Walt Siegl Ducati Hypermotard Dakar
Walt Siegl Ducati Hypermotard Dakar | |
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Ducati Hypermotard Dakar Rally by Walt Siegl
This Dakar Rally inspired Ducati Hypermotard is the latest creation from Walt Siegl Motorcycles, The project was commissioned by a European friend of Walts, over a three-hour coffee meeting in downtown LA. The brief was to give the Hyper a bit more vintage flair. But vintage and Hypermotard are not words you expect to see in the same sentence. The Hyper was Ducatis attempt at a radical new approach to design in the mid-2000s, driven by CEO Federico Minoli (who, incidentally, is now a part-owner of Deus Milano). The stock bodywork is angular and pointed, and there are signs of computer-aided design everywhere. Its not the easiest bike to revamp, but that didnt deter Walt.
I took the project on as a challenge,
despite the low budget, he says. I knew Id have to
keep the stock suspension, frame and swing arm, and the
aluminum wheels.
But thats no bad thing. With almost 100
horsepower going to the back wheel, and 50mm Marzocchi
forks up front, your regular Hypermotard 1100 provides
plenty enough thrills for most riders.
Walt decided to focus on the bodywork,
and take his cue from the 1980s. As we all know, the
80s are considered a difficult period for design, he
says.
But its when motorcycle designers
started pushing new technologylike the single-sided
swing arm, computer-controlled fuel injection systems,
frameless design, and forged aluminum components.
I knew that by using 1980s design
elements, I could work with the Hypermotard. And with
its tall suspension and steep steering angle, the Hyper
lends itself to that all-business Dakar look too.
The new composite bodywork looks
gloriousand it weighs much less than the parts molded
in the Bologna factory. Walt built his own hot knife,
took a seven-foot long Styrofoam block, and carved out
the shapes.
After using files to fine-tune the
block, Walt wrapped it in fiberglass for structural
integrity, and started crafting the details with
automotive bondo. The final shape was then used to build
composite molds for the end product.
The new body is in three pieces, and is
attached to the chassis with aluminum standoffs. It
takes just three minutes to remove.
Walt even shaped the neatly integrated
screen in fiberglass; it was finished off by Gustafsson
Plastics, who have been making screens for custom bikes
since 1968.
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