NCR Designs DUCATIS on Steroids

Two distinctive super heavy weights in their categories. When these titans meet, you know something big is going to happen. The year was 1977 and Mike Hailwood was returning to the circuit after a decade of self imposed exile. He was 37 then after retiring at 26 after winning everything there was to win. Now he was back and to prove his mettle, he needed a partner that can match up with him. Steve Wynne, part time racer, proficient bike engineer helped out Mike in meeting the guys at NCR. And it was NCR that gave him a (now hallowed) specially prepared 883cc Ducati V-Twin. It was the 900SS. One year later, Mike raced at the Isle of Mann TT on the Ducati 900SS. What happened that year became motorcycling history as he beat Phil Reed (on a specialized Honda) to give Ducati its first ever world title. Go to Motorcycle Classics to read the story as told by Steve Wynne.
After 30 years of that race, NCR came out with the idea of replicating that Ducati bike and in 2009, the Ducati 900SS was reborn as the NCR MIKE HAILWOOD TT. Only 12 of them was to be made and that too on requests from clients. In case you are in line to be that suitable client, get ready to shell out $ 130,000.00 US. Small price to be a part of a legendary history, right?
And just like the typical NCR bikes, the Hailwood TT frame weighs only 5 kgs due to grade 9 Titanium. The total weight of the bike is just 136 kgs. The engine is a 1200cc twin producing power in excess of 130 bhp @ 87 rpm and torque figures of 13.5 Kgm/ 98 ft-lb) @ 7000 rpm. The engine has titanium connecting rods carved out of billet, high compression forged pistons with single piston ring, custom F1 type crankshaft from billet with longer stroke, NCR CORSE cams, titanium valves, ported heads, lightened gearbox, custom dry-type slipper clutch by APTC-NCR, full racing oil cooler, all fasteners in titanium. You can feel it right? I mean with all these goodies, it has to work, meaning go blindingly fast. It has carbon fibre bodywork displaying the colours that ‘Mike The Bike’ rode his Duc. Gadgets include NCR-EFI Euro 1 engine management system integrated with an AIM MXL Pista display and Lambda closed loop control. The front forks are MotoGP Ohlins FGR 900 Pressurized with adjustable triple clamps ably supported by carbon fiber wheels and full titanium exhaust system. Rear suspension is also from Ohlins. There are some more special parts going to thos one-of-a-kind special bike. Adjustable rear sets in titanium, gas cap assembly in titanium, clip-ons in aluminum with titanium tubes, triple clamps with adjustable offset from 28 to 36 mm and the steering damper with billet mount.The NCR MIKE HAILWOOD TT is officially endorsed by the Estate of Mike Hailwood and by the Department of Tourism and Leisure of Isle of Mann.
And then there is the NCR 848 that has been built in collaboration with Ducati North America. This really is an amazing bike in terms of racing. Of course anyway, you look at it, it is amazing, but it was made especially for racing. The project came out as Ducati wanted to participate and compete in the Parts Canada SBK Championship and so Ducati North America made NCR its official factory team knowing the success of NCR. NCR developed two 848s and the entire bike except for the engine was designed and developed by NCR. The bikes were ridden by NCR Factory rider Valter Bartolini and Canadian Andrew Nelson.. Visit the NCR Corse website for more details. What makes it more fruitful is the fact that in the Championship, between the two NCR Corse riders, they won all 7 rounds of the championship including all 7 pole positions and all new track records at every track (4 wins for Valter and 3 wins for Andrew) where the other participants were firms with backings from big corporate like BUELL (with their 1125R), KTM (with their Super Duke 990) and BMW (with their HP2). Such is the NCR 848 that it has dominated a big field of SBK heavyweights. To get such an impressive result, the NCR Corse engineers sweated it out by continuously adapting to the changing demands of the series by working on the performance, handling and mapping. This is by and large a true genetically enhanced race bike with exceptional handling and of course loads of power.
