Photo: mkfotografie.nl
If anything, having “Ducati 1199 Panigale S” and “café-racer” in the same sentence sounds a bit off. Alright, it sounds really off, but it looks like if you’re speaking Dutch, things are not as weird as it may seem to us. Moto Puro is a Dutch custom workshop, so you should be able to guess what’s next… A sizzling hot, luxurious café-racer based on the acclaimed, multi-award winning Ducati 1199 Panigale S.
The Moto Puro Elite II is a tribute to the 1959 Ducati 200 Elite, a single-cylinder machine whose engine was based on the highly-popular 175cc shaft driven OHC engine and which sported a desmodromic valve system. Ducati’s Desmodromic valves were becoming to show their potential in the late 50’s, as Fabio Taglioni’s engineering was proving that higher performance was attainable. Though not a real sport bike or a full-on café racer, it looks like the 200 Elite captivated the guys at Moto Puro just enough to transform a killer Panigale into a tribute machine.
Now, to the untrained eye, the new Ducati Elite II has nothing to do with the amazing 1199 Panigale superbike and it’s only certain details which tell the true story behind this luscious café-racer. The “sovrastrutture” was tossed away and the Elite II has no more traces of the fluid Panigale fairings which used to engulf the beastly engine in their racing embrace.
New front panels have been fabricated, alongside with a new basepan for the custom suede seat and a rear hump. The whole rear section of the bike was completely hand-made in-house, including the amazing new tubular trellis subframe. The wheels have been replaced with wire-spoked units from Kineo, but are shod with high-performance tubeless tires. The USD fork remained intact, just like the brakes and it received a custom shorty front fender, while the original headlights have been replaced with a round, retro unit.
All the aluminium bits and pieces needed to bolt the new café-racer back together have been sourced at the Dutch CNC masters DPNS, and custom-made rear sets revised the riding position. A QD custom exhaust system replaced the Termignoni one and the reverse cone megaphone mufflers no add to the consummate elegance of the Elite II. MW-Design has taken care of the perfect paint job, with deep, dark red and mirror chrome in perfect tonal sync with the magnesium engine covers and the gold anodized Ohlins forks.
The dash remained the same, but low, clubman-style bars are another café-racer-specific detail which makes this build hot as hell, just like the retro fuel cap. Now, would you buy such a café kit?
Now, to the untrained eye, the new Ducati Elite II has nothing to do with the amazing 1199 Panigale superbike and it’s only certain details which tell the true story behind this luscious café-racer. The “sovrastrutture” was tossed away and the Elite II has no more traces of the fluid Panigale fairings which used to engulf the beastly engine in their racing embrace.
New front panels have been fabricated, alongside with a new basepan for the custom suede seat and a rear hump. The whole rear section of the bike was completely hand-made in-house, including the amazing new tubular trellis subframe. The wheels have been replaced with wire-spoked units from Kineo, but are shod with high-performance tubeless tires. The USD fork remained intact, just like the brakes and it received a custom shorty front fender, while the original headlights have been replaced with a round, retro unit.
All the aluminium bits and pieces needed to bolt the new café-racer back together have been sourced at the Dutch CNC masters DPNS, and custom-made rear sets revised the riding position. A QD custom exhaust system replaced the Termignoni one and the reverse cone megaphone mufflers no add to the consummate elegance of the Elite II. MW-Design has taken care of the perfect paint job, with deep, dark red and mirror chrome in perfect tonal sync with the magnesium engine covers and the gold anodized Ohlins forks.
The dash remained the same, but low, clubman-style bars are another café-racer-specific detail which makes this build hot as hell, just like the retro fuel cap. Now, would you buy such a café kit?
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