Lord Drake Kustoms is here with yet another sweet build!
For today’s custom sweetheart, shop owner and founder Francisco Alí Manen got his hands on a lesser successor to Ducati’s iconic 916 range: The 999.
Manen’s 2003 999 may sport 18 fewer ponies than the updated models of 2005-2006, but she’s no less impressive as a stripped neo racer. According to Manen, this particular project wasn’t exactly a walk in the park:
It is not very common to use [the Ducati brand] to make motorcycle transformations. Perhaps some models from the Monster range are the most used… what is very strange is using racing motorcycle models like this to carry out motorcycle customization work.”
– Francisco Alí Manen, Founder, Lord Drake Kustoms |
The whole shebang began with a general delete of the plastics, followed by a custom, spoked rim job and a modded subframe that deliberately leaned away from the streetfighter aesthetic.
A one-off metal casing was created to cover the new, relocated lithium-ion battery, while ergonomics were somewhat neutralized, and a front fender was hand-built to suit this budding “neo-racer.”
Manen’s works sport Harley blood, so we’re also not surprised to see Lord Drake Kustoms go for a Harley-Davidson V-Rod-type headlight and H-D Supertrapp silencer to complement the addition of a 2-in-1 pipe system.
Give ‘er Motogadget mini-odometer and turn signals, some round mirrors to replace the useless factory ones, and a beautiful powder coating with Ducati graphics and a gloss lacquer and boom.
Pretty bike.
What do you think of LDK’s custom job on this 2003 Ducati 999?