DUCATI DESMOTO

Immediately after finishing my first build the Futuri 900CR, my mind was already working on the next project. A bike purely for me and my driving style (sliding into corners). A high performance, extremely light weight supermotard! I already own a Hypermotard 1100, but that bike doesnt come close to a real motard. This bike will be my own design and vision focussed on the real motard experience!

My previous project allowed me to start a “internship” & great friendship at Biggelaar Special Performance. Over there I can really learn the more intricate stuff like rebuilding/tuning complete engines. This means this project is going to be next level compared to the previous project! Honored!

Donor engine is a 1100DS from a Ducati Multistrada 2008 with 20.000km on the odo. Will only be using the engine.

DUCATI DESMOTO

LETS GET STARTED!

I managed to source this neglected not so great Ducati Multistrada 1100DS from 2008 with South African and Thai registrations through Biggelaar Performance. No way this bike can be imported easily into the Netherlands. But thats not a problem since the engine is good and low mileage (20.000km), so that alone justified the purchase!

The weird registrations requires me to source another frame with papers to make sure everything is legal in the Netherlands. More on that later.

WHATS THE PLAN? PERFORMANCE & WEIGHT

The plan is to build a super light weight, high performance Supermotard. Performance results will be probably be around 120bhp and 120nm torque on the rear wheel :D! The goal concerning weight will be around 155/160kg WET! Below the current list of parts/work items as of how i have it planned right now.

The whole frame and fairings will be build around a Acerbis X-Seat (normally for KTM bikes). This seat has the perfect Supermoto line for the bike! Also has alot of grip haha.

Engine work

  • High compression pistons from Pistal
  • Racing camshafts from Keamna
  • Flowed cylinder heads
  • Increased intake valves to 46mm
  • 50mm throttle bodies
  • Velocity stacks
  • Slipper clutch
  • Healtech quickshifter
  • Milled clutch engine side cover
  • Custom engine mapping
  • Custom 50.8mm stainless exhaust

Seat

  • Acerbis X-Seat Soft/Comfort for a KTM

Frame/brakes/suspension/wheels

  • Aluminium frame (hopefully i can source this) and a custom build aluminium subframe
  • Ducati Hypermotard 1100 front forks
  • Ducati 999 rear swingarm
  • Forged magnesium/aluminium wheels
  • Brembo monoblock calipers (M4?) UPDATE: went with a complete ISR set-up.

Electronics

  • Custom wiring loom
  • Motogadget M-unit Blue
  • Motogadget Motoscope Pro
  • Motogadget M-lock
  • Lipo battery to also reduce weight

999 SWINGARM

Yes i love the single sided swingarms on Ducati’s! However they are heavy as fuck. One of the lightest swingarms Ducati ever made was the 999 swingarm (old grey model). Its a bolt on job to fit, so its a no brainer. Also looks like i am one of the few that actually likes the look of this thing haha.

Dont look at the color of the thing. Was able to get it for a good price (thanks Michiel), and it gets painted anyway at the end of the project.

MAGESNIUM MARCHESINI’S!

Going for light weight right? Holy shit light weight wheels are expensive and hard to find second hand. I was able to find this set just at the right time for a price my wallet can live with. They are from a Ducati 749S.

I know there are alot of people against using magnesium wheels on the road, and allot of people saying its no problem. Guess im going to find out myself….

Front wheel weight = 2.8KG. Rear wheel weight = 4.1KG. Light as fuck!

CUSTOM DECALS & COLOR CHOICES

Again this bike will get custom decals and a custom paintjob (powder coat combined with wet paint). So i started with the decals for the the name of the bike.

Also some pictures of paint/powdercoatd pieces of the colors i am researching of using.

  • RAL7031, Bluegrey – main color
  • RAL3026, Luminous bright red – supporting color (pinstripe, supermoto style wheel accents etc)
  • White – Decal lettering and possibly as a separator between the Grey and Red
  • Black and Silver – Bolts, seat, buttons etc

UPDATE: Logo will stay the same, but the whole bike will be bare aluminium. Only the wheels and a few accent pieces will be gold anodised together with custom made carbon fiber fairings that will only be coated with clear. Bare build.

BREAKDOWN HAS STARTED

Bike looks really good, and also the engine looks amazing. Almost no chipped paint etc. Had some trouble starting up after not running for 1.5 years and a shady grounding lead, but now it runs just fine. Holy shit a wet clutch is quiet. Not used to that anymore haha.

Amazing how much you can break down in just 4 hours of work.

SUPERMOTO SEAT

The amazing handling and feal of a Supermoto also comes from the small seat and the ability to move around. I found this great seat,  Acerbis X-Seat normally for a KTM range of bikes. Its a soft comfort seat with amazing grip.

Going to build the whole frame, subframe and fairings around this seat. Hopefully the narrownes of the seat isnt going to be a problem on top of the wide engine and frame. Hypermotard 1100 as reference.

ENGINE TEARDOWN STARTED!

The quest for more performance and lightness has now started :). Atleast thats how it feels for me now im starting to break down the engine. Using a official Ducati engine stand. Damn those stands are amazing..

FIRST TIME WORKING IN CAD

Time to start learning CAD to actually design my own parts. Started on a custom bracket that allows me to mount MX footpegs to any Ducati engine. Currently in contact with a CNC machine shop to start fabricating these pieces.

NEW GOODIES!

A late night at Biggelaar Performance to plan the rest of my build. Going to be a balls to the wall all out build!!! A wet weight of 155/160kg is achievable!


Below all the goodies that are sorted so far. 
List is still growing. Thinking of going all out with Titanium bolts, lightweight flywheel, lightweight crank, ISR brake cylinders and calipers…. etc etc.

  • Radical Aluminium Ducati 999 frame (only 4.5kg!) (only 15 build in the whole world)
  • 1098RS WSBK Brembo 6mm thick brake discs
  • Ducabike adjustable slipper clutch with milled out engine cover
  • Brembo M4 monoblock calipers with titanium pistons
  • Ohlins TRX electronicly adjustable shock (going to try to adjust those using my own electronics, i think i figured it out)
  • WhitePower Racing triple tree (only 1.5kg) with magnesium sleeves to fit the fork
  • Hypermotard 1100 front forks
  • 50mm throttle bodys (original 46mm) from a S4RS with 1098 injectors
  • 1098 lightweight gears
  • Lightweight alternator from a 749R
  • 1098 wiring loom as a base for the custom loom
  • 2 Paso oil coolers that i am going to modify
  • 848/1098 fuel pump (way smaller then original, going to fit nicely in my custom aluminium fuel cell)
  • Ducabike rear shock height adjuster (needs some modification to extend even more)

ENGINE TEARDOWN CONTINUED!

