The Ducati Monster is widely credited with saving the Italian marque in the 90s. Part of its success lies in its minimalist brawler aesthetic—and part of it lies in the fact that Ducati has always offered the Monster in myriad engine sizes at varying price points. If you couldn’t quite spring for an M900 back in 1994, the Ducati Monster 600 looked just as cool, cost less, and still made adequate power.
Decades on, the Monster is a very different beast and has even shed its trademark trellis frame. But the mid-90s Monster still has appeal—and it’s got tons of custom bike potential, as evidenced by this custom Ducati Monster 600 from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles.
The 1998-model Monster 600 belongs to the Turkish actor Kadir Doğulu, who went through considerable effort to obtain it. The story goes that the bike was one of four imported to Turkey in the late 90s as show bikes for a major local 4×4 event. Kadir spotted it in the corner of a parking garage gathering dust and hassled the owner for ten years before he finally agreed to sell it.
By then, the Monster 600 was desperately in need of rescue. A decade of being parked had given the elements time to work, leaving the chassis, fuel tank, and a whole whack of alloy parts covered in rust. Kadir held onto the bike for a while, then called in the brothers at Bunker Custom Cycles, Mert and Can Uzer, to revive it.
“He explained to us that he wanted a reliable bike to ride, with max performance and better braking,” Can tells us. “He also wanted to use it as a single seater, but with a detachable secondary passenger seat.”
Removing the rust that was littered throughout the Monster was a high priority too, so Bunker stripped the bike down to its nuts and bolts and began sorting through the mess. The frame, engine casings, and smaller oxidized parts were all sandblasted, refurbished, and powder-coated. But the Monster’s original fuel tank wasn’t so lucky.
“We tried to save the gas tank but it was full of rust,” explains Can. “The carbs were full of gunk too, all the O-rings and gaskets were tired, and it had a huge battery under the original tank. So once the gas tank was out of the picture, it allowed us to rearrange everything.”
Can and Mert fabricated a steel fuel cell that would hold just about the same amount of fuel as the OEM unit, then shaped an aluminum cover to sit over it. The shape is a departure from the classic Monster style, but now shows faint hints of Ducati’s iconic SuperSport models. More importantly, it sits on the Monster’s trellis frame like it was always meant to be there.
Next, the Uzer bros. re-jigged the space underneath the tank to make room for a pair of massive K&N pod filters, with a small Lithium-ion battery placed beneath them. The filters were chosen specifically to match the stage four tuning kit from Dynojet, which has helped the Ducati’s 583 cc L-twin engine reach its full potential. The Monster has a better soundtrack now too, courtesy of a two-into-one exhaust system with a Cone Engineering muffler.
It was decided that the Monster 600’s OEM headlight and speedo would remain in place for the sake of nostalgia. Bunker kept its distinct three-spoke wheels too, but swapped the old rubber for new Anlas Capra RD tires. The Ducati’s stock Brembo brakes were refurbished and upgraded with fresh Galfer discs.
Moving to the rear of the bike, Bunker modified the subframe to accommodate their customizable two-up seat design. Tucked under the bobbed rider’s seat is a pair of frame rail channels that the removable pillion pad slides into. Neat side panels hide the mounting system, and the whole arrangement cuts a very similar line to the original Monster.
The taillight is a Ducati Scrambler part, mounted flush under the rider’s seat but still visible when the passenger section is in play. A custom-made rear wheel hugger hosts the license plate, and a pair of three-in-one LEDs from Rizoma that offer even more rear visibility. There’s a stealthy inner fender sitting further forward.
The modern front fender is a custom part too, designed to complement Bunker’s new fuel tank. LED turn signals are bolted to the original headlight ears, while new grips adorn the handlebars.
As we’ve come to expect from Can and Mert, this custom Ducati Monster 600’s livery is simple and striking. A hint of yellow pops hard against a warm grey foundation, with vintage Ducati logos emblazoned on the tank. Brown Alcantara on the seat finishes things off with panache.
This Monster might have started as a neglected 90s beginner bike, but it now punches well above its weight. Now if only Ducati would bring back the entry-level Monster (with a trellis frame, please).
Bunker Custom Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Onur Aynagöz
