Polish Passion: Ducati Cafe Racer from Versor…
In 1972, Paul Smart took victory in the first Imola 200 on a Ducati 750, breaking the Italian factory into the big-bike brotherhood of leading European, Japanese, and British manufacturers.
“By winning the first big-bucks 200-miler held outside the USA for the new generation of large-capacity motorcycles embraced by Formula 750, the British rider not only put Ducati on the map, he also kickstarted the process leading to Ducati’s successive World Superbike champions.” –Alan Cathcart
What’s more, the victory paved the way for the introduction of the street-going Ducati 750 SS (Super Sport) in 1973, and the SS family would become one of the Bologna factory’s most popular and successful model ranges for decades to come.
By 2000, the 750 SS had become a blend of old and new technology, pairing a 64-bhp air-cooled Desmo twin with fuel injection, Brembo brakes, and fully-adjustable Showa forks.
“The Ducati 750 SS is not a super sport per se, as in a high powered, extremely sharp handling race oriented sportbike. It is a sportbike for the street, and quite a manageable one at that.” –Ride Apart
Enter our friend Przemek Swidlinski, a Polish engineer whose grandfather had what they call in Polish a “złota rączka” or “golden hand” — an ability to fix just about anything. Young Przemek continued the tradition, working on mopeds and motorcycles from a young age, and today custom bikes are his passion. Przemek works out of his garage, and his eldest son is already working on bikes, too.
Last year, we featured Przemek’s custom Yamaha XV750, and now he’s back with this gorgeous 2000 Ducati 750 SS. The donor had been wrecked and badly repaired — the perfect candidate for a custom build:
“I never owned a Ducati, the legend, before… It was supposed to be an easy build — for a change — you should see me smiling now.”
Ultimately, this would be the most highly finished project to roll out of Przemek’s workshop. Przmek modified the front subframe to make the new Ricambi Weiss fairing removable, so the bike can be ridden faired or naked — a unique feature he’s especially proud of.
Przmek designed the equal-length 2:1 exhaust that snakes up under the new custom tail cowl, complete with heat shielding to keep the rider’s bum from roasting.
Once he had the bodywork, saddle, exhaust, license plate mount, and other main components of the build done, Przemek was going to sell the bike before investing much more time and money.
However, he soon met a work colleague and veteran rider, and the two struck a deal to finish the build to a very high caliber. The many details are laid out below, as well as the local suppliers, workshops, and craftspeople who aided him with the build.
The customer nicknamed the bike “Jessica,” which confused Przemek until he learned the inspiration:
“As the bike is very curvy and very red, it is like the movie character, Jessica Rabbit — from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Anyone who knows the movie must agree.”
Not only is this one of the sexiest Ducs we’ve ever seen, Przemek says the bike handles great, sounds incredible, and is about 18 kilos (~40 lbs) lighter than stock. Bravo!
Below, Przemek gives us the full details on this incredible Ducati café racer. Photography courtesy of Przemyslaw Kasperski. Enjoy!
Ducati 750 Café Racer: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Przemek, I am 46 years old, I graduated as a mechanical engineer and worked for many years in the automotive industry. About five years ago I changed my career to IT and work as a Project Manager and Automotive and Manufacturing subject matter expert now for a global company. About three years ago I had to start my own company to work for the current employer.
I live in Poland; this is where I was born and grew up. I am proud of this and am attached to the Silesia region. I lived also in the northern England for eight years and I loved it; I miss it now sometimes.
When I was starting my company, I had to define what it would do, so I included bikes in the scope. Bikes are my passion, but only customs. I do not care about stock bikes, but the builds. I actually enjoy building more than riding these days.
About four years ago we bought a house and I renovated the garage, next to the house, to serve me as a bike workshop. It is nothing fancy, I did not spend too much money on it, but everything over there is designed to give me comfort when working on motorcycles.
I started enjoying motorcycles when I was about ten, I think. It started with mopeds. I renovated couple of old bikes later, ranging from 1928 to 1950s. I owned also Japanese bikes and used them for commuting. My grandfather was a very skilled handyman, who could do just about everything. In the Polish language it is called “złota rączka,” which means “golden hand.”