Heads are all emptied out, and ready for the headwork like new performance camshafts, porting and increasing the intake valve size. Alternator side bearing will also be coming out so i can block off the oil passage to make sure i can convert the engine from a wet to a dry clutch.

The cases look pretty good, however i think i will be sandblasting everything to make sure everything will look like its new. Since everything is apart anyway, lets go all in. Damn the insides where dirty with old oil.

CRANKSHAFT FEATHERLIGHT + 1098 GEARING

Managed to source a lightweight crankshaft that needs some work 🙂 (thanks Boelo!). Orignally used in a Ducati Supermono. Side by side with the orginal one. Major difference in weight. I will also be going for a lightweight steel flywheel. Because of this setup i will need go for a trial and error approach on what i find comfortable riding the bike. A lightweight crank and flywheel together with the high compression of a Ducati will engine brake like crazy when closing the throttle. Maybe in combination with the slipper clutch this is going to be fun ;)?!

I will also be installing a 1098 gearbox in my engine. This is because the Multistrada 4th and 5th gear are in a overdrive configuration. This means we now have a close ratio gearbox. Also the 1098 gearbox has lighter gears, hollow gear fork shafts so its a must haha ;). Some really good documentation about Ducati gearing can be found here, Brad the Bike Boy, General Ducati gearing

CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC ÖHLINS

Im building a system that allows me to control the electronicly adjustable shocks and forks from Öhlins. This makes sure i can use that cool Titanium TTX shock. I now understand how the internals work and ordered some parts to build a controller that just plugs into the unit, reads the current setting and then allows you to change it :D.

My bike wont have this unit installed on the bike, however i will have a connector that the unit can plug into and then control the settings. All to save weight!! I will be selling this unit after it has been completely developed. This way people can actually use these normally unused electronic shocks and forks on projects.

Keep you posted!

RAW ALUMINIUM

All the aluminium stock i need for this project has been delivered. Placed 1 large order that should be enough for the whole project and maybe next haha. The large plate of 2mm is probably enough to build 3 fuel cells haha. Below a list of all the aluminium i ordered.

  • 2mm, 1060 1000x2000mm plate for the custom fuel cell
  • 22×3/20×2/18x3mm, 6060 T6 tube for the top/subframe
  • 25mm, 7075 T6 bar for the custom Ducabike height adjuster insert
  • 65/55mm, 6082 T6 bar for triple tree inserts to fit the custom steering stem
  • 35×10/40×10 6060 T6 tube for the custom made steering stem
  • 30mm, 7075 T6 bar for a custom spacer solution to fit a 999 cantilever shock setup

Love the look of raw aluminium stock!

IN LOVE WITH ISR <3 

Toine from Biggelaar Performance reminded me of the amazing brand ISR from Sweden. Holy shit the stuff they make is pure porn!

2 parts are already at my disposal, placing a large order soon to make sure everything brake related (excluding discs) is from ISR :D! Costly but pretty. Will be going for the best adjustable levers/cylinders available. Also perfect for this bike is te option to mount buttons directly to the lever/cylinder assembly. Going to be clean as fuck!

The 4 piston caliper i will be mounting on the rear is normally for a 125cc bike. With some minor adjustments to the 999 caliper plate i can mount this caliper. Hopefully it isnt going to brake to hard with no feel. Will see how it turns out.

RETRO ALUMINIUM GAS CAP

Since i will be building my own custom fuel cell with a 1098 fuel pump assembly in it i can go any route i want. Not much of the fuel cell will be visible, and it wont be big. Maybe 8 to 10L?! However the top will be visible in bare aluminium so it needs a pretty, clean and lightweight gas cap. Here we go!

My dad did make a good point. Retro?! It needs a breather hose on top going into the steering stem. Lets see how we solve that later in the build.

CUSTOM CNC REARSET BRACKETS

I finalised the designs for the custom footpeg brackets! They are going to be CNC machined in China by Mulan Manufactoring Group. Amazing response and customer service so far (thanks Cherry Li!). A full review as soon as the parts arrive! Going to be made out of 6061 aluminium with a natural aluminium color anodisaton.

The brackets are a combined/minimalised version of the original Multistrada and Hypermotard brackets. However my brackets can fit the ISR rear brake cylinder and fit aftermarket footpegs. Took alot of work to make sure the measurements are correct. The original brake and gear lever will be mounted to these brackets.

I ordered MX style footpegs but overlooked the size of them. Holy shit they are big. So not going for those and now i ordered thick 20mm springloaded footpegs that should have more then enough grip.

START OF THE 50MM THROTTLE BODY CONVERSION

Ok so this is a challenge but we are getting there. Mounting S4RS 50mm throttle bodys to a 1100DS engine. They are normally not mounted side by side but behind eachother with a linking rod. This means these throttle bodies need alot of work to function side by side with the option to be synced/adjusted. All while using the original intake manifolds since there isnt really much space between the bodys to fit the linking mechanism.

Using a 996 50mm throttle body as a donor for the valves and axles. The axles also need to be heavily modified.

I designed this plate that allows the bodys to be connected to eachother and make sure they cant twist compared to eachother. They also ensure a perfect 75 degree angle.

Things to do? Modify axles, design and create a custom TPS plate, design and create a custom throttle cable mechanism and so on.

Hope the photos and video do it justice. Keep you posted on the progress!

WHEN YOU THINK OF SUPERMOTO?

When you think of Motorcross or Supermoto i bet you can name multiple brands that are rooted in that world. For my birthday i got these Renthal Diamond/Waffle grips from my wife Nicole for the bike. Looks good together with the bare aluminium and grips like crazy :D.

CNC MACHINED ALUMINIUM PARTS

Nice! The custom CNC machined rearset brackets and throttle body conversion brackets were delivered today. Machined in China by Mulan Manufactoring Group. Still need to tap holes and fit the levers etc. Keep you posted! 