But even in case, there is one soul on the planet who just might not be satisfied by the 848, s/he doesn’t need to fret as NCR can customize and will customize even the 1098 and (hold your breath) the 1098R. Price for the 848 starts from $81,000 US.
So what is there in the bike? For starters, it is a Ducati 848, right? Anyway, first thing of course is the decrease of the stock weight from 185kgs to 155 kgs, courtesy of the titanium frame and lots of high end alloys. The motor has titanium connecting rods carved out of billet, high compression forged pistons with single piston ring, even the valves are made of titanium, heads have been ported, gearbox lightened. NCR has worked on the crankshaft and STM has made a custom wet-type slipper clutch, full racing aluminum radiator and oil cooler - relocated to accept full range of offsets of the front suspension and even all fasteners are made in titanium.Besides losing that 30kgs, what it does is increase the power to a monstrous 145 bhp @ 12500 rpm and torque figures of 12 Kgm (87 ft-lb) @ 10000 rpm. The front brakes are 300mm NCR designed WAVE Braking with 100mm version of radial Brembo Racing monoblock with billet NCR fork bottoms while the rear houses a 200mm WAVE Braking with 2 piston Brembo racing. The front suspension has Showa OEM forks Ohlins specially designed for NCR internal damping systems. It also features triple clamps made from Aluminum (AL 7075) with adjustable offset from 28 to 36 mm. The exhaust system has something called ‘Termognoni’ full racing system. In case, you are not familiar with Termignoni, just click here and be surprised. The wheels are of Marchisini forged aluminum. Of course all the electronic equipments are NCR custom made that includes the EFI, Racing Harness with interface with AMI MXL PISTA display. NCR-EFI system accepts full mapping capabilities along with Lambda interface for closed loop mapping control. Some additional parts are specially made like the adjustable rear sets and clip ons in aluminum and titanium, gas cap assembly and fork bottoms in aluminum, custom wheel nuts, billet oil fill cover, the rear subframe in surprisingly not made in titanium (remember the Machina Nera?), but in aluminum and one other surprising part is that the front fairing stay is in aluminum which I expected it to be in carbon fiber.
This is a relatively newer product from NCR, the MILLONA, and it comes in 3 variants, MILLONA S, MILLONA R and MILLONA ONE SHOT. This is another true blue race bike with no expenses spared. NCR has aimed this at a specific market and that is towards the enthusiast who wants nothing more than a pure race bike and preferably a Ducati, but that can be driven everyday and not just on race days and for whom you do not need to load the bike on a truck just to get to the track. Get the picture. Now Ducati being a firm is tied with lots of issues, legal and all, so it was up to NCR to satisfy these Duc fans. This is a bike that can race on the track just as a racing bike performs on the track and then this bike will enthrall you in the city just s a city bike should. Yes, to read in between the lines, the bike is out there in the market, you can buy it and actually show it off in your neighbourhood or in fact anywhere you drive it, it is bound to get the crowd drooling. And of course even in stock, it is bound to perform well, so with the NCR engineers working on it, you can only imagine what to expect. NCR says that this is the undisputed bike in the two-valves class (donor is the Ducati 1000DS). They say while this is the ideal bike to race on a track, you will also be impressed by the sheer pleasure of driving it. Like all other NCR products, each MILLONA is entirely hand built, with again the objective of ‘attention to detail’ and making each owner proud and possessive of what they ride.
