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.
On the first weekend of December each year, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center is filled to the brim with highly imaginative machines for the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. There’s a whole lot going on—from crazy engineering to retina-searing paint jobs. But one Japanese custom builder stands out for entirely different reasons. Shiro Nakajima, otherwise…
Read more »
Two Ducatis open this week’s proceedings. One is the new Ducati Multistrada V2 adventure bike, while the other is the last custom motorcycle that the legendary XTR Pepo will build on commission. We also feature the new Dust Moto Hightail electric dirt bike and a highly creative custom Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 from India.
Read more »
A motorcycle like the 1974 Ducati 750SS simply couldn’t be manufactured and sold today, and it’s a small miracle that it even passed in the 1970s. A barely homologated version of Ducati’s Desmo L-twin road racer, the 750SS was finicky, raw and probably illegal for road use in most places with its fiberglass fuel tank,…
Read more »
Pierre Terblanche has penned countless motorcycles in his career, but he’s best known for the 11 years he spent at Ducati. In that time, the South African designer became infamous for designing bikes that were polarizing at first but went on to become successful. The Ducati 999’s boxy bodywork and stacked headlights upset Ducati purists,…
Read more »
Motorcycles have to be just about the most relative machines on wheels, as everything we enjoy about the way they accelerate, corner…
Read more »
The leaves are falling (in my hemisphere anyway), and in addition to running up our odometers in the coming weeks, fall also…
Read more »
The German boutique motorcycle manufacturer Krämer blasts onto the page this week with the lightweight Krämer APX-350 MA race bike. Also on…
Read more »
We’ve cast the net wide this week, with a selection of tasty motorcycles that are worlds apart. Purpose Built Moto kicks us…
Read more »
Leading the charge this week is the unusual combination of a rare French vintage scooter with a modern Honda powertrain. We also…
Read more »
There’s a formula for releasing a special edition motorcycle nowadays, and it’s a lazy one. Take an existing bike from your model…
Read more »
Sci-fi-themed motorcycles are often a visual disaster, but we’re digging this Mandalorian-inspired custom Ducati Streetfighter from Jerem Motorcycles. We also feature a…
Read more »
We’re expanding our horizons this week, starting with a World Superbike-spec Yamaha R1 and finishing with a stunning Métisse Steve McQueen Desert…
Read more »