FITTING THE ISR CALIPER ON THE REAR

Got this amazing 4 piston brake caliper from ISR (22-048-OC) that normally is fitted to 125cc bikes or lightweight cars such as Formula SAE cars. I hope the brake feel will be good with this setup.

This caliper has exactly the right bolt hole spacing (84mm) for the original caliper bracket from a Ducati 999, however the bracket and caliper needs to be milled back for everything to fit. Looks pretty as fuck on that Marchesini magnesium wheel!

CUSTOM HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT ROD

I sourced a Ducabike connecting rod from Biggelaar Special Performance that is able to adjust the height of the bike. Unfortunately the standard adjustment bolt isnt long enough. I did some calculations on what the new length should be and starting work on a longer version.

Made out of 7075 T6 aluminium with right and left hand M16 thread on both ends. Waiting for a collet block so i can mill the hex shape that allows adjustment using a wrench.

AN6 FLARED FITTINGS ALL THE WAY

I always liked the look of automotive oil/fuel lines with AN fittings. So this bike will get that also, using cool reinforced braided oil lines.

Will be welding AN6 fittings on 2 old Ducati Paso oil coolers so everything oil line related will be connected using AN6 fittings.

CUSTOM REARSET BRACKETS ALMOST DONE!

Let the pictures do it justice…. Soon you will be able to buy the CAD designs for these brackets in my webshop so you get them machined yourself locally!  

NEW INTAKE VALVES

The first new goodies are arriving. 2 new 46mm intake valves (7mm stem). Its pretty easy to increase the size of the intake valves by 1mm (originally 45mm) since there is enough room in the valve seat to fit a bigger one. Offcourse the heads need porting to support this.

SUPERMOTO RACE HANDLEBARS + RISERS

There we go. A new silver aluminium handlebar. Supermoto race spec. The risers for the handlebar also arrived. They only come in black, so i will be re-anodizing them to silver.

QUICKSHIFTING LIKE A PRO

I rode the KTM Duke 790 of my dad last summer, and holy shit a quickshifter and blipper is amazing!! I want that on my new bike (excluding blipper) so lets get it sorted. Reallly cool solution by Healtech that is configurable through bluetooth.

With a sensor it recognizes the movement of the gear lever and then just simply cuts the ignition for a X amount. Going to take a while before i mount it, only after finishing the custom wiring loom.

STAINLESS EXHAUST HERE WE COME

All the stainless parts for the custom exhaust arrived. Going to build a completely custom pie cut exhaust that is going to look amazing. I did order abit to much exhaust dampening wool haha. Can probably build 5 mufflers with this much.

Exhaust is going to be 50.8mm in diameter and the exhaust manifold is immediately going to increase in size from 40mm to 50.8 when exiciting the cylinder heads. Had some custom transition pieces made just for this.

Also going to weld in 2 lambda probe ports (18mm) near both cylinder manifolds to make sure we are actually going to be able to tune this beast :D.

PERFORMANCE PORN

Cant say much about it, but here we go. Pistal high compression 98mm pistons, Kaemna/Puretec Race camshafts and Carrillo conrods for the 1100DS engine. Going to be crazy combined with the flowed heads, 50mm throttle bodies and oversize 46mm intake valves.

Everything ready to be send off together with the lightweight crankshaft to get everything balanced.

Did found out that with these race camshafts and road use the engine needs a valve adjustment every 5000km haha. Fuck it, im able to do it myself so it will be fine. Also with these cams there simply is not enough space to fit the closing rocker springs in the head. This means i will be running without closing rocker springs and the idle rpm needs to be increased to around 1800 rpm to keep it running properly.

 

FOUND A CLUTCH COVER GEM

I found this gem of a clutch cover second hand on eBay. Dirt cheap and looks like new. Made by CT Moto in a very limited run. Unobtanium now a days. Looks insane with the milled out engine cover.

SAND/GLASS BLASTING HELL + CERAKOTE

Started with the sand and glass blasting of the engine. Holy shit the paint of the cases and cylinders is hard. I had to chemically strip the cases. The cylinders and heads i was able to blast with some patience. The cases, heads adn cylinder will stay bare aluminium.

I dropped off the engine covers, valve covers and swingarm to get them Cerakoted. Going for the color Glacier Silver. Real curious to see how Cerakote turns out on a bike, since it is normally used on firearms. 

Will be using ACF-50 to make sure the aluminium is somewhat protected against corrosion when everything is on the bike.

 

KBIKE PARTS ARE IN

Got some Kbike goodies. Lightweight adjustable timing pulleys. Saves almost 0,5kg of weight!! These lightweight pulleys are not only pretty but they will also reduce the rotating mass, resulting in a engine that spins up faster combined with all the other internal lightweight engine mods.

Also some clear anodized aluminium cam and alternator covers. I will be running external oil lines to the heads that will feed oil directly to the camshafts. These Kbike covers arent really made for that, so will need to mill in a slot and tap a M10 hole to fit banjo bolts. 

MOTOGADGET MADNESS

The guys from Motogadget are true legends in building innovative and high quality parts So this bike will get  equiped with Motogadget parts from top to bottom!

  • M-unit Blue. The new mind of the bike next to the the ECU. Cant wait to start testing with this thing.
  • Motoscope Mini including housing with indicator lights and bracket to mount everything to the 28mm handlebars.
  • M-button. We dont want to see any wires right? This thing connects to all the buttons on the handlebars and converts the button presses into a digital signal running through only 1 wire back to the M-unit. Clean look guaranteed!
  • M-lock, RFID. Just look the previous bike this is a must :).

SMALL PARTS UPDATE

Bought some new parts. Fuel line quick release fittings. This things are amazing, because they close off both ends of the fuel line. Not a single drop of fuel.

Shin-Yo Modul 1 rear brake light. Amazingly small and bright. Also used on the Futuri 900CR.

Ordered some lightweight exhaust flanges. Normally they are 100gr, but these are only 40 grams. And offcourse they look way beter then original ;). Bought them from Speedy Siegl Racing. Custom CNC machined.

GETTING READY FOR THE CUSTOM LOOM

200 meters of wire are in. All different thicknesses (from 0.35mm2 up to 2.0mm2) and color combinations. Also some different connectors for the starter solenoid + rectifier, micro relay for the ignition system, plugs for the custom spark plug leads etc etc.

Will be sleeving everything in grey nylon.

