One-Off Ducati Monster S2R Claudia Is a Showstopper in the Truest Sense of the Word

Retro stylistic elements are the name of the game on pretty much all the bikes built by this Bohemian outfit, yet their undertakings don’t always start with a classic machine. It doesn’t matter whether the donor is modern or vintage, though, because the Gas and Oil (G&O) squad knows how to do a fantastic job with both.

Case in point: the custom head-turner they nicknamed Claudia is a thrilling display of neo-retro charm, and it used to be a 2006 Ducati Monster S2R 1000 in its previous incarnation. G&O’s client wanted them to retain and enhance the Monster’s definitive traits, emphasizing that more of onlookers’ attention ought to be drawn to its iconic trellis frame in particular. As you can clearly see, the guys knocked this commission straight out of the ballpark!

The S2R 1000 was a great starting point, too, featuring many of the original design cues penned by Miguel Galluzzi and topping them off with modern performance. In many ways, this thing is the best of both worlds, and its fuel-injected 992cc desmodromic L-twin offers a very healthy 95 stallions to play with. The mill is also one torquey little devil, with a maximum output reaching 69 pound-feet (94 Nm) at 6,000 rpm.

With items such as Brembo brakes, fully-adjustable Showa forks, and a progressive Sachs monoshock, the S2R’s running gear is nothing to sneeze at, either! Gas and Oil wisely decided to keep all the aforementioned goodies, as well as the stock 17-inch Marchesini wheels. They retained the OEM fuel tank, as well, repainting it in a handsome shade of pale blue with vintage-style Ducati graphics done in gold.

A much smaller steel fender replaces the factory part at the front, mounted on custom brackets and adorned with the same hue as the gas tank. The motorcycle saw its five-spoke Marchesini hoops wrapped in a grippy pair of Mutant tires from Dunlop, and handmade mounting hardware was once again used to attach a Koso LED headlight.

You’ll find a whole load of fresh equipment behind the said headlamp, all working together to keep the cockpit area as clean as possible. The only instrumentation consists of a Motogadget speedometer, which is accompanied by an all-new Renthal handlebar featuring even more items from Motogadget’s catalog. These include glassless rear-view mirrors and bar-end turn signals, but we see aftermarket grips and switches of unstated origin, too.

The Duc’s subframe was extended and looped, then its entire skeleton got powder-coated gold to make it stand out and contrast against the blue bodywork. Moreover, the modified rear frame tubing received a flush-mounted LED taillight and an inconspicuous license plate holder that also houses tiny blinkers. Up top lies a bespoke solo seat upholstered in snazzy brown leather, along with a small Braasi Industry pouch for storage.

You wouldn’t be able to fit very much in that bag, but we reckon it should come in pretty handy for G&O’s customer at times. It’s secured in place via a set of magnets so as to allow a quick and easy removal – just a neat little trick showcasing the crew’s attention to detail. Claudia’s electrical system was hooked up to a lithium-ion battery, and the standard drive chain made room for a gold D.I.D module that matches the color of the frame.

As the bike’s twin-cylinder powerhouse was quite weary before the overhaul began, Sysel’s specialists had it subjected to a complete rebuild and repaint. They installed an open clutch in the process, while deleting the valve covers to expose some more of the engine’s moving parts. In addition, top-shelf Uni air filters are now located at the tips of the throttle bodies.

On the exhaust side of the equation, we notice custom-made pipework terminating in dual reverse megaphone silencers from Sharon’s range. The mufflers are held in place by a trellis bracket on the right-hand side of the rear wheel, and you’d be correct to assume that they called for a fuel remap before the Monster’s L-twin could make effective use of them.

Gas and Oil sourced an Ignitech ECU to massage the fueling, which is said to have taken more than 40 trial runs to get just right. Once it had been optimized, the desmodromic titan gained five extra ponies from all the mods, bringing its total to a nice and round 100 hp. With the performance upgrades out of the way, Claudia was ready to be handed back to its lucky owner.