851-Inspired Tricolore Is a Custom Ducati Monster More Complex Than Most

Currently, you’ll find him operating as XTR Pepo in the Spanish capital of Madrid, where he continues to build some of the coolest one-off gems you’ll ever come across. He no longer sticks solely to one particular marque, but Ducati is still the manufacturer whose bikes end up on his workbench most frequently. Of course, XTR is short for “extreme,” and the projects pieced together by Pepo certainly live up to that name.

His latest endeavor (aka the Tricolore) is what you would call a parts bin special, adorned with stylistic cues nodding to Bologna’s iconic 851. The build was commissioned by a client who sought to give endurance racing a go, so it didn’t require any street-legal bits like a license plate bracket or turn signals. Going fast and looking fly were the main objectives here, and Pepo’s starting point was the unmistakable trellis skeleton of a first-gen Ducati Monster.

First things first, the main frame was strengthened and braced in various places for additional rigidity, but the standard subframe got taken out of the equation. In its stead, the project’s author fitted an aluminum substitute taken from a race-spec 851, cleverly tweaking it to play nice with the Monster’s frame. He kept it in the family when it came to the swingarm, employing the modded item of a different Monster model.

At the front, we’re greeted by an ST3’s inverted forks and three-spoke wheel, with the former being fully refurbished and held in place via a Monster 900’s triple clamps. The ST3 donated its rear hoop, as well, and both of them were clad in grippy ContiRaceAttack 2 rubber from Continental. XTR Pepo really went to town with the brakes, installing some serious kit fore and aft.

Discacciati rotors, Brembo calipers, and EBC pads are all present, along with Frentubo hoses and the radial master cylinders of a Ducati 1098. Rear-end suspension duties come under the jurisdiction of a YSS shock absorber, which is mated to a custom linkage. Now then, let’s go ahead and see what power source was chosen for the Tricolore.

Pepo went with the tried-and-true Testastretta engine, yanking it out of a Monster S4RS and giving it a complete rebuild prior to installation. The motor gained more internal upgrades than you can shake a stick at, but some of them include a lightweight TSS flywheel, premium clutch componentry, and a tailor-made airbox fashioned in-house.

Exhaust gases are routed through bespoke stainless-steel headers and Sil-Motor Roche replica mufflers made of carbon fiber. The work done to the electronics was equally complex, as Pepo made partial use of a 998’s wiring harness and two separate ECUs. Each of them handles different engine functions, and the motorcycle’s only instrumentation consists of a multi-function dial from Aviacompositi. The cockpit is also home to clip-on handlebars and a Domino throttle.

On the cosmetic front, an 851’s full fairing is the star of the show, placed on handmade brackets and fitted with a round, yellow-tinted headlamp. The front fender originates from a 1098, while the rear wheel hugger is a carbon fiber module built from scratch. In addition, Pepo took it upon himself to shape a new fuel tank out of fiberglass, but he sourced the tail section from an 888.

Two plain seat pads have been laid onto the latter, and the gas tank was topped with a race-style billet aluminum filler cap. Ducabike rearsets round out the Tricolore’s ergonomic package, while an LED taillight provides some basic illumination out back. When it came time to pick an appropriate color scheme, there was only one logical choice for a machine with this name and heritage.

XTR Pepo penned the concept digitally, creating a gorgeous red, white, and green livery with tons of stylish graphics all-round. Then, he handed things over to Artenruta for execution, and has meanwhile busied himself with powder-coating the frame. The end result is nothing short of magnificent, bringing a fit conclusion to all the exceptional work performed here.

The Tricolore seems fully prepared to hit the racetrack and look the part doing it, so Pepo’s mission was most certainly accomplished. He invested countless hours into this build and every single one of them has paid off in spades, as his bespoke head-turner is far from your ordinary Monster build! It’s a testament to XTR’s willingness to push boundaries and avoid taking the simple route, while still achieving a fantastic outcome in the end.