Working in workshop on cars and everything else was natural for me, I picked it up. Sadly, my granddad died early, but I continue this. My older son is already working on yet another motorcycle project for a customer. These are not a full builds, but rather renovations for now. He also owns two mopeds, one sport bike and one oldtimer. I am amazed when I see him tear engines apart and put them back together. I wish I did that when I was 20. My younger son, who is 10 now, is not into motorcycles yet. I hope that he is never into riding – I worry about safety.
I am very lucky that my wife, Karina, supports my passion. She understands when I need to focus on a build, which means that I help less at home. Even when I have doubts about building bikes, she convinces me to keep doing it, because, as she says, “It is your passion,” and she is proud of it.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
The bike started as a Ducati SuperSport 750, model year 2000. It was in a poor condition when I got it. It was in a light accident and the repairs were not done well. It was rideable and road legal, with a rock-bottom price tag.
• Why was this bike built?
The bike was built because I felt like building a Ducati. I never owned a Ducati, the legend, before. I purchased it when I was working on the Nosce Te Ipsum Yamaha featured here on BikeBound. It was supposed to be an easy build — for a change — you should see me smiling now.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The concept was to make it a café racer. I wanted to stick a fairing on it, round headlight, and a café racer seat. I always try to do something on my bikes that I have not seen before. This time it is the front fairing that can be taken off in a couple of minutes, transforming the character of the bike.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
The front subframe was modified to accept the new headlight and fairing. It was also made partially removable, so nothing sticks out when the fairing is off.
The exhaust was made new, designed by me with equal header lengths two-into-one with the silencer hidden insight the rear cowl. I like this setup because the rear of the bike is very narrow, slim — there are no cans sticking out to each side. The rear section of the frame was shortened and narrowed to allow fitment of the rear cowl.
The seat and plate holder are custom parts.
I also designed and ordered the rings for the gauges. The rings were turned by great guys from Tok-Spec, based on my pencil scribble. Handlebar had to be made custom to allow the indicators and mirrors in the same time.
Let me describe the build now. I bought a running Ducati in a poor condition and wanted to build a Café Racer with front fairing. I actually never built a bike with a fairing before. I started with ordering a fairing, light, and rear cowl — from Ricambi Weiss. At the same time I started to strip the bike. It was supposed to be an easy and quick build. My first milestone was to try on all the new bits.
In the process I figured that I can make the front removable — a unique feature — something I always try to find. The exhaust required some thinking and a bit of swearing, but it worked. I prepared everything for welding and invited my friend, who is a very skilled welder. I do not do stuff that I cannot do well myself, but work with other people instead. We’ve been cooperating for years now and I know how to prepare stuff for him. I did not even ask him for a quote, I trust him.
He turned up with his van, did the welding, we had a chat, and I asked how much he charged. He said an amount that was about one fifth of what it should be. I was surprised. It would cover only petrol, gas, and the welding wire he used, not even his time. I asked him why he does not charge me what he should. He replied: “Because you do not do it for money, it is your passion.”
It felt very nice. I put everything together and the quick and dirty build was done. I had to put on some miles to find potential issues. One of them turned out to be my bottom, which was getting quite hot. I installed a heat shield and used thermal protective tape on the bottom of the seat and the problem was solved.
I also realized that at that time there was not much demand for bikes like that and the asking prices were very low. If I finished the build to my standards, I might have lost money on the bike. So I decided to sell the bike as it was. I’ve found in past that most of my build expenses go into finishing the bike rather than on “shaping it.”
There was little interest with the bike as it was advertised. A work colleague got in touch with me. Somebody mentioned to him that I build bikes. He is a keen biker, we got talking and he wanted to buy the bike, but only if I finished the build. He liked the look of the Ducati and it would be a next bike for his and his wife’s collection, as both of them ride. I prepared a cost estimate, we agreed on an open book price, and the build went on.
The bike was totally stripped and each part received the best treatment. As my customer is an experienced rider, there were a lot of topics where he knew exactly what he wanted. Other times he let me choose or propose solutions.
From this point on, it is actually my customer’s merit how well the bike turned out. The money he invested in the build is visible. This is the best quality finish that I have ever released. There are many new parts. Tires are new, the exact model the customer wanted. The brake discs are new. It was actually difficult to find discs with the silver inner part. The calipers are blasted back to silver too.
Please look at the wheels. The customer wanted them polished. They are vibration polished with clear primer and clear coat. The guys from Glancowaniefelg are great.
