For most professional customized bike builders, working to a quick is the norm. So any alternative to tackle a carte blanche mission is relished. This brawny Ducati café racer from Kris Reniers is one such machine—which is why it has of his favourite issues rolled into one.
Kris is the person behind Deep Creek Cycleworks, based mostly within the Belgian city of Diepenbeek. He’s an skilled endurance racer, enjoys customizing Ducatis, and is besotted with a selected metallic inexperienced paint. Which is why he’s simply constructed his third race-inspired Ducati on this colour scheme, and dubbed it ‘Green Machine 3.0.’
The fee got here from a pal, with a 1998 Ducati ST4 chosen because the donor. The ST4 is a type of uncommon traditional Ducatis that favors practicality over pleasure—but it surely has good bones. Sitting inside its trellis body is similar 90-degree V-twin motor because the Ducati 916, good for 105 horses.
Kris took inspiration for the mission from a Holographic Hammer illustration that he’d stumbled throughout. “I wanted a rough look for this bike,” he explains. “A bit nose heavy, a bit buff. With the headlight as low as possible, and a more sporty and beefed up front suspension, I knew I could get that look.”
To obtain this, Kris began by transplanting the entrance finish from a Ducati Streetfighter 848 onto the older ST4. The improve included the Streetfighter’s radial Brembo calipers—however not its wheels. Instead, a set of spacers and bushings had been machined to accommodate a set of Alpina wheels, initially designed for the Ducati Paul Smart 1000 LE.
The burly upside-down forks had been added for extra than simply their seems to be; Kris is a bonafide observe racer, so efficiency was one other key issue. To that finish, the rear is now propped up on a brand new Wilbers shock.
The largest magic trick right here, is how Kris massaged the Ducati ST4 a lot that it nearly seems to be like a Monster now. Remarkably, he did it with out tossing away the OEM gasoline tank both.
“The fuel tank was not an easy job,” he says, “because all the electrics needed to be kept out of sight—and the perfect place was under the tank. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein tank, welded up using the original as a donor, which was cut and reshaped.” Sitting on prime is an endurance-style filler—one other nod to Kris’ love for the observe.
More heavy lifting went on out again, the place Kris hacked off the rear half of the body. He then formed up a brand new trellised subframe, which now bolts onto mounting factors on the primary body. The seat is small and waspish—an intentional transfer to maintain issues wanting racy, and to push the visible weight to the entrance.
The again finish of the bike is neatly completed with a small LED taillight from Wünderlich, and a splash guard to maintain muck off the engine. There’s a discreet hand-made tray beneath the seat too, holding a number of of the Ducati’s important bits.
Up entrance, a hand-crafted cowl sits over a low-slung led headlight from Koso. The cockpit is extremely compact, that includes clip-ons with LSL grips, primary switches, and a digital Motogadget Motoscope Pro sprint.
Lower down are new rear-sets from Valtermoto, which are literally designed for the Suzuki GSX-R750. “We race the GSX-R in the classic endurance scene,” explains Kris, “and I knew those would look great on this build.”
The ultimate piece of the puzzle is the asymmetrical exhaust system, terminating in twin mufflers from Tyga. “The pie cuts were a handful for me,” says Kris. “I am not used to welding them, and that bit could have been done better by a professional. But nobody is perfect—and this bike is no exception.”
We recognize the humility, however truthfully the stance and proportions are so good, we will forgive a number of errant welds. That beautiful livery doesn’t harm both.
“The metallic green is a color that was used way back in the day by Ford USA,” Kris tells us. “It has a gold-ish flake that shimmers when the sun strikes. It’s become a bit of a trademark for me.”
Complementing the inexperienced base are gold and white accents, and a textured cognac leather-based seat, upholstered by Atelier Lepez. “We used that leather to get a bit of a vintage racer look, a reminder of the green Moto Guzzi V8 racer of the 50s.”
This Ducati ST4 ain’t no showpiece both. As quickly as Kris will get an opportunity, he plans to take it to the observe—along with his pal’s permission, after all.
“When I look at this bike, I think about how much I would love to ride it,” he says. “And when think that thought, I know I am on the right track. I promised my friend we would take it to the track in Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and let it rip up Raidillon!”
Deep Creek Cycleworks | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Michele Micoli
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