Motorcycle News - A very particular Panigale: Mr Motorcycles’ Ducati 899
https://ift.tt/2HnEwfP There’s a definite trend to stripping the bodywork off modern Ducatis. And we’re all for it. The superbike engines may not have the retro elegance of a Triumph parallel twin or a BMW boxer, but there’s an intricate, H.R. Giger-esque mechanical quality to them. This 2014 899 Panigale comes from Mr Motorcycles of Montréal, in Canada’s Québec province. Mathieu Renaud started the shop as a part-time venture in 2012: “I was looking for something to do during the winter,” he says, “because I’d sold my snowmobile due to the lack of snow in Quebec. In two years I built three custom Hondas for myself, and was invited to exhibit one of them—a 1979 CX500—at the Montréal motorcycle show.”
The goal for the 899 Panigale was to transform it into a modern cafe racer while maintaining its performance and giving it an aggressive look. But the job almost didn’t happen.
Mathieu and Hervé usually restrict themselves to one or two projects a year, because the most important thing is to do it right. “Quality over quantity at all times,” Mathieu says.
For the engine, they added a slipper clutch with a clear wet clutch cover. They’ve also powder coated several engine cases—as well as the wheels—in gloss black, with frame parts powder coated in matte black.
New pipes are terminated with Arrow mufflers, and the ECU was given a Woolich reflash and tune on the Turcotte Performance dyno. “We removed the restrictions on the throttle opening and the exhaust valve, but the main thing was to make the radiator fan operate at a lower temperature,” says Mathieu.
On the dyno, peak rear wheel horsepower was measured at 136, a boost of around 5% over a showroom bike.
Leading the way is an adaptive J.W. Speaker headlight, that follows the movement of the motorcycle when cornering. There’s a custom bracket to secure the fairing, lighting and dashboard.
The wires are now hooked up to Motogadget blinkers; and Mathieu chose the same brand for the mirrors and grips.
The paint was entrusted to JP Huet, and the color is Ford’s classic ‘Wimbledon White.’ “We opted for a tone that would give it a classy feel, and will last for the years to come,” says Mathieu.
Mathieu Renaud Instagram | Hervé Remetter Instagram | Images by Jean-Sébastien Dénommé | Video by Gabriel Lalande Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c September 23, 2020 at 12:35PM Leave a Reply. |
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9/23/2020
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