Monthly Archives: October 2014

I saw this particular bike on BikeEXIF a while back and thought it was stunning, so I was very excited to see it up for sale. If you’re not familiar, Venier’s 999VX was basically a stripped-down Ducati 999 that turned the Italian firm’s ugly duckling into a swan.

From its introduction, Pierre Terblanche's follow up to the iconic 916 was controversial. The aggressive face was replaced by stacked projector-beam headlamps, the slick single-sided swingarm was replaced by a stiffer, lighter dual-sided unit. And the bodywork was very technical, almost futuristic, with aerodynamic winglets and vents. In spite of a forward-looking design that addressed its predecessor's many and well-documented shortcomings, there was something strangely un-sexy about it. Like Hajime Sorayama's “Gynoids”, [do not Google that if you’re at work] the shapes, while superfically sexy, are maybe too clinical, not organic enough...

Or maybe I'm just overthinking it, and the 999 was just plain weird-looking.

But that tank. That sexy, sexy tank. It’s a beautiful shape, easily my favorite part of Terblanche’s design, next to the trellis frame. And apparently, I'm not the only one to notice. I’ve seen a couple other custom 999/749’s that strip away the fairing to reveal that heavily-sculpted piece, and Venier’s VX takes the controversial 999 and pares it back to the basics: two wheels, a tank, and an engine.

From the original eBay listing: 2003 Ducati 999VX by Venier Customs

I have always admired the subtlety and thoughtfulness with which Stefano Venier approaches his custom builds. They are never flashy, almost always black, and have a purity of form to them that is often lost when builders try to hard to make a statement. He does not use over-the-top components to grab the eye, but instead focuses on making a design that feels unified and whole.

Over the last few years, he has become one of the most well known and respected custom bike builders in the industry. Very few builders have had more bikes featured on BikeExif and other popular sites.

With this 999, he has taken that concept and applied it to a 999 that was formerly the race machine of fashion photographer Riccardo Vimercati. The bike was upgraded in many ways (listed below) and also has a brand new motor with only a 10 or so test laps on it. As a race bike it saw action on some of Europe's most famous circuits, but Vimercati decided he wanted to create a street bike. We think the result is stunning. The bike is located at my shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

It's likely that almost any design to follow the iconic 916 would have failed, but the flack the 999 generated was pretty shocking, for a machine that was a definite step forward in terms of both performance and comfort. All I know is that I like the 999 as a motorcycle, but not as a Ducati. I really loved the concept bikes Terblanche did for Moto Guzzi, and I’m disappointed those ideas haven’t found an expression in their production motorcycles.

This particular custom addresses the problems most people have with the style of the bike: it’s simple and classic, and shows off the beautiful frame and sculpted tank, while retaining the high-spec suspension and engine, shaving weight off an already lightweight machine. This should be a pretty amazing bike to ride, assuming it’s been properly set up: removing the fairing can play a bit of havoc with weight distribution. Not that anyone’s likely to ride a gorgeous one-off like this very aggressively.

There are two days left on the auction, with bidding up over $11,000 and the Reserve Not Yet Met. No surprise, since the level of craftsmanship and taste on display here is pretty hard to beat at any price. One of the best, classiest customs I’ve ever seen.

-tad