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Ducati Hypermotard custom: ‘Hector’ by Be Unique 2.22

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
There’s a definite trend towards the sleek and contemporary in the custom scene right now. We see it in the smooth metallurgy of builders such as Auto Fabrica, JvB-Moto and Vagabund, and the CAD magic of guys like Paolo Tex.

But this Swiss-built Ducati is a reassuring reminder that old school craft is still alive and well, and to be found in the most unexpected locations.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
‘Hector’ is a Ducati Hypermotard 796, probably the last machine you would expect to get the old-school treatment.

It comes from the oddly named workshop Be Unique 2.22, a collective of six petrolheads based in the small town of Magden, about an hour’s drive from Zürich, the largest city in Switzerland.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
Lead mechanic Adrian Frommherz has been working on bikes since he was five years old, we’re told.

At Be Unique he’s joined by a metalworker, a boat builder, a leather worker, the custom bike builder Tobi Doppler, and a photographer—Markus Edgar Ruf. Markus took the shots you see here, and filled us in on the details.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
So where did the spark for this most unusual build come from? It’s a commission from Tresor Contemporary Craft, a fair in Basel that promotes traditional techniques and design in the 21st century. Which explains the rough-hewn appearance of this modern Hypermotard, as well as the numerous obvious welds.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
“We deliberately kept a hammered finish and the traces of the metal working tools,” says Markus. “This bike has been designed without a computer.”

“We got inspired by old race cars, airplanes and boats. The bike recalls a time when motorsport was a synonym for having guts and being dangerous.”

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
The bodywork hints at what Markus calls “innovative sheetings”—aerodynamic designs knocked up for speed testing, as with the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union ‘Silver Arrow’ cars, or even Burt Munro’s Indian.

The monocoque is made of aluminum and consists of three parts, with welding lines intentionally left visible. Metalsmith Reto Berger tackled this side of the job, and the frame was modified slightly to accommodate the new bodywork.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
There is no modern technology here: everything was hand-made, as it would have been 50 years ago. That includes the mahogany wooden panels, installed by boat builder Jan Lüscher and finished with marine-grade paint.

The tuck and roll seat was the work of leather man Andy Mackay, who normally specializes in luxury aircraft and classic cars.

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
The contrast between the hand-made bodywork and the modern drivetrain of the Hypermotard is striking. Especially when you consider that the guys behind this build get together after hours to pool their talents, and describe their approach as ‘punk rock.’

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair
Mechanically, the Hypermotard is virtually standard—so performance is not affected at all. There’s just a custom exhaust hidden inside the belly pan, which stretches almost the full length of the wheelbase.

With 113 frisky Italian horses on tap, the Ducati can still wheelie at will. And will no doubt deliver a shock to drivers overtaken at 120 mph on the Autobahnen.

Be Unique 2.22 | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Markus Edgar Ruf

Custom Ducati Hypermotard built by Be Unique 2.22 for the Tresor Contemporary Craft fair

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BikeExif cafe racer Custom Bikes of the Week Custom Motorcycles Ducati Hypermotard Honda CB550 Husqvarna motorcycles Moto Guzzi Other Motorcycle Blogs

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 15 January, 2017

The best cafe racers, scramblers and bobbers of the week
Eleven hundred cc of Moto Guzzi muscle from Florida, a cafe’d Ducati Hypermotard from Germany, and proof from Jakarta that the Kawasaki ER6n can be turned into a good looking bike. We’re going global this week.

Honda CB550 by Ripple Rock Racers
Honda CB550 by Ripple Rock Racers My local shop, Town Moto in Toronto, has a tradition of featuring a different motorcycle in their front window every month. Sometimes it’s a new bike, like Triumph’s Thruxton R or a Husky Supermoto, and sometimes it’s a custom—like this very tidy brat/cafe hybrid from Winnipeg’s Ripple Rock Racers.

Working with a Honda CB550, ‘OZ’ is described by RRR’s Kemp Archibald as “Comfortable yet stylish, a simple and clean affair with a performance heart.” To get the old Honda to this state, RRR stripped the donor bike down completely before detabbing the frame and taking the cutting disc to the rear end. A new tray was fab’d up to hide the electrics and deliver a clean triangle beneath the diamond stitched leather seat. A CB650 was robbed of its swingarm and rear wheel for the build, and the tank is a hand-sculpted unit from a later model CB550. On top of the cosmetic changes, RRR also gave the inline-4 a complete rebuild, and built a four-into-two exhaust system capped with snarling reverse-cone megaphones to better enunciate its braaaap. [More]

Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport by Moto-Studio
Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport by Moto-Studio In stock form, the 1100 Sport was a big brute of a motorcycle. With upwards of 90 hp on tap from its iconic transverse V-Twin engine, it was no slouch either. However, it was a touch portly—and muscling one through the twisties is said to have been tricky at times. But that’s nothing that a 40 kilo diet won’t help. Which is exactly what Bruce McQuiston and his team at Miami, Florida based Moto-Studio thought.

When they put this carburetted Moto Guzzi up on the bench the plastics had to go, as well as few other beefy bits. (Rumor has it the OEM loom and wiring weigh in at 6 kilos.) Then Bruce turned his attention to the rear of ‘Stormo 219.’ There are new subframe struts made of machined aluminum, and that exquisitely shaped tail is a carbon fibre unit. Bruce scores huge bonus points for shaping that tail perfectly to match the profile of the tank. From there the carbs were jetted for four extra ponies and most importantly, the gearing was shortened to make this cafe quicker to race. The fit and finish throughout is exemplary and were I to find an 1100 Sport kicking around, I know who I’d call. [More]

Ducati Hypermotard by Garage 667
Ducati Hypermotard by Garage 667 It’s kind of hard to believe that Pierre Terblanche’s Hypermotard is a decade old. The Italian SuMo on steroids continues to set a standard for hooligan machines—while maintaining a characteristic ‘odd-Duc’ vibe.

