Photo credits: Shaik Ridzwan
Ever heard of the old adage ‘less is more’? Well, if you haven’t, we suggest stepping out of your parents’ basement every once in awhile. If you have, then the aforementioned proverb couldn’t be anymore true in the case of The Bullitt’s latest project.
The California-based outfit decided to impart its own take on a Ducati Monster 821 following its Triumph Bonneville build in 2015. “I got the bike while working at Ducati North America,” explained The Bullitt’s honcho, Patrick Flynn. “I had recently finished my Hyper SP build and I had some pretty damn elaborate plans for this one, but once I left the fold I decided to pare down the plans and keep it as a clean and simple build.”
At the beginning, Patrick was set on building an 821 R of sorts. “I was going to get a Panigale R tank, cut it in half horizontally and mate it to the bottom of the Monster’s unit. I really wanted the sharp lines from the Pani and I absolutely love the raw aluminum and gloss paint combo on the R,” he recalled.
Photo credits: Shaik Ridzwan
“What I ended up doing was taking the Monster tank, stripping it completely bare and then applying the Panigale R paint scheme to it while retaining the classic Monster shape. Opting for black over red, the accents I put back were in a bronze colour to match the engine and swingarm,” he added.
That colour scheme was what really set the tone for the finished article, as one can most likely tell from the photos. The tail cowl, fender and pretty much all the steel bits were painted in the same vein. Even the Werkes competition slip-on exhaust was debadged and ceramic coated in a ‘burnt bronze’ shade. “I no longer had any red on the bike so I didn’t want to keep the original Comp Werkes badge. I worked with them and got a more suitable custom badge made up and riveted in place,” said Patrick.
As for other modifications, the list is, well, quite short. A rear Ohlins shock was sourced and bolted on. “I have a spare set of Öhlins forks at home from an old SF 1098S. I was thinking hard about dropping their cartridges in the forks and anodizing the tubes black,” added Patrick.
Photo credits: Shaik Ridzwan
“But after looking at the bike for ages and ripping it through the Californian canyons, I realized that the set up was pretty damn solid as is. I’m happy with where it is and obviously I ended up falling for the raw forks, which beautifully compliment the raw steel in the tank.” Moving on, the headlight assembly comes courtesy of Motodemic.
“Working with Motodemic’s owner, Brad, we made a custom solution utilizing a round Triumph bucket.” Aside from that, Ducabike rear sets were installed along with a shortened (and relocated) rear Ducati brake reservoir. The rear passenger foot pegs were also removed and a set of New Rage Cycles snap-on indicators on the forks.
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