What you see here is the 2009 version and that is why mentioned it as relatively new. The first model came out in 2002, followed by its next model in 2006. The 2009 chassis has been improved since Valter bartolini (the winner of the Canadian SBK Championship on the NCR 848) joined and provided his inputs to make the MILLONA a thoroughbred racer. The MILLONA get an aluminum frame (Alu 4) which is also very light like titanium and the frame weigh a meager 3.9 kgs. Then the monoshock rear suspension was also developed from a high quality aluminum built by Mupo. The engine is stock a 1100cc V-Twin, but if you so desire, NCR will of course bore it to 1200cc with an increase in power from 100 bhp to 121 bhp. The connecting rods and valves of the MILLONA like all the other models are made in Titanium. The bike has NCR CORSE cam kits and other parts developed by the CORSE team for the Ducati 1000DS and 1100DS. The clutch system has been specially designed by APTC. The exhaust system has been completely redesigned and built from scratch over the 2006 model, going from the 2 in 1 version to the 2 - 1 - 2 version. The S and R models have the standard equipments while the ONE SHOT has its exhaust made in titanium. The ONE SHOT is a full tech machine which obviously is even lighter than the S and R model and weighs just 125kgs. Aldo Drudi has provided the overall design of the bike. Every third party that has contributed to the bike are masters in their own field and so everything is top notch. That of course is the hallmark of anything NCR makes.
The MILLONA has won 20 races in the Supertwins and Ducati Desmo challenge in 3 calendar years and has also won 4 riders-customers awards as best rookie rider, best women rider and twice as best gentleman rider. Since this has been made with a more economical style, prices start quite low (by NCR standards) at $39,149 US. But despite that, you can expect a world class high tech bike as only NCR is able to deliver.
The engine, as mentioned is from the Ducati 1000 DS. The S version engine with its 6 speed gearbox makes a whooping 100bhp@ 7600 rpm while the ONE SHOT can make up to 121 bhp with the 1200cc engine. Torque figures are quite impressive at 9.2 Kgm @ 6400 rpm. The S version weighs 145kgs. The frame of the S version is in tubular trellis in chromium molybdenum projected and developed by NCR while the swingarm is in aluminum projected and developed by NCR. Wheelbase is 1400mm and the rake is 24°. Like the NCR 848, the front brake uses two 320 mm Braking WAVE discs, 4-piston 4-pad Brembo radial caliper while on the rear it has a 200 mm Braking WAVE disc, 2-piston Brembo caliper. For the front suspension, there is Ohlins 43 mm upside-down fork with TiN surface treatment, for radial calipers, while the rear suspension has progressive linkage with fully adjustable Ohlins monoshock with length adjustment. While the belly pans, front mud-guard, seat tail and air box kit are made in fiber glass, the fuel tank and subframe is made up in carbon fiber. It has Marchesini M10R Forged Aluminum wheels set and Metzeler Racetec Slick K0, 120/70 R 17 (front) and 190/55 R 17 (rear) tyres. Footrests and clip on set are made in Aluminum and Titanium, while the NCR triple clamps kit are in alluminum from billetFor the R version, you have to shell out a little extra at $51,597 US onwards. Due to the materials used, it is 10 kg lighter at 135 kgs than the S version and so also is the higher price. The bikes gets all its bolts and fasteners made in titanium.The ONE SHOT version with higher power also makes a higher amount of torque of 10.8 Kgm @ 6700 rpm. It weighs a further 10 kg lighter at 125 kgs and yes, that will cost you some more, actually prices start from $71.500 US. But with that price, you get additional features like NCR CORSE camshaft, anti hopping clutch system, Automatic Remapping System (ARS) by on-board CPU with also Manual Remapping system (MRS), wheel set by BST especially designed for NCR, magnesium clutch and alternator case, a carbon fiber fuel tank, subframe, belly pan, front mud-guard, seat tail and air box kit.
