HOTRIDE › DUCATI TiFIGHTER WORDS: FREON
PICS: ICON MOTO
Flesh
or just A case of catch 22?
Of the titans AT FIRST SIGHT THE TIFIGHTER IS NOT MORE THAN A RAT BIKE THAT SAW FIRST LIGHT ALREADY DEAD, BUT WHEN WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, IT’S OBVIOUS THAT SHE IS LOT MORE THAN AN OVERUSED RIDE. LET’S GET CLOSER TO THE BEAST, SHALL WE?
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HOTRIDE › DUCATI TiFIGHTER ALIAS: TiFIGHTER BUILDER: KURT WALTER GANG: TEAM ICON BASE: DUCATI MULTISTRADA YEAR: 2003 BUILD DURATION: LONG YEARS
MODS & PARTS:
ENGINE: Ducati DS1000 /unaltered/ FRAME: Arc Fabrications titanium trellis frame custom built WHEELS: GaleSpeed forged magnesium / Pirelli Diablo SuperCorsa tires EXHAUST: Arc Fabrications full titanium system custom built SUSPENSION: Öhlins gas charged superbike spec forks / Öhlins TTX shock BRAKES: Beringer Aerotec 320mm cast iron discs, Beringer monoblock calipers, radial master cylinder, Brembo rear caliper FUEL TANK: ETI FuelCel carbon fiber race tank OTHER MODS AND BITS: Attack Racing machined top and bottom yokes, Gilles Tooling adjustable rear sets, frame and axle bobbins/sliders, open clutch cover, open timing belt covers
While it might look tatty for the untrained eye, a track day in the 'hot seat' would tick all boxes. Hell yeah!
"ANGEL GALLUZZI MUST HAVE HAD SOMETHING IN MIND WHILE DESIGNING THAT VERY FIRST OF THE INFAMOUS BREED..." Sound advice indeed...
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or some time now, the death bells of printed media are tolled round this pretty globe but heck, those crazy Brits at Top Gear started to publish their monthly paper with a mere 200+ pages while at the other side of the pond our ‘gear gods’ at Icon Moto started to run their Limiter allure. Death of print? Think again! Speaking of Limiter, came this very bike not so long ago to my sight in Icon’s online blog . He builder and owner is no else than Icon’s design director Kurt Walter. If you’re into extreme street culture and pimped rides, you surely have seen those amazing co-labs of Icon and AFG Moto. The TiFighter is the latest bike to join that stable. The heart is an air-cooled Ducati DS1000 motor as found in Monsters, Multistradas, older Bimota DB5s and DB6s and the Tesi 2 & 3D. This one has been torn out from a Multi. Literally torn out, though the frame might seem oem, it isn’t. It’s been tailored to unique specs from titanium pipes by the hands of Doug Cook of Arc Fabrications. Kurt, the owner was on the verge to write them of
since he waited almost a year to get his hands on this maze of Ti chopsticks – but at the end of the day – /or year/ – the waiting paid off as Pat, the postman came with an incredibly small box. Besides the frame was a neat little full-on full-custom exhaust system also made by Doug – and from titanium obviously. Kurt has never seen a full frame so light and small to fit in such a small box. Has he been framed? Oh yes... We won’t lie to you, the air-cooled Duc is not a power plant, not in the near, but whoever had the chance to ride any bikes laden with such a ticker will confirm it’s as rewarding and joy to ride as it’s simple and yet torquey. Torquey indeed as it produces 63 or so ft/lbs while performance is around 85 hp at crank. We don’t have to tell you how important torque is compared to engine performance. Though both figures the bigger the better, or at least get a bigger dick! But let’s just not stray from the subject and evaluate our ugly duckling. No lamps or indicators, no mirrors, no street compliant shit whatsoever - it’s easy to guess - this masterpiece was built solely for track purposes. Kurt says, though it might loose ground on the younger and firmer tits of new era supersports but on the twisty bits the Fighter steps in and give them a real hard time. The lack of excess keeps weight to a minimum even the unsprung which makes handling a breeze, while spite of the weaker engine it fires out of corners like the wrath of the dragon and same story in the braking department. All remaining parts and bits are of titanium, carbon fiber of magnesium – the worthiest elements in biking alchemy. Talking of alchemy, check out those front stoppers! They could easily stop your stepfather’s heartbeat within a push of a lever. That Beringer not only looks the part, it does it’s job like no other. The French firm’s Aerotec kits are on par with any WSB spec brake sets no wonder many World Endurance teams choose their red wonders. These cast iron rotors give you such stopping power you won‘t find anywhere else, but the downside of this is you can‘t use them on the street since they rust faster than a sunk submarine. The lack of rust inhibitor in the mix means moist, rain will attack the surface and contaminate the pads as well. But who cares you might ask, this kind of top shelf stuff is not on the schedule of any mundane street rider, why would it be... To make sure she’s going to rule the asphalt ribbon, Kurt treated her with the finest of suspension, a full Ohlins kit – a nitrogen charged front fork and a TTX shock, while the icing on the cake comes in the form of an Ohlins steering damper. If you have a wee bit of experience with women, you know they all get shaky and full of fury on the bathroom scale but not our Fighter. According to Kurt, the bike should be around 330 lbs which is 250 two-stroke territory to say at least. Where are those damn keys?
ride_dict opefully, by this point it became clear for everyone: this beast may look like a rat, but it’s not. Albeit purist, far worthier and sophisticated it is. Indeed is the epitome of a joyride- having on board only but the most necessary and precious stuff, kits and bits, the fun and thrill factor is at it’s highest. Tough verdict without ever ridden it, huh? But it’s 100% true. While performance is modest, the minimal kept style and weight pays of in every corner, every straight and in between. The ‘inventor’ of naked styling, the father of the Monster family, the Argentinean Miguel Angel Galluzzi must have had something in mind while designing the very first of the infamous breed of species. What, the Multistrada is the wunderkind of French designer Pierre Terblanche? Who cares, even he would agree this one is way better than the original concept, wouldn’t he?
I bet you would picture a lot fancier ride if you were to see only the forks and the brake itself...
Loud cans save lives? At least Kurt's, yes!
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