Ducati Monza 250 Custom by Dave Hartleip

Another comment here brings us this bike put together by Dave Hartleip. This time, the bike is a 1965 Ducati Monza 250. This bike has a unique exhaust treatment which is very understated but extremely cool, it works into the overall design like it was supposed to be that way. The whole bike looks really well done. Here's what Dave has to say:

This bike was a literal barn find that my brother and I stumbled upon in 1975. The farmer gave it to us, and we spent the next 18 months rebuilding it into a cafe racer. We sold it to a high school friend, who rode it a couple times before the bevel drive shaft blew apart. He put it in his Dad's chicken coop and forgot about it. I saw him at my 25-yr high school reunion and he told me the bike was still in the coop. I bought it from him, and completely rebuilt it with many additional modifications, including: Modified frame to accomodate stainless steel underseat exhaust, homemade rearsets, gas tank from a Benelli Mojave, laser cut stainless tank badges, handmade seat and steel tailcone, etc. etc. I finished it right before the 2005 AMA Vintage Days at Mid-Ohio, where it won "Best of Show - European Motorcycles". Ducati was the marque brand that year, so it was very special to win. I never planned to show it, mainly I just wanted to see if i could build a custom bike!

If you look at the before and after photos below you'll see how far this bike progressed and it underscores the fact that you do not need to find some perfect specimen of your target bike to end up with a beauty.

Lots of photos below:

This is after the first rebuild.

This is how the Monza 250 looked at the very start.

Dave also worked his magic on a 1969 Ducati Scrambler 350. Like the red Monza, this bike made quite a transformation from rough start to finished bike. Here's Dave again:

I did heavy frame mods, made the seat and rearsets (with crossover shift linkage), modified the exhaust header, used fenders from a Suzuki street bike. Most of the rest of it is stock Ducati, but from various models. Tach, speedo, etc are all functional. 6V sealed battery is in a box (with regulator) tucked under the seat. I built this one for my wife so she couldn't get mad at all the time I was spending on it!

This is the starting point for the scrambler.

You might also check out the very neat cycle loader and ramp he has over on his web site. I like it. Nice work Dave!

Link: Moose Lake Motorwerks