You know when the bikes are of such high quality, it is difficult to pick on one as ‘my favorites’, after all how can you not like or even ‘like slightly less than’ other? But if it comes ot this that one day, Poggipolini is extremely happy that I saved the world single handedly and he would like to thank me with anu one of his creations, I think I will choose the NCR NEW BLUE over the others although I must admit I would settle for any of them with equal glee. Why the NCR NEW BLUE? Nothing specific, it is just that it has the Café Racer styling and is made from the Sports Classic. The NCR NEW BLUE is also a joint production between NCR and Ducati North America. This bike is a limited edition, to be used on tracks only, and it is a homage to Cook Neilson's 1977 Daytona victory on a Ducati 750SS, known as OLD BLUE, tuned by none other than the legendary Phil Schilling. Just as the Hailwood TT was the first ever win for Ducati, the 77 Daytona title was the first for (not just Ducati, but) any Italian brand in U.S. This is the latest creation from NCR and NCR has made this bike on the request of the American firm. The platform is the new Ducati Sport 1000S 2007 edition, completely tuned by NCR and made lighter in all its parts, reaching a weight of 150 kg compared to the 188 kg of the street legal model and the power has been increased from 82 bhp to 116 bhp. Of course, being a special edition bike, only the big brands can be associated with this bike which means you can again expect Ohlins and Brembo to play their part. Poggipolini Titanium is literally everywhere it can be. NCR has left no stone unturned in building this bike and this is a crème de la crème for custom biking. Just for the record, the exhaust system is Poggipolini titanium in 2-1-2 flow, weighing just 4 kg. The bike will be sold “ready to race”.
The tuned Ducati Sport 1000S belts out power output of 116 bhp @ 8450 rpm and top torque figures of 10.6 Kgm @ 6700 rpm. The frame is from the tubular trellis in steel Ducati Sport 1000 S model and has a wheelbase of 1400mm. Rake is 24°. The slipper clutch system is designed by APTC. Power is derived through a 6 speed gear and to stop the bike, you get 2 x 300 mm Braking WAVE discs, 4-piston 2-pad Brembo SBK radial caliper from billet box at the front and 200 mm Braking WAVE disc, 2-piston Brembo caliper from billet at the rear. Front suspension rests on Ohlins 43 mm upside-down fork with TiN surface treatment, adjustable off-set, for radial calipers with NCR CORSE aluminum bottom bracket from billet and the rear suspension has progressive linkage with fully adjustable Ohlins monoshock with length adjustment. The exhaust system is made in titanium. The wheel set is BST carbon fiber wheels set. The dashboard, wiring system are all designed in house by NCR with latest gadgets like Automatic Remapping System (ARS). Front and rear tyres are Metzeler Racetec Slick K0, 120/70 R 17 and 190/55 R 17 respectively. All fasteners and bolts are of course made in Poggipolini Titanium. Weight is only 145 kgs.
The colors of the bike were developed by Artech and NCR and the skin is coated with UV resistant clear coats with multiple sandings. Special parts include Aluminum Titanium footrests kit, fuel cap, clip on set, Titanium clutch cover, NCR triple clamps kit in alluminum from billet, NCR CORSE bottom bracket in alluminum from billet, NCR CORSE camshaft and Magnesium NCR clutch and alternator case. Only 50 such bikes will be built.
NCR offers an ample catalogue of parts and special works for those who want to tune their stock Ducatis. They are available at the website http://www.ncrfactory.com. Moreover, bikes are produced on operative work zone following a progressive process that allow NCR to give to his customers schedule information about work in progress.This "continuous upgrading" about work in progress give to NCR's customer the chance to stay tune with his/ her bike and the bonding starts there.Overall, the technology employed by NCR relies on new prototyping technology. For example, in the development of the NEW BLUE model, many parts were made using rapid prototyping technology used by NCR, which allows testing every component directly from 3D CAD to a functional part using sintered powder. This process eliminates final errors, thus guaranting maximum precision, fit and functionality.NCR gives the chance to his customers to buy a bike that is a luxury product, unique and with high added value. So if you have the moolah and you like Ducatis (what am I writing???), look no further than NCR. It produces ‘Ducati on Steroids’.

