We are starting and finished with two Ducatis in the same color this week; a Ducati Pantah fix from Australia and a custom Ducati 749S from France. Between them is the wood-paneled Yamaha XS650 and the most powerful supercharged Honda CBR900 we’ve ever set our eyes on.
Ducati Pantah by Purpose Built Moto We have a soft spot for red bikes with yellow wheels—so this 1981 Ducati motorcycles Tick all of our boxes. This is the newest bike to hit the market Motos are built with purpose garage on Australia’s Gold Coast and we couldn’t be happier that the PBM team is still dealing with the traffic jams.
Tom Gilroy and his team were approached by a customer who’s owned this bike since the early ’90s. He’s been pursuing a sympathetic recovery – but Tom convinced him to make a few. small change.
“I love the look of these bikes — they scream 80s European bike style with their iconic silhouette,” says Tom. “But the lawyer got in the way and caused the visionary Ducati designers to hide their beautiful work behind some rather dim fenders and lights.”
From the outset, the team focused on downsizing the lighting system and reducing the rear end. The front turn signals are streamlined into the fender and the entire rear fender assembly has been removed. New lights and indicators (all from PBM’s own electrical parts catalog) are incorporated into the fiberglass saddle for a sleek, smooth look.
The wheels have been removed and fully restored, as has the suspension. The engine has been demolished, inspected, and rebuilt from scratch—using newer parts where possible—then polished to within an inch of its life. The Staintune exhaust system was fitted to the car decades ago, so it has also been restored and refitted.
The eye-catching red paint and silver pin stripes are based on how the car arrived at the workshop, having been repainted by the owner months ago. Far from the original color scheme but no less classy.
The new saddle is built by Timeless Auto Trim based on the original but has a new Ducati logo embroidered on the back. On top of that, a streamlined, yellow screen has been fitted, along with yellow headlights.
That’s another 10/10 from the Gold Coast crew. [Purpose Built Moto | Images by Brandan Trudinger]
Atelier JAB’s Yamaha XS650 Using wood on motorcycles is uncommon but the results can be spectacular. After all, Morgan has been using wood to build substructures on their cars for decades. It’s easy to work with and looks great, especially in the hands of a true craftsman.
That’s exactly what happened here, in 1978 Yamaha XS650 cafe racer, created by Jacques Jouvin of Atelier JAB from Avignon, France.
Using his extensive knowledge of furniture, Jacques came up with the idea to combine some of his passions—wooden boats and motorcycles. If you’re thinking he might have been inspired by the work of Riva, the maker of luxury yachts and yachts, you’d be right.
Jacques joined forces with some of his designer friends and construction began. After removing the frame and customizing the rear subframe, Jacques started making the bodywork. The details shed some light on where the fuel is, but we think there’s a fuel cell underneath the beautifully crafted wooden unibody.
Seeing as this was a special construction, Jacques chose to use some special wood; Wenge. It’s a rare and endangered African wood from the Millettia Laurentii tree, and it was supplied by a craftsman. Taking 10 months to create and reinforced with aluminum, the bodywork is nothing short of amazing. 12 layers of UV-resistant gloss paint highlight the beautiful veining.
The engine has been completely rebuilt and every electrical part has been replaced. The new wiring is completely hidden from view and the motor now breathes through a pair of K&N pod filters. The rear turn signals are particularly sleek—they’re LEDs, housed in the rear subframe using orange methacrylate from a pair of 1970s door handles.
The battery is moved below the swingarm and the frame is powder coated in silver chrome. It really stands out against the dark wood grain and aluminum accents. A new front wheel (complete with a lead shoe) has been strapped to the factory hub for a more classic look.
Sure, purists and anoraks probably won’t like that, but variety is the spice of life, isn’t it? As for the craft, you can’t deny that it is top notch. [More]
Rau-Honda CBR900 supercharged by Rocket Sprocket Custom The Vegetable Framework was originally conceived by Manfred Rau, a German engineer. Back in the day, he made a name for himself by adapting the famous frame-building technologies of Fritz Egli and Bimota. His backbone frames were used to carry high-powered Japanese four-cylinder engines, and they enjoyed great success on the track.
What you’re looking at here is a Honda CBR900 engine, housed in a modified Vegetable Honda frame, and fitted with a host of custom equipment to match. It was the work of Andy Neuhold and friends, operating as the Rocket Sprocket Customs outside Switzerland.
Everything is sourced from the Honda Rau frame, fitted with the CBR900 engine and mounted forks from the Suzuki GSX-R. A Ducati Monster S4R provided a side swingarm, rear shock absorbers and wheels.
As if the Honda power supply wasn’t providing enough power from the start, Andy chose to tune the Rotrex C15 supercharger. Built by Andy himself, it must have taken a long time to figure out how it all came together.
From there, Andy turned to bodybuilding, making his own fuel tank, saddle and mini headlight cover. He’s also created a new wire loom from scratch and upgraded a bunch of electronics along the way. The handlebars are from LSL and a small Motogadget speedometer is attached to the top clamp.
Judging by the numbers, we ventured to guess that this would be completely over the line — Andy’s goal is 180-200 hp and the bike weighs just 440 lbs. But we don’t know how fast it was, because Andy ran into some serious engine problems while running it at the 1/8-mile airport drag races at Kilomètre Lancé in St. Moritz. All the best with the rebuild, Andy! [More]
Ducati 749S by Jerem Motorcycles Aesthetically, the Pierre Terblanche-designed Ducati 749 is a stark departure from its predecessor, the 748. The sharp, angular bodywork and stacked twin headlights set it apart from the rest. smoother lines of the 748.
Ducati has never made a naked version of the 749 — but if it did, it might look something like this. Built by Frenchman Jeremie from his Jerem Motorcycles workshop, this bike cafe racer is his interpretation of a Ducati 749S.
Starting with the 749 Dark as a base, the first thing Jeremie did was remove the shields. He then fitted a set of spokes from Ducati’s SportClassic line, after machining the parts to make them fit. Refurbished front fork and custom front fender with oval headlights fitted with custom brackets.
A custom windscreen has been added to the apron, with an Avia Compositi tachometer in the front and center at the rear. A pair of sophisticated CNC Rizoma rearview mirrors are fitted; they look like airplane wings when not in use, but can rotate to function as intended when driving.
The frame has been disassembled and chromed, along with a custom subframe. It supports a new rear hump, with single black leather seats by Yaya Brush Saddlery. The number plate protrudes behind with CNC aluminum splint, the entire lighting system has been upgraded to LED.
The engine remains the same at the factory, but it has been repainted and visually upgraded with transparent belt covers and clutch covers. The bodywork is painted in Panigale red with chrome accents.
It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but we like the neoclassical touches. It’s part Monster, part sportbike and almost certainly all fun. [Jerem Motorcycles Instagram]
