This Ducati 748 is track-ready after receiving a complete overhaul

Presented with a Ducati 748 in need of a major facelift, Michael Vienne of Championship Cycles has done just that with his latest project.

Some of you will know the Ducati 748 as a motorcycle with similarities to the iconic Ducati 916, which went on to achieve great success in World Superbike during the 1990s. Many components of the two models were shared, with a smaller engine and narrower rear wheel on the 748 being the main differences.

But this 748, which started life as a fully-faired sportbike, has been reinvented as a track-focused naked-retro bike.

Production of the 748 was halted by Ducati in 2002, so finding a model, especially one that looks as good as new, won't be easy. But the transformation of this bike certainly gives off that feel.

When the bike arrived at Championship Cycles, it was in desperate need of some TLC, as it reportedly had no cooling or electrical system and no controls. The bike’s engine was also disassembled and completely rebuilt by a specialised workshop. The cylinder heads were skimmed, while a Ducabike slipper clutch was fitted.

The bike’s cast wheels were then relieved of their duties, with forged aluminium items from Dymag taking over. A Nitron three-way remote-adjustable rear shock was added in order to improve handling, while the braking system was also tweaked with much larger six-piston items from PFM being fitted.

The ECU, once located at the tail section of the bike, now resides in the bike’s half-faired front end, just behind the instrument panel. The 748’s carbon half fairing comes courtesy of Corsa Garage, while the Li-ion battery, start-up system, and regulator now live in the rear subframe.

For those of you wondering if you can buy the bike, sadly, it is not up for sale as it was rebuilt specially for a very lucky customer.

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