Restoring a Crashed Ducati 1098

Like a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts, I have an appreciation for the finer motorcycles in life, Ducati's, Aprilia's, KTM's and Bimota's. Unfortunately, those champagne tasting two-wheelers are not something you buy with one night sleep, acquiring an exotic superbike takes the sort of monetary contortions that would shame a average Thai banker. Case in point: After my first Ducati 916 snapped a camshaft belt and blew a cylinder, I was determined to maintain my place among Ducatisti despite having to dump now-and-than a motorcycle for a loss.

Last year I sold my Ducati 1098S, and while I have bought a 1198S I still seem to miss the 1098S. Surfing the Internet, I located, a person, who had a 1098 for sell – the Ducati 1098 was a damaged motorcycle, showing only 3265 kilometers, a few dents and scratches from a low-side crash. My rationalization? The asking price was less than half what a Ducati 1098 should cost, and this one had a Termignoni slip-on. The Thai registration paperwork was all okay. Who could resist? Once back in my garage and offloading the Ducati 1098 was rough and a little dirty – but nothing the aftermarket couldn't cure.

Its few mechanical problems could be easily rectified – or so I thought. Italian motorcycles don't dig rain, or being left outdoors, which is where this motorcycle had been, as evidenced by hard starting. In went a new battery. Most of the Ducati's problems were purely cosmetic, so I went online and ordered a few body-parts from Ebay and some other trusty sources...

The broken front brake lever was replaced with an LP item, but to remind myself of the motorcycle's humble roots, I left in place a raggedy old engine bolt that had been adapted as a shifter peg.

Because carbon fiber is to a Ducati what chrome is to a Harley-Davidson, I decided to replace most damaged bodyparts with carbon-fiber replacements (if available). After the first month the damaged Ducati 1098 was starting to look like something to be proud of, though the vast expenses of red paint needed some extra budget... I'm not in a hurry the raining season is still upon-us so no hurry...