Apophis99942
IN 2004 A ‘NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID measuring a respectable 370 metres in diameter caused great concern among astronomers and other scientists, as it looked to be on course to hit our planet with an impact equal to 870 megatons (65.500 times the Hiroshima atom bomb)!
Even though the chances were only 2.7%, this flying brick was taken very seriously.
Hitting a ‘4’ out of 10 in terms endangering to our planet, it did became the highest scoring heavenly body listed on the Torino scale.
Fortunately it was a near-miss and we have until April 2032 to relax, before it is again scheduled to come our way fast and hard (..)
Fast forward to 2020
Slightly less than 200 kilometres up North from Turin, the city after which the scale was named in 1995, lives Luca Lamperti, affectionatly know as ‘Grezzo’ (‘raw’ in Italian).
He was born late seventies and has always been fantasizing and dreaming about aliens ever since he was a young boy staring out the window of his attic bedroom at night.
He studied at the Technical Mechanical Institute and is an artist with iron-working skills who loves customizing.
Earth calling Grezzo!
“So Luca, what inspired you to set course on building this piece of art?” we open the conversation.
“I dreamt it.” He dryly responds. It is very menacing and has rapaciousness written all over its metal body.”
Beating and shaping metal
Grezzo based the project on a 2006 Ducati Monster 695.
As you can see in the picture below it was a very regular bike until our friend acquired it and dragged it into his laboratory to perform some major heavy metal science experiments on it.
The artist burned litres of midnight oil for five months in his man cave, cutting, beating and shaping the animal until he was finally satisfied with what met his inventive eye.
When the master’s creation saw daylight, the slightly tame Monster had transformed into a eerie Beast from outer space.
Its roots sprouting light years away from our tiny blue planet.
Feasting your eyes on this incredible piece of art you can spend hours looking at all those exquisite details and wondering how it would feel to spur this horse and ride it into the sunset on some lonely planet.
No riding!
Yes, the engine does run adding even more apocalyptic energy to its appearance, but unfortunately this bike is not made for riding.
It is clear when you observe the tires and the metal rims encasing it.
Even if it would ride, can you imagine what would happen performing an emergency stop forcing your body to slide forwards?
On the bright side, we always moan about our wives and girlfriends objecting to us wanting to park our bikes in the living room.
Their argument is that a bike should either be left in the shed or ridden on the road.
Well, with this baby we will definitely be the victorious party in the court of matrimony.
The Technique
This bike is built entirely by hand beating and shaping every single piece of sheet metal for the monocoque that forms the tank, saddle and tail section.
It consists of just one large piece of aluminium with hand-engraved parts.
Trying to decipher the extra-terrestrial symbols will only lead you to a black hole in the Galaxy, as the symbols spring from the fantasy of Lorenzo Dox Dossena
a well know Italian custom artist, who used a special patented technique ‘PNP’ (Paint No Paint’) for this project.
As you can probably gather from the name, no paint was used, but applying the symbols was a mechanical process directly to the metal.
The Monster’s cerebrum is the brainchild of yet another Italian specialist.
Stefano Galbiati has created a computer which is designed to turn on the bike’s engine by typing in a special code on the touchscreen.
Mechanical parts such as the transmission and the double front fork are designed by Grezzo.
The artist/builder does not make life easy for himself as he decided to weld over 120 (!) tube segments together forming the exhaust system.
The eye catching wheels are completed with steel bands and nails. Again, nothing comes easy on this project as 1.920 screws were used to fulfill Luca’s dream.
The only place for the Apophis99942 is in a prime position in a living room or a very special place in a museum for many to enjoy.
Famous last words
Bikebrewers: “Grezzo, what do you like doing most?”
Luca ‘Grezzo’ Lamperti: ‘Shaping strange shapes.’
We rest our case and just enjoy the view.
*HR Giger is best know as the creator of the creatures in ‘Alien’
Builder’s details:
• Name: Luca Lamperti (Grezzo)
• Location: Lecco / Italy
• Education/background: Technical mechanical institute
• Day job: Artist ,customizer and iron-worker
• E-mail: grezzo17@yahoo.it
• Website (under construction)
• Facebook:
• Instagram
Building details:
• Donor bike: 2006 Ducati Monster 695
• Building process: five months
AMD 2018 World Championship competitor *
• Location: Olginate (LC)
• Country: Italy
• Bike Name: Apophis 99942
• Year/Model: Ducati Monster 695 2006
• Engine Make/Size: Ducati 695
• Drive train: Original with 80-tooth crown
• Frame Make/Type: Original Ducati modified
• Front End: Original
• Rake: Original
• Stretch: Original
• Swingarm: Original
• Wheels Front: 17″ with nailing
• Wheels Rear: 17″ with nailing
• Tires Front: Pirelli Diablo 120/60/17
• Tires Rear: Pirelli Diablo 160/60/17
• Brakes Front: Brembo 300mm
• Brakes Rear: Brembo 250mm
• Painter: Dox Art Factory P.n.P. Technique
Additional Info
o Body made entirely by hand in sheet iron
o touchscreen dashboard created especially for the bike with code for engine ignition, double front fork
o airbox on the front wheel with stainless steel tubes for air inlet
o rear crown with 80 teeth
o footrests made to hand
o graphics made without paint with an alien font created by Grezzo and rust for aging
o nailing on wheels with 1920 screws and bands in steel
o handmade exhaust system consisting of 120 segments of pipe and hand-welded
*source: AMD World Championship
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