Among all Of the motorbikes that Bimota has ever produced, the DB3 Mantra is probably the most special one. As you’d expect from the Italian automaker, the DB3 is powered by a Ducati engine in an aluminum trellis frame and is renowned for its nimble handling. But its alien-like aesthetic is a bit too far-fetched for most experts.
As rare as the Bimota DB3 Mantra is, custom examples of it are even rarer. We’ve only recently featured a custom DB3 on these pages—and now that same bike is back for another round. It just had its second surgery at Similar—and now it looks even better.
The DB3’s first change happened 11 years ago, when Tony Prust of Analog modified it for his good friend and drummer of the rock band Chevelle, Sam Loeffler. The car made waves at the inaugural Handbuilt and Mama Tried shows, and starred in an episode of Café Racer TV. More importantly, Sam rode it…a lot.
More recently, Sam took the car back to Tony for some light modifications. He wanted to upgrade the front suspension and wanted to add a front mudguard (which was ruled out the first time around).
“I was reluctant,” Tony said. “In my opinion, it was a popular construction of its time and for the most part I am proud of it. Sure, there are some things that, if I had to do it again, I would have made different choices—but that was the ‘finished’ Analog build.”
“Sam went back over the conversation several times and I finally gave in. But I said if we do that, what if we do more stuff, now that I’ve honed my skills since the original build. Sam came up with the idea and delivered the bike to our TN location.”
Swapping the Bimota’s traditional fork with an upside-down fork proved to be one of the easier jobs on the project. Tony has a one-series origin Ducati Monster 900, and then had his friend Bill Bailey fabricate a new stem to attach the Monster yokes to the Bimota’s frame. The entire arrangement was disassembled, powder coated black and reassembled.
“After that was finished, I had a mental breakdown and the project stalled for a bit,” Tony told us. “I left it on the couch while working on other projects for months, and then it finally started to take shape.”
Focusing on the bodywork, Tony began fabricating new parts to complement the one he planned to keep—the fuel tank. “When I built it, I didn’t know how to shape the metal,” he explains. “But I was a carpenter by trade for many years, so I made a wooden frame for the tank and hired Mike Ardito to make it.”
“He also did the tail – but because I didn’t have a wooden frame for it, it was almost more his idea than mine. At that time I was still learning the trade.”
Tony’s skills have developed a lot over the past 11 years. So this time he built a new tail section from scratch, finishing it off with a deep-cut saddle. This arrangement is a perfect match for the tank’s numerous contours and edges, and sits neatly within the previously redesigned subframe.
Next, Tony fabricated a matching front fender, complete with a pair of integrated Denali LED lights that act as running lights and turn signals. Higher up, custom headlight housings take center stage with Denali LED headlights, while the rear gets Denail taillights and Analog turn signals.
The car has been fitted with delicious Alpine wheels and ISR brakes, so those things are kept intact. The engine was also rebuilt last round and is still going strong with a Keihin flat-slip carburetor, downshift and EVR slipper clutch. So Tony simply replaced the exhaust with a bespoke two-into-one system, freeing up a bit more torque in the process.
The Bimota is wrapped around a Motogadget mo.unit, with a Motogadget speedometer on duty in the cockpit. Tony also swapped out the existing calipers with a set of Renthal risers, installed a custom-made Hyperpro rear shock, and fitted new Spiegler brake lines.
Although the DB3’s custom fuel tank looks the same as before, it actually gets a fresh coat of paint. Tony had KC at Krossover Customs recreate the original paint, transferring it to the new fenders, fairing and rear end. Frequent Analog accomplice, Dane Utech, handled the seat foam and upholstery.
Analog’s second crack at the Bimota DB3 Mantra not only looks more cohesive than the first, but it’s also arguably more comfortable (yes, Sam still rides it). This is a rare case where a sequel outperforms the original.
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