Austin Cafe Racer

I love cafe racers. The minimalistic design approach, heavy on form over function, borders on perfection. Japanese air-cooled bikes of the 1970′s are not only quintessential examples of this design philosophy but are also so ubiquitous that they have recently been embraced by hipster culture. I have recently began to look beyond the bikes of the 70′s and have been toying with the idea of working on American V-Twins and Italian naked bikes. I had a vague idea that my next bike would be a two cylinder, simply because they are much easier to work on, and that I would temporarily move away from carburetors. So I began to search for a fuel-injected bike in a fairly decent price range that I could mold into a modern cafe racer. My search started and ended with Ducati. I knew I wanted a Monster and knew the bike would have to be at least a 2005 model. Narrowing down my search by year helped me find only bikes that were fuel-injected and thus much more reliable.

As I searched for used bikes on craigslist I narrowed down the model even more. I had grown quite fond of the S2R model for many reasons:

1. The single-sided-swingarm: A gorgeous design by Ducati that accentuates the rear wheel and rear end. Once again, following the cafe racer aesthetic, that simplicity sets the bike apart from others.

2. The APTC clutch: I had read many great things about this clutch.

3. The Fairings: The bikini fairing up front over the headlight is a classic example of cafe racer styling straight out of Europe. The included seat cowl cleans up the rear end and makes for a smart looking solo seat when installed.

4. So many after market add-ons: Plain and simple, it’s easy to find both existing OEM and third-party parts for the bike.

5. It’s a DUCATI.

Sure there were several out there on craigslist, but many were yellow or orange––I needed a black one, and after a few weeks of searching I picked up a 2005 black and tangerine red Monster S2R for a fair price. The engine was rock solid and ran perfectly, though, it was fairly dirty and looked like it hadn’t been washed or cleaned in many years. The tires were perfect, the paint was perfect, it just required a little attention and love.

Really nothing much do modify except ripping off what isn’t needed and blacking out stuff that Ducati should of done from the factory.

Stay tuned!