Two trends have been running through the motorcycle world for some time, the cafe racer, which seems to be everywhere and the street tracker, great examples coming from builders like Mule, but not quite as prevalent on the street. Both styles, when well done, look great, but they’re easy to get wrong and we’ve all seen those conversions with a few parts slapped on and you keep thinking if only the guy had taken more time to do it right, he’d really have something nice. Well, Alex Earle took his time and did it right, this Ducati tracker has the right look and the right stance, and best of all, you can benefit from all of his careful design and fabrication work because he’s creating kits.
Beginning with his old Monster, Alex wanted to give it a new life. He had seen too many cafe racers and he really liked the brutal, purposeful look of flat trackers so the decision was made. He sketched his idea for the finished bike and then built a 1/5 scale model from foam, paper and styrene. The model, the Ducati motor and frame were 3D scanned so he could build the digital data. Using the data, a mold was milled for the bodywork. He then fabricated a new aluminum gas tank, header and wheel adapters. Alex says the bodywork comes out of the mold with the look of an OEM part.
The wheels are 19 inch front and rear, up front is an 80s Kawasaki unit and out back is a widened Harley front wheel. Lots of machining was required on both ends, but it looks like the work paid off. Maxxis tires give the wheels the proper tracker look.
The kits are planned for July of this year, they’ll fit any first generation Monster and with easy mods will fit a Harley 1200S or a Triumph. No price yet.
I think he did a helluva job and if you’re tossing around the idea of trading in your old Ducati, you might want to wait just a bit and see what one of these kits will set you back. Your new bike might just take a little wrench work instead.
Link: Earle Motors
B50 Jim says
It’s nice to get back to actual motorcycles. This looks like one potent machine;
Ducati gets the maximum from the V-twin. Build quality is excellent, and kudos to Earle for making it available to anyone. The styling doesn’t turn my crank, though. It somehow reminds me of a 2-door Valiant with the back end cut off (yes, I once saw one). I realize the street-tracker “look” aims for minimalism, but maybe an abbreviated rear fender would help balance things. Still, anything that gets more riders on bikes is a step in the right direction.
todd says
Interesting but I’m not about to do that to my ’93 M900. I’m still waiting for it to become collectible and the value to come back… Besides, it’s nice having mine street legal with mirrors, lights, plate, fenders, and DOT tires. Then there’s losing one front brake, the oil cooler, and all that nice range from the original, big tank.
Nice work but I guess I would have started with a bike that needed improvement.
-todd
Paul Crowe says
There’s never been a design or redesign that everyone liked and for every update to an old bike, there will always be those who prefer the original, but this one is pretty nice. It looks to be very high quality and, since he did all of the design work and fabrication, the design challenged builder can have his very own clone if he gets the kit.
Until we see the price we can’t evaluate it on that angle, and it may not be cheap, but if you want something different from every other showroom stocker out there, you could do a lot worse. I like it, but then, I like the tracker look. This one is worth watching.
Clive says
Will it fit an s2r? Probably not cause of the swingarm.
How long til my s2r is collectable??
Scotduke says
The S2R seems to hold its value pretty well going be ebay. The belt drive SS models are a good buy going by the prices these days, still kind of miss my old one.
As for this one, I like Ducatis, I like street trackers and the build quality looks impressive. That said, this one doesn’t work for me.
It takes all sorts.
Drive The Wheels Off says
Might be the best tracker I’ve ever seen.
sfan says
I like everything about this… except the profile of the bodywork over the tank. If the line followed the trellis part way down, forming a stronger tank-shape, then it would have an aesthetic with broader appeal. Just my opinion. I wouldn’t change anything else. Quality looks first rate and the Ducati a great platform for a kit. Also, I can easily imagine a separate kit with a few alterations resulting in a great cafe look.
sfan says
Hah, I wrote about a cafe variant before reading the article : ) Notwithstanding the motivations for doing a tracker, I still think it could be the basis for a great looking cafe.
rohorn says
Perfect! I LIKE bikes where people have to ask what they are. Not easy to do something original that well.
As cool as XR clones can be, they are becoming the Fake Shelby Cobras of the bike world.
frogy6 says
Personally I think the bodywork looks poor enough.
mule says
I think Earle did a great job on this! Ducatis have so much potential for custom builds in different creative directions. Seems as though Ducati lovers don’t like when people screw with the factory designs though. How can you not improve the looks of a Monster? With a big single disc and low superbike bars (That’s what this bike has), it should be a great ride. Add to that, Golden tires (available through Chris Carr in the USA), make a dirttrack style tire that is DOT approved.
I love the bodywork!
Tirapop says
Woohoo! Somebody makes DOT approved dirt track pattern tires! http://www.goldentyreusa.com/Flat_Track.html
Gearpeddler says
Looks like some sort of hybrid between the European speedway bikes and the american flat trackers, I kind of like it but it just does not look balanced with number plates extending aft of the fender like that “euro tracker” style.