NCR Designs the World's Most Expensive, Exclusive and Exotic Ducs

The Italian factory NCR makes one of the world’s premier racing bikes from stock Ducatis. In case, you are not very familiar with the NCR Factory, let me give you a brief of its background and related work. NCR makes racing bikes as mentioned from stock Ducatis. They have been doing so since 1967 and their bikes as expected are very expensive. So far, they have made 6 designs out of which one is for the road and the others are only for tracks. Of course, some of the race-only bikes have now been customized for production. Racing bikes itself are pretty expensive and I do not mean Moto GPs. Just track racing bikes are very expensive and add to that Ducatis acting as stock with engineers from Italy working on it, you can well imagine how expensive these bikes can be. In fact, one of the NCR bikes (I will come to the name in a short while) will cost you upwardly of 6 digit figures in dollars and even the others are very near to the 100, 000 USD mark. Bottom line is NCR is a factory which customizes Ducatis into very high end exclusive bikes which are very costly. Can not be clearer than that! So what are these bikes made of and how do they perform?
Again, a little history. NCR was born in 1967 in Bologna, Italy under the guidance of Giorgio Nepoti, Rino Caracchi, and Rizzi. N C R comes from the initials of their names. Later Rizzi left the trio but the name NCR was retained with R standing for ‘Racing’. They created (way back then) a mechanical shop which was tech driven and much ahead of its time. They started out with what they are still doing, converting stock Ducatis into racing bikes. You can well imagine their expertise by now since they have over 40 years of experience on this job. Surprisingly Bologna, as you know, is also home to Ducati. And just to give you a taste of their success and what they have achieved, how about the magnificent Ducati 900NCR on which Mike Hailwood won the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship in the Isle of Man. I am over sure, any motorcycle enthusiast would know about the NCR 900 or at least seen it in some magazine even if you failed to recognize or recall the bike.
First Pic: The hallowed Mile Hailwood Ducati 900 NCR, Second pic: Archeive
In the 70s, Ducati didn’t take part in racing, at least directly. What they did was give parts of their bikes and also parts of their chassis to racing engineers. The engineers would further make the frames lighter and make the engines more powerful. So it was NCR’s responsibility to turn the not-so-timid Ducatis into race monsters. The NCR team was of course the first official racing team of Ducati and as such since the very beginning Ducati-NCR stands for racing… with a passionate heart and technology driven head. Ducati NCR became quite synonymous with racing and of course success and so people all over the world started to sought for these bikes and so NCR became a professional production unit from being a pure race firm, but only in numbers, that is they reproduce their models only on client’s demand.
Since any racing bike has to be 100% accurate from the materials involved to the tuning, NCR develops almost all the parts of the bike that needs modification from a screw and a bolt to anything above. Of course there are other parties involved who had been a part of NCR previously or currently especially the Poggipolini Group and they also are equally responsible for the NCR success story. Every part of the bike that needs modification or alteration is hand built with space age technology and the common aim of all involved is the attention to detail. In 2001, the ‘N’ and ‘C’, that is Nepoti and Caracchi retired and the Poggipolini Group took over but of course retaining the hallowed initials NCR.
The NCR Factory at Bolagno, Italy
Led by Stefano Poggipolini, the group specializes in lightweight alloys such as Titanium, Magnesium, and mixed metals like special steel and other components and they have been supplying these high end quality products to different markets including Formula 1, MotoGP, Aeronautics and Marine industries. This means they know as well as the world knows what they excel in. And what better than to make an impact in racing motorcycles also under an esteemed brand like Ducati? But Stefano also wanted to make production bikes, road legal and it was only in 2005, that NCR were permitted to make road legal production bikes. Obviously, it wouldn’t be just any production house, I mean, Ducati itself is elusive and customizing Ducatis according to client’s needs means we are looking at exotic bikes and that is what Stefano always wanted. But having his heart always in racing whether it is F1 or MotoGP, his goal was to manufacture exclusive bikes and to create a R&D wing which he did.
Now, since we are done with the history lessons, let us get into the juice. Till the Poggipolini group took over, NCR was involved in making very high quality racing bikes. After the group took over in 2001, they started with concept bikes and prototypes. By 2004, there were 2 running projects, MILLONA and MACCHIA NERA. Just so that you know, now if you have the money, you can drive the MILLONA, yes, it is now in production. But it is the MACCHIA NERA Concept that is the crowning jewel of the NCR factory. That also of course means that it is the costliest bike ever coming from the factory at a whooping $200,000 making it the most expensive production bike (if you overlook the 4-wheeled Tomahawk).