These small waterproof connector kits will be available in my new webshop soon!

 

GETTING IN CONTROL OF OHLINS!

Boom! Got it working! I am now able to control electronically adjustable Ohlins shocks using my own program and electronics.  Want 500 clicks on rebound/compression or just 20? All possible!

Testing on the TTX shock also worked like a charm.After im abit further with the project i will build everything into a small case with a oled screen so it can be adjusted on the bike itself on the go. The motor you see are the internals of a broken down front Ohlins shock.

FLOWING/TUNING CYLINDER HEADS

I started on tuning/flowing the heads. Im installing larger 46mm intake valves and 50mm S4RS throttle bodys. To make sure we get the most performance out of the engine im modifying the valve seat, airways (in & exhaust) and intake manifold to make sure everything flowes nicely and a increase in performance is achieved.

I live streamed most of the proces on facebook. Streams down below :).

LATHE/MILL PARTS UPDATE

Finished up a few parts on the lathe and mill :). 

  • Magnesium front fork spacers to make sure the Hypermotard 1100 forks will fit the lower triple tree.
  • Upper triple tree insert that allows fitment of the custom steering stem.
  • Custom Ducabike height adjuster insert nly needed a hex shape milled into it. Not extremely happy with the end result. Lets see if polishing it up makes it look better.

MIRRORS, TINY AS F*CK

I want a clean look on the handlebars. No mirros on top or at the end of the bars. I found these enduro trail mirrors made by Doubletake. Only a 5cm large diameter. Hand and handlebars as scale reference. Real tiny!

ISR PORN HAS ARRIVED!

Thanks Acke from ISR! Pure beauty. So happy i got these parts in. They just look stunning. Real curious to see how the brake feel will be.

Adjustable levers but also adjustable pressure. Together with large 4 piston calipers with a mounting hole spacing of 100mm. Exactly what i need to mount these to my Hypermotard 1100 forks. And going to brake like crazy!

1 small negative. The left cylinder turn signal switches i thought would have 3 positions. However it only has 2, not a center position. This needs to change since this simply wont work.ISR does not offer this option.  So im developing a small kit that allows me and you to change this to a 3 position switch. U will be able to buy this kit in my soon to open webshop.

HUSQVARNA HEADLIGHT

I always loved Husqvarna supermoto’s and i found this amazing headlight that normally fits Husqvarna bikes. Bright as hell (maybe abit to much?!). I would like to run without a headlight, but. for a streetbike its just a no go. So im still thinking about how im going to make the fairings look good on the front.

RETRO “SPEEDY SIEGL RACING” ART

Damn these exhaust flanges are pretty and lightweight. They save around 100grams of weight. Very cool design since you can split the flanges to remove and mount them. They also include nuts and washers. I wont be using them since i will be going full titanium on the build. But cool to see its a complete “ready to mount” set.

Want a set for yourself or take a look at all the other cool stuff Isaac Siegl creates? Visit speedysieglracing.com

GLASS BEAD BLASTING  BEAUTY

Made a final effort to make all the bare aluminium look the best it could be. Glass bead blasted everything and now it looks amazing. Everything is also going to be ultrasonicly cleaned to mak sure no glass beads are left in the engine.

MARCHESINI GOLDEN TICKET

The amazing Magnesium Marchesini wheels i bought from Portugal had some damage on the edges of the rim because a tire company damaged them. Normally this isnt a proble, but with magnesium it is! Magnesium will corode and simply degrade into dust when its exposed to the open air. No other option to get them repainted.

They came out amazing (thanks Erik)! Curious about the color code? MOBIHEL, Y-112600 / 2009-00.

BAD CRANKSHAFT NEWS

Bad news concerning the crankshaft i wrote about earlier. I send it out to get balanced, but with magnafluxing they found a hairline crack. This means we throw it in the bin since you dont want to take any risk on this. Picture 1 shows a small green line glowing up in UV light. Thats the crack.

So a replacement was arranged quickly at Biggelaar Special Performance. A crank originally from a ST3. Will fit just fine in the 1100DS engine, all the same.

To lighten it i just grinded of the sides of the counterweights and followed the original line of the top piece. Ready to get streamlined and balanced out with the new pistons and conrods.

RS TIMING GEARS

Since the engine i am building will be a fast revving engine the probability of the HALL/timing sensor not keeping up is high. Another engine built at Biggelaar Performance had issues because if the standard timing gear just not triggering the sensor because it ramped up so quick.

To make sure we dont get this issue i managed to source this brand new timing gear set for a Ducati 1198 RS10 & 1198 RS11. 

VELOCITY STACK VENTURI

A small step further with the 50mm Ducati S4RS throttle bodys. Velocity stacks from a Ducati 998 together with RAMAIR filters. Going to sound like crazy probably when you open the throttle :D. Next steps concering the throttle bodys will be taken when i have. arolling frame and the engine has been built.

The part nr of these filters is MS-002. They barely fit, but they fit ;).

 

TITANIUM PORN

I ordered a massive load of titanium bolts, washers, banjo bolts and nuts. A small batch of more uncommon stuff at a local dutch company called Titanium Race Parts. The other large batch directly at a factory that specializes in Titanium, thus saving a bit on costs.  This should be everything i need for the whole bike. Every bolt will be titanium. Hopefully going to save around 2kg of weight. Damn this stuff is beautiful. Costs however, 1250 euro’s total are less amazing haha….

MACHINING UPDATE

Quick update on some custom/machined parts. I modified the K-bike cam covers. They do not support external oil lines like the OEM cam covers do. I milled them out and tapped them to support a double banjo bolt. Using a custom spacer ring it is now possible with minimal room to fit a banjo bolt. I will be running external oil lines to the heads to ensure there is never any shortage ;).

Also started work on the custom steering stem for the WP Race triple trees. Custom insert to fit a 35mm steering stem. Lower end finished, only needs to be threaded at the top and shortened abit.

SHINY CERAKOTE

Cerakoted parts are back! Color: Glacier Silver. Looks really good in my opinion and happy with the results. The parts have a strange look on the pictures, like they are black and white. yes this is exactly how it looks in real life also :D.

The swingarm i would sand down next time to remove more of the rough casting surface. But for this project im fine with it. Coating is only 25 microns thick and hard as fuck!

TEST FITTING TO CHECK LOOKS

To make sure everything is going to look good and form a better picture in my head for the rest of the design I test fitted some finished parts. 

