The Ducati 750 SS is criminally underrated as a candidate for personalisation. Certain, the oft-maligned Supersport is unlikely to win any magnificence contests, and its 748 cc L-twin motor manages a barely sufficient 64 hp. However it additionally weighs a paltry 183 kilos [403 pounds], comes with first rate suspension and Brembo brakes, and has a suitably Italian trellis body lurking beneath its podgy fairings.
It’s the enduring Ducati trellis body that attracted Chiel Nipius to the 750 SS within the first place—that, and the truth that his buddy was promoting one for simply the fitting amount of cash.
Primarily based in The Netherlands, Chiel is the artistic drive behind the {custom} store Nius Moto, launched simply two years in the past. Now in his mid-20s, Chiel received his begin working at Arjan van den Increase’s store, Ironwood Customized Bikes. He’s been flying solo since leaving there—and to this point, he’s impressed at each flip.
The concept behind this explicit undertaking was to showcase Chiel’s skillset, and to have one thing to take to {custom} bike reveals, earlier than ultimately promoting it and shifting on to the following construct. “I needed to create a unadorned race bike with a little bit of streetfighter spirit,” he tells us. “I purchased the Ducati as a result of I needed to construct one thing with a extra trendy vibe than the classic Hondas I’ve performed.”
Chiel provides that the 2002-model donor bike was in pretty good situation—however that didn’t cease him from binning nearly all of its plastic bodywork. The deeply contoured 750 SS gasoline tank managed to outlive the cull, but it surely was liberated of its rubber tummy pad.
With no consumer backing the undertaking, Chiel additionally needed to be wise in regards to the finances. So big-ticket gadgets just like the Ducati’s wheels, Brembo brake calipers, Marzocchi forks, and Sachs shock have been all stripped, refurbished, and refinished. There’s contemporary paint on the brake calipers and darkish anthracite powder coating on the wheels and rear shock spring.
Chiel additionally upgraded the braking system with new pads and hoses, and shod the wheels with Pirelli Diablo Corsa tires. Likewise, the engine was handled to new coatings—however no main inner upgrades. Chiel merely deleted the airbox and wedged in a pair of froth filters.
The concept right here, he tells us, was to place the concentrate on fabrication relatively than “loopy new elements.” And nowhere is that strategy extra obvious than on the 750’s brutally elegant exhaust system. Pie-cut chrome steel headers snake their method across the engine, earlier than crossing each other and exiting in a pair of high-mounted aftermarket mufflers.
The cans flank a bespoke subframe, sporting a good trellis sample that enhances the Ducati’s principal body fantastically. Skeletal in nature, it contains an built-in seat help that suspends the saddle behind the tank. “The stance is kind of radical,” Chiel admits, “however it’s undoubtedly rideable.”
Between the dearth of any fairings and the uncovered tail part design, Chiel was left with loads of uncovered wiring on his arms. So he repackaged the wiring, after which fabricated a collection of metal covers to cover all the pieces away. Painted black, they sit just under the gasoline tank, and beneath the seat pan.
The rear field additionally hosts a Highsider LED taillight, whereas the custom-made license plate bracket that extends out from beneath the seat wears Motogadget flip alerts and a Koso plate mild. A hand-crafted rear wheel hugger sits decrease down, bolted on to the swingarm.
On the reverse finish of the Supersport, Chiel fabricated a bracket that bolts to each yokes, designed to carry the handmade entrance nacelle, a Highsider LED, and Motogadget flip alerts. It additionally serves as a neat strategy to maintain the entrance cables tidy. A Daytona sprint does responsibility behind it, with Barracuda grips adorning the OEM clip-ons.
A neat aluminum entrance fender provides a closing handmade contact, held in place by {custom} bracketry. “I needed to make a brand new aluminum gasoline tank too,” says Chiel, “however I wasn’t prepared for it but. That can are available future tasks.”
Chiel’s Ducati 750 SS café racer is completed in a easy, but extremely impactful, coloration scheme. The gray hue on the bodywork comes from Porsche’s catalog, whereas the body is powder coated with a bronze metal-flake impact. Tidy upholstery with an automotive-inspired stitching sample covers the seat.
A little bit svelte and a bit savage, this Supersport is a testomony to Chiel’s creativeness—and his workshop chops. Now any individual please purchase it, in order that he can get cracking on his subsequent hit.
Nius Moto Instagram | Photographs by Paul van Mondfrans Lindén