This bike is built around a Ducati 998RS engine and Stefano’s goal was to create an extremely high tech motorcycle that would be “the ultimate track bike”. The stock engine is fitted with lightweight metals and alloys like titanium and aluminum and also carbon fiber and in this naked bike, you can see the exposed belts and engine components, so that it is “simply beautiful and beautifully simple”. Unfortunately, it is a concept still and not in production… yet. It has Poggipolini’s design and R & D from their vast experience in F1 and MotoGP. Macchia Nera in Italian stands for “Black Spot.” The bike is really unique in its exposed look, nothing like what a custom bike should be or for the matter even a race bike should be and a lot of credit in the design of the bike goes to Italian designer Aldo Drudi who was called upon this project and the gentleman also happens to be Stefano’s good friend. This aggressive looking bike weights a paltry 135 kgs and the 998 engine develops a whooping 185bhp.
The machinery going to the 998 Testastretta engine includes titanium rods, tubing and fittings. The wheels are made of magnesium with Dunlop racing tyres of size 3x50 X 16.5 and 5x50 X 16.5 in the front and rear respectively. The frame uses Grade 9 titanium frame of 25/28/33 mm diameter and weighs just 4 kilograms! The braking system uses dual front discs ventilated Brambati Racing 305 mm with Brembo radial racing and aeronautical hoses. As for the suspension, it uses Ohlins racing fork and Ohlins racing shock absorber with spring titanium handlebar, chain and ring. Lots of racing gizmos are incorporated like ECU 6 electronic control unit, NTK oxygen sensor with automatic mapping, data acquisition capability up to 8MB for lap times, etc. It can control its water and oil temperature, it has electronically programmable sequential gearbox and a 3 programmable injection mapping.
The only bike that is street legal is the LEGGERA. The LEGGERA is evidently from the Hypermotard which many believe is the ‘best bike’ to ride. So one of the world’s most practical bikes just got better. That is what you see. Underneath the beauty, NCR has applied all their racing experience to this bike and yet managed to keep it street legal. So, if you can read between the lines, the Hypermotard gets a shot of adrenaline not because it lacked anything, but because it would be more fun that way. Okay, coming from NCR, you know this ain’t gonna be cheap, so how much? Well, well, it will cost you the same amount at which you can buy 5 stock hypermotards! The LEGGERA will cost you a whooping $76,000 and more if you want. Why such a steep price? For starters, it comes from the house of NCR. Then you get a Grade 9 titanium main and sub frame weighing a total of 6.3 kg. The stock hypermotard (DS1100) is in itself a high performance bike with a stock output of 95 bhp and 102.9 Nm of power and torque respectively. But to even refine it further, NCR outsourced Ohlins to work on the suspension components to offer even more functional and adjustable components. Ohlins has used titanium nitride coated 46mm full adjustable forks with NCR Corse valving, adjustable offset triple clamps made in NCR Avionic aluminum for the front and for the rear there is NCR Corse billet fork bottoms monoshock, fully adjustable Including low and high speed circuits. Then the brakes you see are Brembo alright but even those are specially made for the LEGGERA, so the monoblock calipers you see are just not Brembo, they are specialized Brembo!
At the front, you get 2 x 300mm Braking WAVE rotors, radial monoblock Brembo Racing calipers with 4 pistons and 2 pads and the rear has a 200mm Braking WAVE rotor, Brembo 2 piston caliper. The carbon fiber wheels (3,50 "x17" front, 6 "x17" rear) are designed by BST to make it extra light. Other high grade components include NCR adjustable triple clamps produced from billet, fork bottoms, gas cap, rear sets and even titanium pegs and passengers peg holders. All these modifications and the overall weight of the bike is bought down from 180 kg to 157 kg. Add to that the robust engine and what do you get? According to the NCR website, “this attention to detail results in a street legal motorcycle that is hyperLIGHT, hyperFUN and hypercompetitive”. All these for $76,000. Now if you have more to spend, there is ample of scope. NCR can work their magic and bring down the weight further to only 137 kg. They will increase the engine power from 95 bhp to 125 bhp by boring out the 1100cc to 1160cc if you pay a little more. Or you can go for the 1200cc engine with the full NCR treatment with even more power at 132 bhp. A Ducati Hypermotard (read real high performance bike) with 25% weight reduction and more than 25% power gain and it is street legal. Then there is the exhaust system with catalytic converter and lambda systems. Exhaust is in titanium and the mufflers are in carbon. The 2x1x2 exhaust is built in titanium and the mufflers are built with carbon to bring the weight down of the exhaust system by 45%. So now, does the price for this hand crafted bike seem justified now? And then there is a race-only version with more inputs. So… there is never enough, right!
There are 4 more versions to come and we will continue by the next post. In the mean time, visit the NCR website and also take a look at the MACCHIA NERA and LEGGERA.