Terblanche’s styling isn’t for everyone. And if his Motard visuals don’t quite cut it for you, peep this tight cafe conversion from Germany’s Garage 667. Working from an entry level 796 variant, Jochen Diefke has built a cafe racer with a clear focus on performance. The bike’s beak and myriad other plastics had to go, and to nail the modern classic look, the Hyper’s tank was binned as well. In its place sits a unit from a Ducati 1098 that took some extensive modifications to bolt up and flow properly. After adding custom cross-bracing on the subframe, a humped tail and a Harley V-Rod headlight, Jochen hit the bullseye in terms of style. [More]

Kawasaki ER6n by Studio Motor
Kawasaki ER6n by Studio Motor The Jakarta, Indonesia builders are no strangers to this series. They’ve been on our radar since the very beginning. And thanks to some impressive skills and the courage to take on unconventional donors, we’re always pretty chuffed when something new rolls out. This time around they’ve scrambled Kawi’s naked Ninja and man, does it look the business.

Working with a 2013 ER6n the Studio Motor team immediately binned every element of Kawasaki’s polarizing ‘Sugomi’ design ethos. A new seat, tank and set of fenders were hand crafted from steel and shaped to accentuate the bike’s natural stance. A hoop was tacked on out back and then topped with a beautiful, in-house crafted, leather tuck-rolled seat. Rizoma bars put the rider in control and a classic, five-inch headlight replaces the Michael Bay look up front. The entire package shows the versatility of Kawi’s previous generation Ninja chassis and truly earns those Metzeler Enduros it rides on. [More]

James Garner’s 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross
James Garner’s 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross When I was a wee lad, my grandfather introduced me to one of my all-time heroes of Hollywood. As Jim Rockford, James Garner was exactly the brand of cool my developing mind needed—and spurred me to seek out works like The Great Escape. Garner was already a four-wheeled racer, but it was during his time filming with Capt. Virgil Hilts that he developed a love for knees in the breeze.

Hitting Bonham’s blocks on January 26, this 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross is the very same bike that Garner used to race against McQueen at Steve’s Brentwood estate. When new, the 396cc two-stroke would put out 40 hp—not bad for an off-roader that tips scales at a mere 231 pounds (105 kilos). Forty-seven years later, it may have lost a pony or two, but this Championship winning Swede remains a wicked machine. Having direct ties to Garner means this beast will command a premium—but not as much as if it were McQueen’s own machine. [More]

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BikeExif Custom Motorcycles Ducati Ducati Hypermotard Other Motorcycle Blogs Walt Siegl

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
It’s Dakar time right now, with over 160 motorcycles racing through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. The rally raid bikes have always looked good: they’re extreme examples of form following function.

Master builder and ex-racer Walt Siegl is a fan, too. “I’m always thrilled to see the brutal design of the Dakar bikes,” he says. And to prove it, he’s just built a stunning Ducati Hypermotard that transfers that aggressive style to the street.

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
The project was commissioned by a European friend of Walt’s, over a three-hour coffee meeting in downtown LA. The brief was to give the Hyper “a bit more vintage flair.”

But ‘vintage’ and ‘Hypermotard’ are not words you expect to see in the same sentence. The Hyper was Ducati’s attempt at a radical new approach to design in the mid-2000s, driven by CEO Federico Minoli (who, incidentally, is now a part-owner of Deus Milano).

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
The stock bodywork is angular and pointed, and there are signs of computer-aided design everywhere. It’s not the easiest bike to revamp, but that didn’t deter Walt.

“I took the project on as a challenge, despite the low budget,” he says. “I knew I’d have to keep the stock suspension, frame and swing arm, and the aluminum wheels.”

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
But that’s no bad thing. With almost 100 horsepower going to the back wheel, and 50mm Marzocchi forks up front, your regular Hypermotard 1100 provides plenty enough thrills for most riders.

Walt decided to focus on the bodywork, and take his cue from the 1980s. “As we all know, the 80s are considered a difficult period for design,” he says.

“But it’s when motorcycle designers started pushing new technology—like the single-sided swing arm, computer-controlled fuel injection systems, frameless design, and forged aluminum components.”

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
“I knew that by using 1980s design elements, I could work with the Hypermotard. And with its tall suspension and steep steering angle, the Hyper lends itself to that all-business Dakar look too.”

The new composite bodywork looks glorious—and it weighs much less than the parts molded in the Bologna factory. Walt built his own ‘hot knife,’ took a seven-foot long Styrofoam block, and carved out the shapes.

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
After using files to fine-tune the block, Walt wrapped it in fiberglass for structural integrity, and started crafting the details with automotive bondo. The final shape was then used to build composite molds for the end product.

The new body is in three pieces, and is attached to the chassis with aluminum standoffs. It takes just three minutes to remove.

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard
Walt even shaped the neatly integrated screen in fiberglass; it was finished off by Gustafsson Plastics, who have been making screens for custom bikes since 1968.

Like all Walt Siegl motorcycles, the Hypermotard is beautifully finished: It’s up there with a factory bike handpicked off the production line and given extra detailing for a PR shoot.

If this means the 80s are back, we’re all for it.

Walt Siegl | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Daniela Maria

Dakar Look: Walt Siegl restyles the Ducati Hypermotard