This is cafe racer project you are looking for a great and simple to see several different versions of the same Ducati. This may even seem like it was built by someone who didn’t know what he wanted. But I look at it from a different angle.
Personally, I think this project is an excellent example of someone looking to achieve one goal. Perfection. This perfect-looking Ducati is not the work of a professional builder, and it belongs to Kei Kishimoto, from Japan.
Kei-San’s excellent taste seems to go beyond this custom motorcycle. Because their own photos are really awesome. If you check its Instagram, you will confirm it is impossible to find a bad picture. So, contrary to what it may seem, this Ducati is not the 800cc version.
In reality, it is based on the Scrambler Sixty2. This is the smallest Ducati scrambler cafe racer on the market, with only 400 cubic centimeters. This is one of the features I admire the most about this motorcycle. Because it is always tough to tell what Scrambler version we are looking at.
If we compare the 3 versions, you will see that the differences are very subtle. But for all those who live in the European Union and have an A2 driving license, the Scrambler Sixty 2 is probably the most beautiful motorcycle. But getting back to this very cool project, let me explain how things started.
Judging by all these photos, it is easy to conclude that Kei-San, is an enormous enthusiast of the cafe racer style. But it is also easy to see that the building process was a difficult birth. It is important to clarify that the scrambler cafe racer version exists only with the 800 cc engine.
Therefore, it is only natural that Kei-San tried a similar rear cowl on his Sixty2 model. This is how the custom cafe racer project evolved over 4 years. And during all this time, Kei-San created 5 different versions. But let’s check out how the project reached this point. As you see, the first version was not bad at all.
The rear cowl looks nice, and the mini fairing is perfectly aligned with the fuel tank. The main problem seems to be on the clip-ons location. Notice how they have to be in a shallow position to fit in the opening of this mini fairing. I am sure this causes a very uncomfortable position for the rider.
Kei-San tried leather pads on the fuel tank side covers on the second version modern cafe racer. I’ve seen this approach work well in some cases. But not on this one. And so we come to the project’s third version.
Other Project : BMW K100 Cafe Racer, Formula 1 Inspired, Horizontal Suspension
The mini fairing was removed, and the clip-ons were finally relocated to where they should be. And it now has a new and classic cafe racer seat, which is precisely what didn’t work as expected.
While this seat looks good, it doesn’t seem to fit this project. Especially when viewed from the side perspective. The rear appears to be too high, and the middle section is misaligned with the fuel tank’s bottom.
And this is precisely what Kei-San solved in the fourth version. He finally got a perfect custom made seat and rear cowl. A new and shiny paint job, with some dark golden details, to create some refinement.
The new brown leather side bags, and a Classic fuel cap, also seem to fit the project good. The rear suspension may look like it was lifted. But in reality, this is an illusion.
Kei-San decided to install a wider rear tire of the same size from the 800cc Scrambler version. The alloy wheel is still the same. But now, the project gained more volume, becoming much more robust than it was.
This fourth version is the state in which I saw the project for the first time. And when I contacted Kei-San to make this video, he asked for more time to make some additional modifications. And guess what. He changed precisely what I thought could be improved.
And so, the fifth and final version was born. As you see, the headlight is now closer to the front suspension, and the fork top section was cut to align with the top triple tree.
The timing belt covers gained a polished finish with some dark gold details. And new exhaust pipes with independent mufflers. But let’s hear why he changed cafe racer parts for the exhaust system.
As you heard, it sounds much better. As I previously said, Kei-San is not a professional builder. That is why he left the more complicated modifications to the professionals. I see this very cool Ducati as a relatively clean and straightforward project.
And I admire Kei Kishimoto for his pursuit of perfection. Because one of the things, which is extremely difficult to do on a personal Custom project, is being an honest critic. And this beautiful Ducati is an excellent example of that honest way of evaluating our own work.
But here is an interesting question. Can We see the 4 previous versions of the project as failures? No. Like Thomas Edison said, about the thousands of attempts to create the first light bulb. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways, that won’t work.”
This is a very unorthodox statement, but definitely a valid point. It is the same as saying, Failure is the path to success. But this success would not be possible without persistence, humility, and willpower.