The Golden Seraphim

Man, here is a bike worth in gold. Literally. This bike is made with gold and yes, you read that right. Of course not all of it, but you can see pure gold being etched on many parts of the beauty. We will come to that later. Let us start off with the creator, a certain Mr. Mikael Lugnegard, who in my limited scope of knowledge has been a total stranger. Hence forward, this will be a name to remember. Mikael is only 31 years old, he hails from Umea, Sweden and is a sketch artist and he himself admits that he is very passionate about designing. Although he has a background on industrial design, he considers himself more of a concept designer. To give wings to his passion, he created Lugnegard Design in 2005.
Okay, now getting inside his latest creation, Mikael call this thing of beauty ‘Seraphim’. Seraphim means a class of celestial beings as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (wiki) and there is also a mention of Saint Seraphim (of Sarov, Russia), who was/ is one of the most renowned Russian monks. So anyway you take the meaning, you know there is something heavenly about the bike or to sound cliché it looks out-of-the-world. Maya is the name of his workshop. Okay, now on to the bike. Overall it is just so muscular that the first impression has to be a Wow! And muscular with just the right proportions in the tank and around the engine, not edgy like the Ducati fighter, it very well rounded, muscular like it goes to the gym just to maintain its naturally endowed figure. It’s semi naked and so the looks even more beautiful. The headlamp is extended from the tank giving it a short but muscular neck. This is the type of bike where the Hollywood superheroes, the big guys like Batman would look fantastic, don’t you agree?

The Mad Max & Alpine Star versions

The long front bars should have given it a chopper styling, but the short handlebars and its compact design makes it more like a cruiser. Look at those beautifully designed wheels, I don’t know which metal has taken the place of alloy or if it is also made in gold, but it look so good. The engine finish is also crafted with a golden finish and those shiny things are probably precious stones. Also one more thing, just using the golden colour will never or can never make a bike look this good, you have to get the entire package right. Of course, the golden bit does elevate the overall appeal but even for that you have to get the groundwork right. And Mike has done just that. The double cradle frame, a saddle-shaped seat, the bent swingarm, everything complements each other and that is the secret of making a great looking custom or even a prototype. Mike (as he is called) states that he is heavily inspired by luxury time-pieces, hand-made western saddles and the kind of engraving you´ll find on, for instance, the legendary Smith & Wesson that was used by Wyatt Earp.
This is really one-of-a-kind motorcycle and although it is open for everyone, we just jolly well know what kind of clientele would be inspired to get this bling bling thing inside their garage. This is a bling bling and Mike has not even tried to hide it, but what additionally it brings out is the desire of a true artist. Really, it is just so good looking. See the other picture, the Seraphim in black metal, Mike wanted to give the seraphim a Mad Max style look, the apocalyptic look and no one can say it looks even a shade inferior to the ‘Golden One’. Then there is the seraphim Alpine Star edition and it also looks good. The point I am trying to make (which you must have got it by now) is that the design is so correct that you put any finish to it and it will look good. Just imagine it in fluorescent green and I bet you, it will look good in it too.


Slugger with different versions and Red Scarlett

Surprisingly, this project was ordered by CmiVFX as a online training material. I use the word surprisingly because I wonder had the company didn’t order the design specifications; we would have probably never seen the beauty. Check out his website, Lugnegard Design, its chic, its cool and it is not just about bikes, you can learn quite a few things about designing if you are interested, there are tutorials on something called ‘prismacolour’, don’t know what that is. There is also another bike ‘The Slugger’ with its grey variant featured on his blog although no details are posted. Then there is also the Red Scarlett. You can visit his wordpress blog to have a look at his designs. He has created a google blog also though it is not very regular. Mikael has also shared his knowledge in the Designer Techniques website. Also scroll down the page and there area few more links which you might like.

Visual Gratification - MM romances the HD with a burnout




Source: h-d.com
Below: Longer version of the above video with backstage shooting

P.S

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