DOUBLE ESPRESSO – Ducati Monster S2R
Written by Martin Hodgson | Photography by Keith Treder
When it comes to motorcycles, it turns out that if you ask for ‘just what the doctor ordered’ then the answer is a tricked out
Ducati. To discover this, we didn’t just turn to any old medicine man, but Dr Chris Stout who was named one of the World Economic Forum’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow. They’re serious credentials and he’s a busy man, so to build his perfect weekend weapon to deliver that two-wheeled therapy he assembled a talented crew. Together they’ve brewed up a potent
café racer from the unique
Ducati Monster S2R: they call it the ‘Double Espresso’!
But with a busy schedule and wanting the bike to be built just right, this was no four week turnaround. “This project has taken five years and the talents of many to conceptualise, source parts, fabricate bespoke bits, and create this show bike. The thread stitching everything together was to have a
café racer that was a bit different than the rest,” the good doctor tells us. And despite this being his third
Ducati this one “honestly, is by far the most fun to ride.”
The choice to begin with the S2R means the base product is already an exceptional piece of kit, so rather than go overboard, the plan was to enhance every area of the motorcycle so it would look as good as it performed. Parts were slowly collected from all over the US, with other pieces coming from
Germany,
Italy obviously and those that couldn’t be bought were fabricated.
First on the bench was the 803cc L-Twin Desmo engine that was developed to fill the hole between the torque
monster 1000 and the under powered 600. To ensure smooth operation the rebuild includes the vital cam belt change, now only partly obscured thanks to clear belt covers with billet surrounds. The clutch on the S2R was an early version of a slipper and now fitted with racing plates from Barnett the operation is perfect for aggressive riding.
But what really unleashes the
classic sound and soul of the Desmo Twin is the fitment of the Dual right sided carbon fibre Termignoni exhaust system. On the other side of the engine the air filter has been replaced with a K&N unit, while the emission gear has been ditched. To make the most of the mods the
Ducati Performance ECU has a Rexxer reflash and the bike now spits out a dyno proven 83hp at the rear wheel; a solid spike over standard.
With that sort of fun ready to be unleashed, Chris wanted a bike that caught the eye and it’s impossible to miss those Paolo Tex fork covers that give the
Monster a very confederate feel. While balancing out the now meaty front end is a belly pan from GSG, that stops the bike looking too top heavy. Out back things get cleaned up with a Zenmoto fender eliminator kit and integrated tail light system.
With the S2R being a special piece of
Ducati history, the decision was made to wrap the bike and preserve the factory paint. The Satin Red is certainly eye popping and a change from the usual blood hue seen on
Ducati‘s. But the Tricolor strips running down the bike are the perfect piece of tradition and matched with the Stout graphics you’d need to be wearing blinkers to miss this
Monster motoring by.
The handling is already brilliant with fully adjustable kit from the factory, but a change to S4R rear links make height adjustability a breeze. Improving on the stock Brembo brakes isn’t easy but Galfer cross-drilled rotors get that job done. While a set of Marchesini forged alloy rims keep the unsprung weight down and get wrapped in the best rubber. With Vortex racing clip-ons and Gotham cycles footpegs giving a more race ready riding position.
There are so many little touches and changes it would be impossible to name them all, but the low mounted Vapor Digital LCD multifunction dash certainly cleans up the front end. While a lightweight Yuasa battery and LED lighting strips further weight off this already light and flickable machine. Chris is eager to thank the Illinois based businesses that made it all happen,
The Toy Shop, Miki’s Motorcycles and Midwest Muscle Cars. The idea was never to reinvent the wheel, but like the creation from your local Barista, Double Espresso provides the perfect punch on a Sunday morning.