Old style 999 swingarm, Cerakoted and converted to a 4 piston ISR caliper, normally used in Formula SAE

Custom machined footpeg brackets that are abit cleaner then the original and allow fitment of the ISR rear brake cylinder and regular pegs (soon in my webshop!). Cerakoted engine cover and a CTmoto clutch cover. Its going to be a sin to drive this thing when its done….

CUSTOM TRIPLEE TREE NUT

Finishing the steering stem/triple tree custom nut! Together with a custom tool to be able to torque it down. Thought a long time about how I was going to do this. This is the most functional and clean solution possible!

These WP Racing triple trees are from the former Honda Tenkate racing team. Will look amazing on the Desmoto project. To fit these triple trees im also fabricating a custom steering stem.

All made out of 6082 aluminium.

QUICK MISC. UPDATE

Closed of the oil feed channel in the cylinder heads by hammering in a ball bearing.  Since I will be externaly feeding them this is a must. Did warp the surface abit so it needed some cleaning up.

GPS tracker arrived. Since this bike will be abit on the costly side this is. amust in my opinion ;).

Cleaning up this aluminium radical frame. Removing all mounting tabs, rearset mounts and cockpit bracket to ensure a clean look.

Tires arrived. I went with the Pirelli Supercorrsa SP v3. Slicks for the road ;).

LIPO battery also ready. togo. I went with a full force high CCA battery that i can count on.

FINALLY FINISHED

Finally finished cylinder head nr 1 for the Desmoto project!! Below the list of changes:

– Racing camshafts with major 13mm lift and overlap
– Increased 46mm intake valve
– Intake port increased/flowed to 41mm to fit S4RS 50mm throttle body’s
– Flowed/polished exhaust port
– Oil feed galley closed up to support a external oil line feed with converted Kbike covers
– Kbike lightweight adjustable timing pulleys

No closing rocker springs since the racing camshafts run to close to them. So the stationary rpm will need a small increase for the bike to run properly.

CARBON WORKS + ZINC PLATING

Everything arrived to start zinc plating! Going to build a setup with multiple baths. Multiple small parts for the project I then can plate myself.

Also almost everything came in to start making Carbon molds/fairings/parts using the wet bagging technique. Still waiting on the vacuum system and some small bits.

Hefty investment but I want to do most of the work myself and learn new techniques :)!

CRANKSHAFT IS BACK!

Finally got my crankshaft back. As you probably have read the first crankshaft had a small crack in it. So I grinded back a ST3 crank and send it off to get balanced, polished, magnafluxxed, streamlined and the oil ways adjusted.

The bill was abit less impressive… But fuck it, the final result is going to be amazing!

FIRST ZINC PLATING TESTS

First zinc plating tests. Shitty result. Second attempt was somewhat better, but still shit haha. I ordered a aquarium heater to make sure the plating bath is heated, that should improve results :). Keep you posted.

Update! Attempt nr 5 or something, results i can live with :)!

 

WP RACING TRIPLE TREE FINALLY READY!!!

FINALLY!!! The custom steering stem, nut and tool are finished. This means we are 1 step closer to a rolling frame. Everything will also be anodised offcourse. But I will send that off when all the parts are ready.

Update: It didnt work… Steering angle was way to shallow with this WP triple tree. Later on I will design/fabricate a new one.

CORSE/WSBK STYLE ENGINE MARKINGS

All the official Ducati Corse/WSBK engines have markings on them to tell you who rode the bike and when. This engine will be engine number 1 from the Futuri workshop (also Biggelaar offcourse 😉 ). Therefor it also needs to be marked as such. Futuri in short, FTR 01. Hopefully the start of a whole range engines!

MOTOGADGET MO.BLAZE TENS TURN SIGNALS

I wanted the smallest turn signals i could find that would also be as bright as possible. My opinion, dont save money on turn signals or you will get hurt. You want people to see you!ucky me Motogadget released these new models called mo.blaze tens. They will burn your eyes out and are amazingly small! They even have models with DRL or tail/brake lights integrated. Again as always, high quality.

 

MARCHESINI LOVES PIRELLI

The Magnesium Marchesini wheels have been coated in new rubber. Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP v3. Going to stick perfect, but will probably be burned out in 1000km because of the 120nm torque haha :D.

LIGHT AXLES – RS/CORSE BREATHER – CASE SAVER

I bought some amazing goodies from my friend Dragos! Lightweight aluminium axles front and rear. Saving another 650 grams!!! A RS replica breather and a case saver. All amazingly high quality stuff!

HYPERMOTARD FORK FINISHED!

Finished the Hypermotard 1100 forks! Completely rebuild and the bottom axle/caliper brackets Cerakoted. Took 3 attempts to finish the right fork since it was leaking….

OIL DIVIDER BLOCK

I dont want the oil pressure sensor visible so i made a block that receives oil from the clutch cover and then divides it to the oil pressure sensor and 2 external cylinder head oil feed lines. Will be mounted in the frame and wont be visible.

SLIM OIL COOLERS

Found 2 very slim oil coolers that will be mounted at both sides of the frame. More on that in the future.

CUSTOM LIGHTWEIGHT FLYWHEEL

I got a old SuperSport flywheel and turned it down to make sure it fits my engine. Original flywheel weighs 1.8kg and this custom one now only weighs 1.1kg. I can go lighter to 0.5kg with another flywheel however that wont drive nicely on the road :D.

DUCATI CORSE ALTERNATOR BRACKET

Finished the custom adaptor to mount a Ducati Corse alternator to the FTR01 air cooled 1100DS engine. Made out of 7075T6 aluminium and mounted up with titanium hex bolts!

Curious to see if this will work on a road bike, since it requires 3000/4000 rpm to actually charge the battery haha 😀

Why this alternator? Lightweight, and since it’s rotating mass it will result in a faster uprevving engine!

REBUILDING THE ENGINE

Building the engine like it is new. Maybe even better then new ;)? Ill let the pictures describe the process. Most of the engine internals also fitted with titanium goodies. Notable mentions: Fitted a 1098 starter clutch since its lighter (wont make any difference haha), amazing Ducati Corse alternator, Ducati Corse timing gears, 1098 gearbox, lightened crankshaft, Ducabike adjustable slipper clutch and Pistal high compression pistons!

