blackkat
Active Member
I can't remember when it bit me, but I have been a long time fan of the cafe bike. I think it started when a friend sent me a postcard from a museum that had a vintage MV Agusta...That card sat at my desk for years. While I love the Japanese bikes (having built a CB 350 cafe a couple years back) I knew even in my small pond of Akron, Ohio I had to build something different. Growing up, I had little Ducati toys..One night it hit me...I should try to build a retro/modern Cafe bike...
It started in February when I took a 5 hour trip in a blizzard to buy this 99 Ducati Monster 750. Knowing what I was building, the only terms I wanted were running and had carbs (to link me to the old school)..no modern efficient EFI here.-My mind works in weird ways!
Here she is when I bought her...solid condition. Tires were spanked, tank had a nasty repaid job and even worse decals. I am fairly certain that in its life of 13k miles no one ever changed any fluids. The brake and clutch masters had what I truly think is rocks and sticks floating in the little fluid that was left..
I didn't take too many pics of the buliding process but here are some highlights....
The tank with the fresh 70's porn style pain...bufore the 14 coats of clear my painter needed to make it smooth!
Got to roll with the old school decals under the clear...
Benjie made me a custom carbon fiber headlight bucket that took the speedo and recessed it in the back. Benjie makes great stuff for hondas, but this took quite a bit of final finishing to make it actually fit. Benjie refunded part of my payment since it needed so much "tweeking" however, the seat and tank combo he made for my buddy's cb650 was top notch!
Had to go with clip ons...went through 3 sets before I found the motowheel in house brand with the plate to add or remove 2" of rise.
an early pic and I start to remove the greenish gray engine parts (and reseal EVERYTHING because, well...its still italian and drips oil every place!) and all the extra hoses and covers...update a few bits with billet and hi temp black paint (wurth). Rear sets and a few more carbon pieces.
While that exhaust wasn't the worst I've seen, the ass end seemed to wide and one night while surfing the net, saw a Monster in France with this exhaust...i had to have it...so 16 weeks I waited as they are made to order in Italy. In addition, a local guy made the old school looking seat from a torn up stock seat I bought on ebay one night.
By law, YES, the yellow headlight is not really legal...but no one has given me shit about it yet...
now then...she's a running and ongoing project....
Being a work in progress, there are multiple pieces I'm waiting for.
* A set of spoke wheels from a limited edition Paul Smart Ducati (for this winter)
* A twin disc set up for the front end from a Monster 900. Gold Brembo caliper and master cylinders from a 748.
* A set of custom build headlight brackets in tubing to mimic the ducati frame
* Sean at Roc City is making me an Aluminum cafe tail as we speak that mounts the same way the oem style solo cover seen above does. I might have it polished or it might get painted to match the tank.
This winter there will be much powder coating...triple tree plates..more of the engine and most likely the exhaust, etc..etc...The fame and swing arm will be further shaved and smoothed then powder coated something different as well.
Thanks to Mickey Thompson tires (who are based a couple blocks away) for the hook up on the Avon Tyres.
I'd love to hear some new ideas from you guys..input? Be brutal...i know the paint isn't for everyone. I was after that early 70's look.... ;D
A few more updates:
Ducati 748 Brembo built clutch and front brake master cylinders with the smaller Brembo reservoir (and ATE Super Blue race fluid)...
Also...and most importantly, the twin rotor/ QUAD PISTON BREMBO caliper (custom painted high gloss black)...stopping isn't over rated!
More subtle updates to come...Thanks to my new friends from yesterdays Mods Vs Rockers show in Cleveland (you guys know who you are!)...and to the arrogant bag of douche who told his women "its just a stock Monster with a painted tank"...ya better learn more about other bikes before you publicly critique someones bike when he's standing right there...JACKASS! ;D
....and a couple updates:
Pics to come, but the exhaust will be all powder coated by Ace Powder Coating...to be picked up on Saturday Morning...
Herm at Dime City is makin me a special signature frame section...not done...but soon!
BTW, Jason, Herm and Pete are effin great dudes! Personal attention to service is 2nd to NONE!
Todays update: CycleCat Rearsets...for those not in the freeeekishly little Ducati cult, These are wickedly impossible to locate!
...and no, thats not all set to my comfortable position...everything is just resting in place.