But aside from that it can really only be an improvement on the old monster’s looks…or any of them for that matter.
As far as collectors waiting on their bikes to rise in value again, If this is a straight bolt on kit I don’t see the harm at all in slapping this on your soon to be collectors item, just store your stock parts for swapping out later on when you sell your beloved bike, worst case is they will have less wear on them and you’ll have a rare kit to sell separately, add on’s don’t really add value to any used bike so swapping back stock is a no-brainer on any sale.
Most of the dirt bike guys I know buy aftermarket plastics right away and store the stock to be put back on when they sell them as “barely ridden with all oem plastics no scuffs or scratches” lol.
Tin Man says
We have to admire the Ducattis for their performance but to call them pretty is a streatch. The reason XR 750 clones are popular is the purity of line, much like the Cobra clones, you can just enjoy looking at them as much as riding them. Lets face the facts, if Ducattis were slow no one would consider them pretty
Harvey shulman says
The pictures are not clear enough to see the detail. That being said I am having trouble putting this machine into any category? But what ever it is I like it. As far as Cobra clones are concerned the fiberglass bodies cover all the wrong running gear so they look somewhat real. The XR 750 clones look nothing like the real deal. No XR parts fit anything else and no where to hide. ..Z
GM says
Anyone have experience with those Maxxis DTR tires ON-road? Handling? Mileage? I’m fairly certain that they are not DOT legal here in the USA.
Bigshankhank says
I kind of like it, but I can see the appeal of it. If I had to complain, I’d wonder why the foot peg (at least on the right side) is as high as it is if the designer was going for a tracker look. That peg should be lower to allow the rider more leverage when backing it in around a left hander.
As for factory bikes retaining value, look at the Meyers Manx kits for VW Beetles, common as could be in the 60’s/70’s but wildly expensive nowadays to find an original one.
B50 Jim says
I wonder where all those Manx kits went? I saw them regularly back in the day; they didn’t rust, and VW running gear still is easy to get and cheap, so we still should see them. My guess is that owners ran them hard and pushed them into a shed when they broke, intending to “fix it someday” but life intervened and there it sits on rotten tires and corroded American mags, coated with dust and bird droppings with its wiring chewed by mice — sort of like those old Triumphs and BSAs stashed away in corners, still waiting to be discovered and restored.
Randy says
I’m a fan of Ducati Monsters, owned one for a while, and I’ve liked the Monster bobber customs Chris at Motor Forza in Escondido CA ginned up . This is kind of interesting but I know absolutely I will never see one in the world. Kits or no this isn’t going to be a popular look.
It’s not a café is about the best thing you can say. It’s not a street tracker either – more a street fighter with the high pegs and low bars.
Mule says
I would say this bike is what it is. It looks infinitely better than a stock Monster and the detail work is fantastic. Not to mention the prototype bodywork. Of all the customs on the net, not many people have the skill or the drive to make totally new, unique bodywork. Hats off to Earle! Lets see more of this type of bike!
Zipper says
Like the bodywork too. ..Z
Cole says
“low bars” ?
Maybe in relation to apes.
Randy says
Low relative to a flat tracker for sure.
Well, it will be ironic that there will be semi-infinitely more infinitely ugly’er stock Monsters around then this, whatever it is.
Doug says
If you’re going to be a critic learn to write.
Tirapop says
I like. It’s unique, suggests DT but isn’t a caricature of an XR750. It reminds me a little of the Aprilia Mana X show bike. That bike had very subtle DT cues in a very modern trellis framed Italian bike. I keep thinking an old belt drive Ducati (with forward exhaust, aft carbs like an XR750) would make a good donor for a Lloyd Bros style Ducati streettracker. I still think the XR tank and seat look good on everything (gotta love the Bonneville Performance Triumph dirt tracker).
John says
Its a beauty except for the tank, seat and side panels. The rest is brilliant.
Howie Malone says
I love the individuality of our sport that allows us all to use our imagination and personalize our rides. I also appreciate folks who can not only engineer these kits, but are willing to take the effort and risk to make them available to those of us who don’t have the resources to do it ourselves. I think it’s a really cool looking kit, but as a couple of people stated above, and for another reason I’ll point out, I agree it needs some kind of shortie rear fender to give it a more pure “tracker” look, and less of a cafe look in the rear. My reasoning is more functional than style-oriented. With the rear seat cowling (fender) so short, if you ever rode that beast in the rain or on a wet street, you’d get soaked as the rooster tail of water and gook sprayed up your back and maybe even up over your head and down onto your arms, hands, and controls (I know this from experience). That part of the design is going to need a relook, or this will have to be a dry ride only setup. Overall, I like it, though…