The paint scheme was chosen by the customer. It is the genuine Ducati red with a stripe along the bike and genuine Ducati font. Paint was done by again by Slawomir Bilinski from BSart. This is the best quality paint that I have ever seen. All is painted, there are no stickers. The clear coat looks very thick. The frame was sand-blasted, powder-coated and finally painted by Slawomir.
The upholstery: seat, tank pad, grips and the key fob were again prepared by Łukasz from the Car Design Center in Gliwice. I love working with him, because he is able to realize my ideas, adding from his experience and intuition. The work is always done to best quality.
All aluminum parts look like new, because they were hydroblasted. I really like this finish because it gives a clean, satin look. The surface is durable too. I can always count on Jacek to put his heart in the parts I take to him – JCH Blasting on FB.
A couple of parts were powder-coated for durability. It was again done by Mr. Kaczmarczyk from Zabrze, as always to best quality. There were a handful of steel parts that were all zinc-plated. I also replaced most of bolts with stainless. All this should ensure that the bike will look good even after a couple of years.
It was important for the customer that the engine was reliable. I decided to order the engine overhaul at Moto Meccanica 2M. It was a pleasure to work with Marcin. He is also responsible for the look of the engine. The customer chose the finish scheme based on pictures and I did not have to do anything else to it.
I can always count on Tadeusz from MotoATN with general mechanical help, experience, and always great advice. I ordered nearly all parts from Larsson Polska. I worked with them for the first time, but I hope not last. As you can see, most cooperation was done locally — I prefer it this way.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
Yes, it does. As soon as the customer received the bike, he nicknamed it Jessica. I must say that I was well puzzled at first. I asked about it and must agree now. As the bike is very curvy and very red, it is like the movie character, Jessica Rabbit — from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Any who knows the movie must agree. The customer also purchased a jacket specifically for this bike — one with a big Ducati logo on it, as his previous jacket was no good — there was a Triumph logo on it!
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
The power is stock, well it may breath just a little bit better now due to the new exhaust system. The weight is about 165kg dry, compared to 183kg stock.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
Let me share with you these words prepared by the owner:
“Given that the bike’s geometry has not changed and the seat position has only changed slightly, it rides very much like the original 750 SS.”
“It has a soft front and quite stiff rear suspension, so it gives good feeling and feedback on the front and the rear is relatively stable when speeding out of corners. The stability out of corners is mostly due to the small engine and its modest power, but for this kind of lightweight bike it is perfect. The seating position is ‘old school,’ so you sit rather inside the bike than on top of it.”
“These facts, combined with the exceptional work Przemek has done in rebuilding the bike and the unbelievable passion he put in the details, it makes it a great joy to do a relaxed ride on minor roads. And of course, having a break from time to time and just look at all the details in particular and at the total work of art in general.”
He mentioned to me recently that it was agreed for Jessica to stay in their living room for the winter — nice!
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I do like how the exhaust turned out. It is designed for performance, looks good, is rideable — rider’s bum does not get hot, and most importantly — it sounds awesome. The sound of a bike is very important to me and this one is really, very good.
I am very proud of the overall quality of the bike. It was built with attention to detail and to the best quality. I do like the silhouette of the bike, its stance. The cooperation with the customer was really fantastic. He knew what he wanted and I could also influence his choices.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
I would like to thank all the professionals I work with. It’s been a couple of years already and I enjoy it every time:
- Paint: Sławek, Slawomir Bilinski, BSart (http://bsart.pl)
- Photography: Przemek (https://connectorone.com)
- Welder: Józek
- Upholstery: Łukasz from the Car Design Center in Gliwice
- Hydroblasting: Jacek, JCH Blasting PL
- Machining: Tok-Spec from Knurów
- Rim polishing: Glancowaniefelg
- Powder coating: Mr. Kaczmarczyk from Zabrze
- Engine work: Moto Meccanica 2M
- Mechanical work – Tadeusz from MotoATN Gliwice
- Parts: Larsson Polska
More Details
Build Photos
Follow the Builder
Facebook: Versor Przemek
Photographer: Przemyslaw Kasperski
Photoshoot locations: Pizzeria (www.furoregliwice.pl) | Arena Gliwice
Love it
Beautiful build! Rolling art…and pretty enough, when not riding it…to hang it on a wall! Kudos…Well done!!!
Beautiful quality build, I would find it very hard to part with this bike.