I plan to have the frame powder coated over the winter as well as the swing arm...I was considering matching the rearsets to the frame...Opinions? I'm leaning toward red as I saw a Ghezzi Brian over the weekend with a red frame and it was just aw inspiring!
It started in February when I took a 5 hour trip in a blizzard to buy this 99 Ducati Monster 750. Knowing what I was building, the only terms I wanted were running and had carbs (to link me to the old school)..no modern efficient EFI here.-My mind works in weird ways!
Here she is when I bought her...solid condition. Tires were spanked, tank had a nasty repaid job and even worse decals. I am fairly certain that in its life of 13k miles no one ever changed any fluids. The brake and clutch masters had what I truly think is rocks and sticks floating in the little fluid that was left..
I didn't take too many pics of the buliding process but here are some highlights....
The tank with the fresh 70's porn style pain...bufore the 14 coats of clear my painter needed to make it smooth!
Got to roll with the old school decals under the clear...
Benjie made me a custom carbon fiber headlight bucket that took the speedo and recessed it in the back. Benjie makes great stuff for hondas, but this took quite a bit of final finishing to make it actually fit. Benjie refunded part of my payment since it needed so much "tweeking" however, the seat and tank combo he made for my buddy's cb650 was top notch!
Had to go with clip ons...went through 3 sets before I found the motowheel in house brand with the plate to add or remove 2" of rise.
an early pic and I start to remove the greenish gray engine parts (and reseal EVERYTHING because, well...its still italian and drips oil every place!) and all the extra hoses and covers...update a few bits with billet and hi temp black paint (wurth). Rear sets and a few more carbon pieces.
While that exhaust wasn't the worst I've seen, the ass end seemed to wide and one night while surfing the net, saw a Monster in France with this exhaust...i had to have it...so 16 weeks I waited as they are made to order in Italy. In addition, a local guy made the old school looking seat from a torn up stock seat I bought on ebay one night.
By law, YES, the yellow headlight is not really legal...but no one has given me shit about it yet...
now then...she's a running and ongoing project....
Being a work in progress, there are multiple pieces I'm waiting for.
* A set of spoke wheels from a limited edition Paul Smart Ducati (for this winter)
* A twin disc set up for the front end from a Monster 900. Gold Brembo caliper and master cylinders from a 748.
* A set of custom build headlight brackets in tubing to mimic the ducati frame
* Sean at Roc City is making me an Aluminum cafe tail as we speak that mounts the same way the oem style solo cover seen above does. I might have it polished or it might get painted to match the tank.
This winter there will be much powder coating...triple tree plates..more of the engine and most likely the exhaust, etc..etc...The fame and swing arm will be further shaved and smoothed then powder coated something different as well.
Thanks to Mickey Thompson tires (who are based a couple blocks away) for the hook up on the Avon Tyres.
I'd love to hear some new ideas from you guys..input? Be brutal...i know the paint isn't for everyone. I was after that early 70's look.... ;D
A few more updates:
Ducati 748 Brembo built clutch and front brake master cylinders with the smaller Brembo reservoir (and ATE Super Blue race fluid)...
Also...and most importantly, the twin rotor/ QUAD PISTON BREMBO caliper (custom painted high gloss black)...stopping isn't over rated!
More subtle updates to come...Thanks to my new friends from yesterdays Mods Vs Rockers show in Cleveland (you guys know who you are!)...and to the arrogant bag of douche who told his women "its just a stock Monster with a painted tank"...ya better learn more about other bikes before you publicly critique someones bike when he's standing right there...JACKASS! ;D
....and a couple updates:
Pics to come, but the exhaust will be all powder coated by Ace Powder Coating...to be picked up on Saturday Morning...
Herm at Dime City is makin me a special signature frame section...not done...but soon!
BTW, Jason, Herm and Pete are effin great dudes! Personal attention to service is 2nd to NONE!
Todays update: CycleCat Rearsets...for those not in the freeeekishly little Ducati cult, These are wickedly impossible to locate!
...and no, thats not all set to my comfortable position...everything is just resting in place.
I plan to have the frame powder coated over the winter as well as the swing arm...I was considering matching the rearsets to the frame...Opinions? I'm leaning toward red as I saw a Ghezzi Brian over the weekend with a red frame and it was just aw inspiring!