NOT ENOUGH ROOM, MILLED HEAD & CYLINDERS

I want the exhaust to run over the clitch cover and move back into the frame. While doing a frame test fit i noticed that a 50.8mm exhaust pipe will never fit or will be way to close to the frame and crank breather. This required me to mill down the vertical cylinder and head to create space. Will not really affect cooling performance, i hope…

ENGINE ALMOST DONE! BEAUTY SHOTS

No explanation needed. Just look at this beauty! Still needs to timed out, compression/squisch measured and new belts.

RADICAL FRAME MODIFICATION

Finished the frame modification for the extremely lightweight aluminium radical frame (4.2kg) that allows me to run a 999 swingarm and Panigale rear shock. 2 aluminium (7075 T6) pieces the allows you to install any type of swingarm/rear shock. The radical frame version i have was made to fit a Multi/Hyper swingarm, however i dont want that so thats why i made the modification.

BRAKE DISC SPACERS

Since im running a semi wide track triple tree from WP Racing i need the brake discs spaced out abit more then OEM. So i made these custom brake disc spacers.

ISR/MARCHESINI PORN

Damn this looks amazing! The color of the wheels in the sun, WOW! Finished the ISR front brake caliper spacers to make sure everything fits with the WSBK Brembo full floater discs.

GILLIS TOOLING 999 CHAIN ADJUSTERS

What a gem!!! Gillis tooling 749/999 old style chain adjusters with paddock stand brackets. Really hard to come by! Thanks Toine ;).

ROLLING FRAME

Ok still a lot of work todo…. Rake isn’t right. So the rear tie-rod needs extending (already has a custom longer insert) to increase the ride height and fix the rake. OR drop the forks through the triple trees. I’m only 1,73m so not sure yet which way I will go since it already looks pretty high…

Also the steering range is terrible… so I will be making new eccentric steering stem.

And the Ohlins ttx shock is hard as a rock. So that also will need a massive overhaul to soften it up.

For the rest it does look nice, however I really need to see the engine in the frame to check the lines and angles of the design I have in my head.

FRAME MOD, AGAIN + SUBFRAME BRACKETS

Discovered that i need to modify the frame brace running over the throttle bodys… So im made a new brace that is also removable just like on the 888. Here you see the brace adapters mounted up with 2x titanium M8. Made out of 6082T6 aluminium.

Also finished the brackets that will support the custom aluminium subframe. Will be welding 20mm aluminium tubing to this and grinding down the welds for a seamless transition. Made out of 6082T6 aluminium

EXHAUST MANIFOLDS DONE

Finished the exhaust manifolds from 40mm to 50.8mm (will increase exhaust gas flow). All stainless, finished off with the lightweight aluminium exhaust flanges from Speedy Siegl Racing. And titanium nuts offcourse ;).

50MM S4RS THROTTLE BODY CONVERSION FINISHED!

Modified 50mm Ducati S4RS throttle body’s finally done! From 46mm to 50mm.

Jesus christ i underestimated this. Took a long time to get done. Build up using 996, 1100DS and S4RS throttle body pieces. But the main bodies are from a S4RS.

Custom linking brackets to force the right angle and distance, custom TPS plate, custom throttle cable cylinder, custom valve axles. Turned down bodies to make sure they fit the intake manifolds (oops went a bit to far….). Manifolds will also need to be increased in size though. Lets just say all custom!

Combined with Ducati 1098 12 hole injectors to complete the party!! And lets not forget, everything finished off in titanium!

Picture of a original S4RS throttle body included to show how much work wen into creating this!

FAQ, why not shower injection? I dont want to run a airbox + a 2 valve high torque engine works better with injectors behind the valve to keep the high torque at low rpm’s.

ENGINE READY TO ROLL!!

Engine all done! Finally! Timing set and compression ratio is on the money, 12.9:1 Just looks amazing!

Thanks to Toine for teaching me how to set the timing. Was a small challenge because of the racing cams. But all worked out!

What do you see in the pictures?
CTMoto limited clutch cover, Ducabike adjustable slipper clutch, lightweight Kbike timing pulleys, Cerakoted engine/valve covers (Glacier silver), RS replica crankcase breather + chainguard (from Dragos), lightweight exhaust flanges (from Isaac Siegl), Kbike alternator, custom Kbike camshaft covers to allow for external oil feed lines, black AN oil line fittings, every ring, nut and bolt in titanium, Ducati S4RS throttle body conversion and the is engine completely glass bead blasted to look like new.

Whats in the engine?
Pistal high compression pistons, Carrillo conrods, Lightened/balanced crankshaft, Ducati corse alternator, custom lightweight flywheel, lightweight 1098 gearbox, lightweight 1098 primary drive, 47mm intake valve (46mm OEM), extremely flowed/tuned cylinder heads (cant go bigger then this…), converted crankcase from wet to dry clutch, Kaemna Racing camshafts, lightweight Ducati corse timing gears and all titanium bolt/washer internals/externals.

Expected power output
120bhp on the rear wheel with 120nm of torque. All in a bike that will weigh around 155kg WET.

REMOVABLE FRAME BRACE

With the S4RS throttle body conversion installed my aluminium Radical frame (4.2kg) just would not fit. Not enough clearance around the throttle bodies and the vertical injector. This required me to fabricate a new removable cross brace.

Also grinded down the welds on the weld in bolt hole things. this way it looks like a solid piece.

FAQ
Why removable? If I would weld in a solid brace there would be a high risk of the frame twisting and or being under stress. Making it removable allows me to weld it in with no wisting force on the frame. Plus I wanted the frame to be removed from the engine more easily.

How did I bend the aluminium tubes? Fill it with sand, heat it up with a flame and bend it slow and steady. Dont go to extreme on one spot or the aluminium will just crack open. Took 3 tries, but its doable.

EXTERNAL OIL FEED LINES + OIL DIVIDER BLOCK

Custom length stainless Hell brake lines <3! Feeding the cylinder heads with oil.

I dont want the oil pressure switch to be visible from the side of the bike and also the cylinder heads have been converted to support external oil feed lines. The oil divider block enables all of this :)!

I mounted the oil divider block on the removable frame brace to get it mostly out of sight, feeding it with oil by running a line under the horizontal cylinder head and back up into the frame. Cant run the oil line on the right side of the bike since it will interfere with the custom pie-cut exhaust. 

