Rocket Garage of Italy whipped up this 999-based beauty. Bellisimo!
Streetfighter styled customs have long been one of our faves here at CRM. The audacious, bold idea of resurrecting a crashed sportbike into a unique, fast-moving special is borne of pure mechanical practicality and a can-do approach to customizing that we all admire. Just recently, my old, reliable (well, for a Ducati) 999 track bike took a fall during a weekend ride, prompting much soul-searching about the Italian superbike’s future. getting well into my ’50s, riding the cramped, ergonomically-challenging machine was a constant test of patience for my poor aging knees and the warp-speed velocities I used to enjoy on local racetracks with the 999 are seldom enjoyed on the street. Still, after removing what was remaining of her bodywork, a very interesting and even aesthetically-pleasing naked motorcycle started to emerge. Doing a bit of on-line research revealed that some truly tasty specials have beee built from the venerable and much-maligned 999, a few of which, pictured here, are among some of the most handsome streetfighters we’ve yet seen.
Starting with Cafe Racer magazine’s upcoming August/September issue, we’ll be tearing into the Ducati project to see what sort of fast, red road-missile we can crate from its still-formidable remains. Stay tuned and ciao!