There are motorcycles that are considered so sacred, you wouldn’t dare customize them. And there are motorcycles that work so well out the box, you probably wouldn’t want to customize them, even if the opportunity presented itself.
We’d file the Ducati Hypermotard 939 in that last category. Its torquey Testastretta L-twin motor makes ample power (110 hp), it weighs just 450 pound wet, and it has dynamite handling. It looks pretty cool in stock trim too… so why bother?
Well, Taiwan-based Rough Crafts are bothered. This 2018-model Hypermotard 939 is called ‘Igneous Ripper’ and it’s simply outstanding.
Front man Winston Yeh tells us that part of the reason he got the call to fettle the Hypermotard was to change its ergonomics.
“My client really loves the Hypermotard vibe,” he tells us, “and bought a brand new 939 after a very short test ride. But a couple of weeks later, it was obvious that the 870 mm [34.2 in] seat height was too stressful for him—especially in Taipei city traffic, where there’s a lot of stop and go.”
Winston’s client wanted to keep the upright riding position, so slamming the Ducati into some sort of cafe racer would have been silly. “We still wanted the direction to reflect the Hypermotard’s natural purpose—light, nimble, and fun.”
“A street tracker came to our minds—a flat tracker-styled bike with regular street tires and brakes.”
This is far more than a minor aesthetic rework though. Winston and his team of craftsmen have loaded the Hypermotard with more top-shelf upgrades than you can shake a stick at. But their first job was to massage the tall motard’s stance into something more manageable.
Winston spent a long time fiddling in Photoshop to get the proportions right, then set about sourcing the right length front suspension. In the end, a set of Öhlins FGRT207 forks (meant for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R/ZZR1400) turned out to be the best bet.
They were mounted up with a new top yoke from CNC Racing.
Öhlins Racing then built a custom rear shock, and the Ducati is now two inches lower at the front and one inch lower at the back.
Other chassis upgrades include a full Beringer brake set, and an Öhlins steering damper. The wheels were swapped for a pair of gorgeous carbon items from BST—the same style that the South African company recently used on their nuts HyperTEK electric bike.
Since this Hypermotard is destined to spend its life ripping asphalt, Winston kept the wheel size at 17 inches, and added Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tires.
When it came to the bodywork, Winston wanted a serious hit of flat track style. So he reached out to a friend: David Sánchez at BOTTPOWER in Spain. “The BOTT XR1 tail section has the perfect shape and size we liked,” he explains, “plus it’s made out of super high quality carbon fiber.”
A new subframe was fabricated to match the rear section, and Kingsman Seat built a diamond-stitched pad to sit on top.
Winston’s regular metal shaping guy, MS Pro, then whipped up a fuel tank and radiator shrouds that would flow with the tail, but also carry the signature scalloped Rough Crafts style.
Up top, the team installed a Rough Crafts gas cap, and a pair of tank badges custom-made by master fabricator 2 Abnormal Sides.
The cockpit features CNC Racing bars and Beringer controls, and the stock dash was relocated. Lower down, you’ll find AEM Factory foot controls and a Cordona quickshifter.
There’s a number board-type headlight shroud in front, with a pair of Koso lights doing duty. All the turn signals are from Rizoma, with the rear units doubling up as taillights.
Winston also collaborated with CNC Racing to create two special CNC Racing x Rough Crafts parts: a hydraulic clutch slave and a brake lever guard. There’s a Ducabike clear clutch cover in play too, along with a Rizoma front sprocket cover.
Snaking around all those lustworthy parts is an equally desirable titanium exhaust system. Winston picked out a SC Project S1 muffler, then turned to Tron Racing to fabricate the headers to match.
Ameuro Motors handled final assembly on the Hypermotard. And frequent Rough Crafts collaborator, Air Runner Custom Paint, laid down the broody livery.
When Winston first told us he was customizing a Hypermotard, we weren’t sure what to expect. But ‘Igneous Ripper’ is a smash hit, and looks both menacing and fun at the same time.
Hand us the keys, and we probably wouldn’t give it back.
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