Bisous from Béziers
BEFORE THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN early 2020, a French mechanic from Béziers approached us and demurely asked if BikeBrewers were interested in publishing a post on the first bike he had built.
“Show us the pictures.” We replied.
And he did.
Our team has a weak spot for Italian design, but treated with French kisses and submerged in the famous ‘Gulf’ colour scheme this machine looks truly awesome. Nothing to be modest about. We gladly award our friend Jérémie Duchampt full bragging rights.
The Languedoc based wrencher has a decent track record when it comes to customizing cars, but he felt he needed to challenge himself and stepped out of the four-wheeled comfort zone.
Strip it!
He took a 2010 Ducati 1098S and stripped it bare. He had seen several caféracers based on the Ducati Superbikes. But he could not find a transformation into a streetfigther with a caféracer DNA. Acting like a true mechanic, the bike was completely taken apart and all worn parts were replaced, using only new material. That included the engine, which was also given a full overhaul.
Golden Ratio
Inspired by the lack of such a design the builder wanted to present “a bike with perfect lines” he quotes. “all the way from the soft circular shape of the front wheel to the straight back side of the Ducati. I wanted everything to match perfectly according to the Golden Ratio.”
To achieve the desired end result, a significant amount of craftsmanship went into redesigning and manufacturing a fitting rear end. The Frenchman created his own subframe and pan to accommodate the seat. New positions had to be found for the mounts of the exhaust system.
Headaches
But also the front required additional creativity. Working with clip-ons, replacing the headlight unit, repositioning the horn and other front end parts occasionally gave our friend some headaches. But he always seeing the light ahead he persevered in this quest for beauty.
Add love
No costs were spared to sprinkle French love over the Italian. Both front springs were replaced with Delcamp Energie components, ensuring an even smoother ride. The brake fluid reservoirs were replaced, as was the original exhaust. This had to make way for a Yoshimura silencer, adding more retro spice. Shaving off weight wherever possible meant replacing the original battery with a lighter lithium version.
Add more expensive stuff
“Whilst at it why not also get substitutes for the rims, clutch cover, rear seat etc. etc.” Jérémie must have said to himself. The list is long and a lot of expensive carbon parts were added to lay down a decent black backdrop for the added blue and orange colours.
In our conversation about this build, the Béziers spanner was sparkling with satisfaction on what had materialized in his laboratory. “it cost me about 160 hours to harvest this beauty. I consider this to be pretty decent for a first time and it tastes like more.” He grins.
Adding: “the bike is for sale to create financial space for my next project. At the price of € 18.000 I will happily hand the bike over to a new owner.
This is a one of a kind in the best possible condition. Anyone who feels lonely coming out of lock-down should try a ride on this Ducati. It will turn so many heads, you will not be riding solo for long.
By the way the lady in the picture is not included in the price!” He laughs.
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