From the oil divier block 2 oil lines run to the cylinder heads!

FAQ, i measured up the length of the brake lines by bending TIG filler rod to the right angles and length and measuring it after.

SMALL JOBS, SWINGARM AXLE + INTAKE MANIFOLDS

The intake manifolds needed some small work to match the S4RS throttle bodys. Needed to be increased in size. Since I don’t want to use the throttle body’s as a milling template. So I turned a steel template that allowed me to perfectly flow the intakes.

Another issue i came across was that the swingarm axle somehow didnt match the frame holes. I milled out the holes a small bit to make the axle fit.

ENGINE IN THE FRAME!!!

Finally the engine is in the frame! Living in my living room for now. Seeing it everyday helps me form the lines in my head I actually want for the bike.

Now working on ground clearance, seat height and the front fork angle. Im not a tall guy so I can’t go crazy with the seat height but I do want allot of ground clearance for it to be a real Supermoto. Pictures showing the bike it is way to high..

A Hypermotard has a front fork angle of 65 degrees. I would like to go a small bit steeper to 66 degrees. Even steeper isn’t doable with this frame unfortunately…

BACK AT IT AGAIN, MORE TITANIUM

Were going all in with Titanium right? Atleast to some degree. Got these amazing Titanium frame bolts from Kbike. 111 grams against OEM 227 grams! 

SEAT MOCK-UP

Mocking up the seat position/height. Im not a big guy so i cant go crazy and want to be able to actually ride this thing! Still doesn’t look exactly right and the fork angle isnt right yet, but will get there.

Also installed the handlebars and mocking up the levers, mirror and dashboard position. Just to get a feel for the look and lines i want.

Next up! Build a temporary seat frame, start bending/welding a aluminium subframe taking into consideration the custom carbon muffler ill be building and start sketching for the right look/lines for the custom Carbon fairings.

NEW AN6 FITTINGS + CHEMICALLY STRIPPED RADIATORS

The radiators originally had AN10 fittings welded on. However this is way overkill for what I need, and they take in way to much space. So I had the radiators chemically stripped of all the paint and then welded on new AN6 fittings. Perfect! Started to learn to weld with a foot pedal, and holy shit now aluminium is way easier!

1MM STAINLESS PIE CUTS, ALOT!

I was able to source stainless tubing with a 1mm wall thickness and get everything lastcut into pie cuts! HEAVEN! This is amazing since this will decrease the weight of the stainless exhaust by 33%. Since normally this tubing is 1.5mm thickness.

+/- 1600 lasercut pie cuts with some straight tubing. 50, 54 & 60mm diameter.
Original batch before cutting was 38 meter of tubing.

FIRST START WITH THE EXHAUST

With the new pie cuts I started work on the exhaust flanges. Holy shit, those lasercut pie cuts are amazing to weld since they have absolutely no gap between them. Using no filler wire, just flowing them together. As you can see with beautiful penetration.

Also managed to solve the vertical cylinder head manifolds clearance issue. I used 3 40mm pie cuts to make the bend start early and now everything clears the rear shock adjuster.

BANJO BOLT SWITCH PORN

I hate the look of those regular banjo pressure switches everybody uses. Doesn’t look refined at all, and looks cheap. And since im using titanium everywhere this includes titanium banjo bolts. Thus I found these amazing switches in Japan. Fits in between the line fitting and the bolt. Not cheap, not cheap at all….

Going to be using this for front and rear brake light switches and the clutch switch for the ECU.

EXHAUST ATTEMPT NR2, YES IT FLOWS!

Like I said in the previous post. The first attempt for horizontal cylinder exhaust was shit. So here we go, a new attempt and now it looks way beter! Follows the line of the clutch cover and no straight pieces looking pieces. Every angle you look at it you see movement, and that’s what I wanted!

More progress later since im looking for a company that can expand some of my tubing so I can make removable pieces within the exhaust.

SEAT POSITION FINALISED

The last update I posted regarding the seat position it was lying on the bike using some wood blocks. Shit to actually test seating position etc. So I have build a temporary frame that fixes the seat to the bike. Not much changes to this position will be made. Now I have a base to start fabricating the subframe.

It feels good sitting on the bike. Hopefully I have enough grip when braking me not sliding to the front. But I think it will be fine.

Really starting to look like something now!

ECU IAW5 CONNECTORS READY!

Finally i found out how to depin the ECU IAW5 type connectors (thanks Richard!). These connectors are not available to buy new anymore sadly. I managed. to source new pins and got myself brand looking new connectors ready for when I create the wiring harness.

ISR REAR BRAKE SETUP

I didnt like the look of the stock ISR rear brake reservoir. So i turned a new cap on the lathe together with a titanium cap. Finished off with some locking wire and now it looks way better!

Also ordered. acustom Hell brake line and finished the caliper off with locking wire.

EXHAUST PART 3.

As seen in a previous post I didnt like the look of the first atempt at building the exhaust. I made another attempt but didnt finish it yet. Now i have! Atleast till the start of the subframe. Looks way better!

1 thing I am somewhat worried about is heat. The exhaust runs close to everything, so probably will have to fabricate some custom carbon fiber heat-guards that are lined with heat reflective tape. Will see when the bike is running :).

One of the first next steps is to finish the aluminium subframe.

CUSTOM ALUMINIUM SIDE STAND

A whole diary of pictures while building this amazing aluminium side stand!

The original was just way to heavy and overkill. + this was a cheap way of saving weight (-780 gram)!

All made on the manual lathe and mill out of 6082 T6 aluminium. Looks amazing!

CUSTOM THROTTLE CABLE BRACKET

Because of the custom S4RS 50mm throttle body conversion I needed a new bracket for the throttle cables to mount to. Custom ftr bracket lasercut out of stainless. Looks super clean together with the custom aluminium rotary swivel on the throttle body!

Had some trouble getting the bracket tapped with the correct thread. Turns out I was an idiot not using a final stage tap… If anybody needs this info, the thread is M7x1.0.

MOUNTING THE OIL COOLERS & IGN. COILS

Time to get those skinny oil coolers/radiators mounted to the frame. Also the first front ignition coil is going to be mounted to the frame.

I had custom aluminium brackets lasercut, saving me allot of time and the quality is way higher then cutting them myself. Going to be a very clean mounting solution with rubber vibration dampers and rivet nuts.

