Input/opinions on me committing sacrilege/starting new project

[Call Of Doodie]

So, I've got this '95 Ducati 900SS/CR (oddly enough, the "Cafe Racer" model with the short fairing) that is my beloved old ride that I figured I'd have forever, blah, blah, blah... BUT, now that I somehow aged without noticing it, I find it very uncomfortable to ride, to the point that I never touch the dang thing anymore. It's an awesome bike that I've done some great mods to, and runs (and sounds) like a lion, but the cramps, aches, pains it creates for me now have relegated it to a corner of the garage, period. So, as hard as it is for me to believe, I've actually been considering selling it the last few weeks...
Then, the other night, a thought came to me - actually one I'd originally had some time ago - about doing a cafe/naked theme with it. I love the other Duc trellis-framed cafe bikes I've seen over the past few years, so I know I'd like the outcome. The added advantage of this is that I could make it a heck of a lot more comfortable to ride that way, because the fairing on it now mounts so close to the clip-ons, it makes any adjustments/risers/Heli-bars an impossibility, and by doing this little project, and losing the fairing, the sky's the limit for mods in that department.
My hesitation is that A.: I don't know if I want to do this to THIS bike. I'm a long-time Ducatisti, and yeah, there is a little feeling of pride, upholding the purity and the sacrilege of defacing of a sacred item here (OK, that may be a bit overly-dramatic, but you probably get my gist), and B.: Would I even ride it after all the work? Would the changes make it comfortable enough to make a difference? Hell, do I even need/want it anymore???
I'm at a crossroad here...overwhelm me with your sage advice. ;D

 

[Sonreir]

Café racers aren't exactly known for their comfort, so I'm having a bit of trouble picturing where you want the project to end up. Maybe you can go really crazy and turn it into a cruiser. lol

 

[Call Of Doodie]

Hey, THERE'S an idea! I could even kick the forks out, lop off the rear subframe and rear shock, slap on some ape-hangers and make a hardtail chopper out of it!
;D

I'm not expecting to turn it into a GoldWing, but even being able to swing the clip-ons out closer to parallel - they sweep back like a delta-winged jet now - and use even a small riser would make a world of difference in being able to ride it, and the changes wouldn't be all that noticeable to the uninitiated.

 

[VonYinzer]

Go for it man. Unless its the only one on Earth, cut it up. Sell me the fairing if ya do. Haha...

 

[Call Of Doodie]

Now that's what I'm lookin' for!

 

[teazer]

Sounds like it needs more of a fighter or tracker look- easy to ride under any conditions. Maybe a Monster ergos as a starting point, with a different tail and fairing/headlight. Go minimalist.

 

[620dark]

What about a Monster upper fork bridge? You could then run superbike bars, and even put Monster bar risers on it.

Assuming this is your bike, it looks like there might even be a little room with the stock fairing...

 

[4eyes]

It is your bike, make it YOURS!
Make it fit you physically, and stylistically.

 

[AgentX]

Sell it, buy a Monster, and mod the Monster? Might be an easier route to what you want to accomplish.

Not trying to discourage your personalization efforts, just think the route might be easier that way. Start with something closer to what you want your end result to be. Pass the SS on to someone who wants it just the way it is.

But hell, I'm the guy working on a POS Enfield and ultimately trying to make it fast(ish), so don't let me stop you from joining me in the circle of Hell which involves you kicking yourself in the balls every day!!

 

[Call Of Doodie]

What about a Monster upper fork bridge? You could then run superbike bars, and even put Monster bar risers on it.

Assuming this is your bike, it looks like there might even be a little room with the stock fairing...

Yeah, that sure looks like the bike all right, but what looks like plenty of clearance there is deceiving. There is very little room to turn or move the bars as they are, let alone raising them at all; they would actually touch the trailing edge of the fairing if they were even fractions of an inch higher, let alone angled forward at all. Noting the angle of the clip-ons in your pic, this is what the bar-to-fairing clearance is at full lock on either side as they are now - I've literally got maybe 1 mm on both sides.

 

[Call Of Doodie]

Sell it, buy a Monster, and mod the Monster? Might be an easier route to what you want to accomplish.

Not trying to discourage your personalization efforts, just think the route might be easier that way. Start with something closer to what you want your end result to be. Pass the SS on to someone who wants it just the way it is.

I fully understand what you're saying, but that's kind of defeating the purpose here. I'm only considering all this because I already have the bike, and even though it's gotten tough to ride, I've had it forever and I'm having trouble parting with it.

...so don't let me stop you from joining me in the circle of Hell which involves you kicking yourself in the balls every day!!

;D Ha! Yeah, that's kind of my concern here, too...