with the new rear shocks, they’ve added custom-made brake and clutch hoses, a custom-built side stand, and reinforced the center stand. They also installed a pair of K&N filters, rejetting the carbs to match.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
But nothing could compare to the love and sweat poured into the Ducati’s race replica bodywork. Years of abuse and shoddy fiberglass repairs had taken their toll—and aftermarket Mike Hailwood Replica body panels aren’t exactly in abundant supply.

Countless hours of body and repair work later, the MHR was finally ready to receive its original livery in a better-than-factory finish. Revival took their time, laying down the original decals perfectly and adding layer after layer of clear coat for a deep, rich effect.

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles
“That—and the roar of the mighty bevel drive breathing fire again at our Twist Off event—made for one happy Ducatista!” the guys tell us.

After seeing these shots, we believe them. Like they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Revival Cycles | Facebook | Instagram

As New: A Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica brought back to life by Revival Cycles

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BikeExif cafe racer Custom Motorcycles Ducati Ducati 900 SS Other Motorcycle Blogs

Red Alert: Ducati 900 SS i.e. by Moscow’s Birdie Customs

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
Customizing a motorcycle is often a game of knowing what to change, and what to leave alone. Some bikes have attributes that you’d want to highlight rather than hide—like the Ducati 900 SuperSport, and its iconic trellis frame.

On the stock machine it’s barely peeking out from behind a fairing. Ditching the fairing is a fast track to a radically different look, but then you’re faced with another challenge—the angled baseline created by the frame.

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
We’ve seen builders get creative to work around this, but we’ve never seen anyone work inside it… until now. This shredded 2001 Ducati 900 SS i.e. cafe racer comes all the way from Russia, and it’s one of the most innovative uses of the Duc trellis we’ve ever seen.

The culprits are Birdie Customs—a small Moscow-based team headed by founder Ilya. Ilya cut his teeth about eleven years ago in a scooter workshop, where he’d build up a new race scooter each season. But he eventually transitioned to building custom motorcycles, which he’s been doing for the past three years.

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
Customizing bikes in Russia is not without its challenges; the scene is small and aftermarket parts can be hard to come by. Judging by this Ducati though, Ilya and co. seem to be making it work.

“You should believe in yourself and believe in your craft—it is bound to lead you somewhere,” he says. “And, if you’re lucky, you might find yourself doing work that not only pays the bills, but also makes you happy.”

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The 900 SS is Birdie’s newest release, but Ilya’s had ideas for it floating around for a while now. “I think that most Ducati SuperSport customs are just ‘copy-and-paste’ items,” he says. “The only projects I got truly inspired by were those from Radical Ducati and Walt Siegl Motorcycles.”

“Looking at them, I understood that the only way to build something truly special is to disregard other custom bikes and start with a blank slate.”

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
Right off the bat, the Birdie crew knew they wanted something low-slung and futuristic. So they decided to ‘drop’ the tank into the frame, leveling out the Ducati’s curvy silhouette.

An inspired idea, but it ended up being quite a job too. Once all the original bodywork was dumped, the guys began the painstaking process of shaping ‘preforms’ for the new tank and tail, before molding the final parts using a carbon weave.

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
The rear of the 900 SS frame was rebuilt to accommodate the new tail section, which was capped off with a fresh leather perch. This meant a change in seat height, so Birdie moved the foot controls down a couple of inches via new brackets, to suit their customer’s height.

Three-spoke mag wheels from the early 2000s don’t exactly scream ‘cafe racer,’ so a set of spoked items from a Ducati SportClassic went on, wrapped in Pirelli’s retro-but-grippy Phantom Sportscomp tires. To add some flair, the guys gave the spoke nipples a titanium nitride treatment for a golden finish (a process commonly used on the ornate tops on Russian churches).

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
Birdie upgraded the front forks with new cartridges, then tuned the suspension all around to suit their customer’s frame. Inspired by a QD Exhaust system, Ilya and his team shaped up a complete new box-style exhaust system from scratch.

The head and taillights are one-offs too, constructed using cast acrylic lenses with LED internals. The front’s held in place by milled aluminum brackets.

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
Up in the cockpit are the only off-the-shelf items on the whole bike: a brake and clutch reservoir set from Rizoma. Birdie polished up the top triple clamp, stripped the switches down to a minimum and added leather-wrap grips.

The Ducati has no turn signals or speedo. We’re not sure how legal that is in Russia, but it sure makes for a simple setup. (It does have sensible rubber and fenders at both ends though… phew.)

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow
For the final finish, Birdie wanted to keep the bike unapologetically Italian. So it wears a little red, white and green, complemented by a silver paint with a metallic quality that had us mistaking it for polished aluminum at first.

It’s a quirky new twist on the classic SuperSport custom and we’re digging it. And it seems we’re not the only ones: “As soon as we finished the 900 SS, we couldn’t resist showing it off,” says Ilya. “We decided to take part in couple of exhibitions where we got the best possible prize—people’s hearts!”

Birdie Customs Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Pavel Korotky

Custom Ducati 900 ss i.e. by Birdie Customs of Moscow