Welds on the radiators didnt come out as nice as I wanted because of some contamination. Also was abit rusty on welding aluminium so it took some to get back into it haha.

CUSTOM BRAIDED AN6 OIL LINES

First time making custom oil lines using nylon braided/steel lined AN6 hose. Way easier than I thought it would be. Looks amazing, and way more flexible than expected. Linking the left and right oil coolers together. The whole inner frame is going to be tightly packed. Nice!

Finished off with aluminium hose separators to make sure the hose routing looks as clean as possible.

Needed some AN6 extenders for the oil ports on the engine block, otherwise the 90 degree fittings would not fit.

THE BIG HURDLE, CUSTOM TRIPLE TREE

Time to finally tick off that major hurdle of the todo list that delayed the project for to long… The WP triple tree just did not work because it did not have enough steering angle in combination with this frame. So I started to design my own custom triple tree. It took allot of time to design and get the technical drawings right but the quote request has been send 🙂 !

Really happy with the whole look! Matches the rest of the bike perfectly, also with the all the ISR gear. Im pretty proud of myself with this design haha. Jesus this took some hours to get right…

Had to design it with an offset of 36mm instead of 30mm to get the angle right. Designed it with a removable stem, without a press fit. Just as accurate, but won’t require a press to push the stem in with the risk of damaging it. Taking inspiration from IMA and Robby Moto Engineering doing it just like this.

The whole triple tree will be made out of 6082 aluminium, glass bead blasted and anodized clear. With off course some custom laser engraving! Finishing everything off with titanium bolts.

Machining the one off M35x1.0 and M30x1.5 nuts will be a costly procedure. So I just ordered the ones that Robby Moto Engineering uses. The clear aluminium anodized version. Way cheaper so I designed the stem around these nuts.

Thanks Michel, Roel and Alexandre for reviewing my triple tree designs and sharing their feedback/knowledge <3 !

I also designed some other small parts. A fuel pump base plate that can be welded into the aluminium tank with a very small footprint, since I almost have no space for the pump. A signature plate for when the project is done. E mark plate for the exhaust to make it look like somewhat legal…. haha.

Im not a professional CAD/technical drawing designer. So the drawings are not perfect! It helped me out allot to see some examples, so maybe these can come to use for somebody else <3

CUSTOM 50MM EXHAUST VALVE

The exhaust valves I was planning to use were just to heavy. No way I can get those to a acceptable weight. So its time to build our own custom ones since nothing is available in the right size of 50mm.

For Project Venom Racing we have multiple 60mm BMW exhaust valves available. Thin walled and really lightweight. Also has a simpler axle/valve design then the other model. I donated 2 of those valves to the Desmoto project and decided to cut them up to use as a base. Nothing special, just an axle with a cylinder, but it already has hard stops milled in.

This is a situation where CAD is ideal to measure and test things out. Designed an oval valve with just the right clearances that will be laser cut to size.

Why exhaust valves? To allow me to somewhat reduce the sound of the exhaust when I get pulled over by the police… haha

STAINLESS SIGNATURE FRAME PLATES

An artist or a inventor mark their work with their signature right? Not sure if I am neither but this project does make me proud of looking at every time I see it in my living room. Can also say the same for other people that see the project in progress..

So I want to sign my work. That’s what these plates are for when the project is done. My signature and company name laser engraved on a stainless plate to mount somewhere on the frame :).

WOW! CUSTOM TRIPLE TREE PORN

Christmas started early this year… My order of custom parts arrived!!

You can see the specs of the triple tree in a previous post. Lets enjoy these pictures and let them speak for themself!

Really happy with how everything turned out. I would however next time change the bearing surfaces tolerances to a slightly tighter fit. There is no play at all, but could have been a little bit more snug to my liking.

EXHAUST E-MARK PLATES

Stainless lasercut and laser engraved e-mark plates for the exhaust silencer.

Im building a custom exhaust silencer for this bike, and to make it look even somewhat legal these e-mark plates will be mounted. A direct copy from a Termignoni Hypermotard 2-2 silencer.

Lets not have a discussion if this is allowed because this is a grey area…

FUEL PUMP BASE PLATES

Also these simple but effective parts arrived! Aluminium fuel pump mounting plates with some Desmoto and FTR laser engraving.

Im building a custom aluminum fuel tank later in the project and needed a way to mount the 1098 fuel pump within the tank. This mounting plate has a very small footprint since I have no space at all and gets welded on to the tank from the inside.

START ON THE CUSTOM EXHAUST SILENCER

Started working on the custom carbon exhaust silencer with double teardrop ends (50mm). This teardrop exhaust tip has been one of the key designs I have had in my head since day one.

All still very rough, starting shaping some foam to get the shape and test fit it on the bike. With that foam model I can create a puck and mold to make the carbon shell for the silencer.

Going to be a challenge to get everything fitted beneath the seat.

START ON THE ALUMINIUM SUBFRAME

Now that the triple tree is done and the lines of the bike are really becoming more and more definitive now its time to get the subframe sorted. All made out of 20mm aluminium tubing. Using the same method as before to get the tubes bend, filling it with sand and then heating it up with a torch.

This was a process… I think I made 5 or 6 iterations before I found a shape I actually liked.

Light as hell! Only weighing 580 grams and more than strong enough.

One of the “dreams” I had when I started welding and building motorcycles was creating a custom aluminium subframe. Finally can check that one off my list. Really proud and happy with the end result and the welds really improved while working on this.
But damn its hard to make sure a structure like this doesn’t warp and twist because of the heat while welding. It didn’t warp much luckily because of the jig, but it take some finesse to get it mounted back on the bike.

CURRENT STATE OF THE PROJECT

Current state of the Desmoto project on 19 Nov 2023… Finally its taking form!

A true treasure box of custom parts by myself and custom/performance parts by allot of different company’s…

It has taken a long time to get here, but I now have the feeling momentum is going and the end is in sight. Yes still allot of work to do, complex work also like carbon fairings and the custom exhaust for example. But its taking a form that I am already really proud of.

First reaction from people when they see it in this state = WOW & Damn how much does it weigh… Im hoping we will go way below 150KG wet, and if I now move the bike around it still feels like a moped. Its that light haha!

Up next!? Custom aluminium fuel tank!

BUILD IN PROGRESS

Last update NOV 2023