Race-Inspired Ducati 749 from Bigger Than Bikes…
In 2003, the Ducati 999 appeared as a complete redesign of the company’s flagship superbike. The outgoing 916/996/998 series, designed by Massimo Tamburini, had become nothing short of iconic. So the radical styling of the new Pierre Terblanche-designed 999 and its middleweight version, the 749, were highly controversial. Gone was the single-sided swingarm and the lithe, animal-like body lines, replaced with a conventional swingarm, angular bodywork, and vertically-stacked headlights.
Fortunately, the 999 made up for its aesthetic shortcomings on the track, proving itself at the most elite levels of competition. The 999 took home the World Superbike Championship in 2003, 2004, and 2006, as well as the 2005 British Superbike title, while the 749 won the ultra-competitive 2004 British Supersport Championship and achieved multiple podiums in World Supersport against the Japanese 600 fours.
In fact, the 749 lured quite a few literbike riders into its saddle:
“The Ducati 749 was preferred by some to the 999 — and for good reason. The smaller engine makes just the right amount of power for the chassis in certain road riding situations. The 749 has a kind of balance, an addictive precision in its steering, acceleration and braking that makes it a machine that surprises riders with its understated ability.” –MCN
This highly customized ’04 749 comes from our new friend Carter Hurst. Growing up, Carter wasn’t allowed to own a street bike while living under his parents’ roof, though he did spend many years on a little Honda CRF50. As soon as he left home at 21, however, he bought a CRF250L, and the rest was history. By the time Carter was 25, he’d bought and sold nearly a dozen bikes.
Today, he’s pursuing his dream of owning his own custom shop, Bigger Than Bikes:
“It has always been a dream of mine to open my own custom shop, but I figured that would come closer to retirement age. However at the end of 2025 an opportunity came up to buy an abandoned garage only a few miles from my house and I could not pass up the deal. So at the beginning of 2026 I opened ‘Bigger Than Bikes’ and am now in the middle of trying to make my dream a reality.”
Carter received this 749 as payment for some client work. It had been sitting for close to seven years and was missing all its bodywork — the perfect candidate for customization.
“I wanted to keep the Ducati influence very present but tried to combine some different racing eras into the overall design. The half fairing was my interpretation of a 70’s Ducati 750 sport with a modern twist, and the exhaust influence came from the Ducati Desmocedicci D16RR — again with a modern twist.”
Carter cut and shaped a Paul Smart replica fairing to flow with the stock 749 table, and he designed and shaped the fiberglass tail section from scratch.
“I wanted to keep the race-inspired look of no headlight on the fairing, but also wanted the bike to be road legal. The Morimoto lights tucked up under the fairing made that look possible while also being pretty functional.”
The exhaust is a signature element of the bike, custom-made with both a low and high underseat exit.
“The exhaust was then cerakoted, which does a great job at keeping the heat down and not melting the seat.”
Carter also fabricated a wraparound license plate holder, which houses the turn signals and brake light, and powder-coated the frame, wheels, clutch, rear spring, and more. The end result is a very cohesive design, which harks back to the classic Ducati racers of yesteryear without sacrificing a single iota of performance.
“This bike is a blast to ride and begs to live in the upper RPM’s. Personally this power level is just about perfect for me on the street, and since the stock Ducati geometry has gone unchanged, it’s just as nimble on a back road as it was when it left the factory.”
Below you’ll find our full interview with Carter about the build, along with more photos. We encourage you to follow Carter and his workshop on Instagram, Facebook, and/or YouTube.
Ducati 749 Custom: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My journey with motorcycles started out at a young age (7ish) when my dad brought home a CRF50 for my brother and I to rip around the back yard. I ended up riding that bike well into my teenage years mainly because that was the only bike I had access to. It was my parents’ rule that as long as I lived under their roof no street bikes were allowed, so naturally as soon as I moved out at 21 I bought CRF250L dual sport, which quickly progressed to buying and selling close to a dozen bikes by 25.
It has always been a dream of mine to open my own custom shop, but I figured that would come closer to retirement age. However at the end of 2025 an opportunity came up to buy an abandoned garage only a few miles from my house and I could not pass up the deal. So at the beginning of 2026 I opened “Bigger Than Bikes” and am now in the middle of trying to make my dream a reality.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
2004 Ducati 749.
• Why was this bike built?
I was given this bike as payment for some work I did for a client. When I got the bike it was missing all the bodywork and had been sitting for close to 7 years. It started as a personal project but I guess it kind of merged into a company promotion build once I opened my shop.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I wanted to keep the Ducati influence very present but tried to combine some different racing eras into the overall design. The half fairing was my interpretation of a 70’s Ducati 750 sport with a modern twist, and the exhaust influence came from the Ducati Desmocedicci D16RR — again with a modern twist.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
The front fairing is a heavily modified version of a replica Ducati “Paul Smart” fairing, which was cut and shaped to flow into the stock 749 tank. The tail section is a fiberglass piece that I designed and made from scratch in my shop.
The exhaust is also custom-made to have one low exit and one high exit through the rear tail section. The exhaust was then cerakoted, which does a great job at keeping the heat down and not melting the seat.
Lastly I fabricated a wrap around license plate holder that also houses the turn signals and brake light. To top it all off the frame and surrounding pieces were powder-coated black and the wheels, clutch, and rear spring powder-coated in gold.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
The stock 749 has roughly 108hp; this build does have DNA air filters, custom exhaust, and an off the shelf tune from Warhorse Ducati, which should get it closer to 120hp. I never weighed the bike, but I would guess it is slightly under the stock weight.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
This bike is a blast to ride and begs to live in the upper RPM’s. Personally this power level is just about perfect for me on the street, and since the stock Ducati geometry has gone unchanged, it’s just as nimble on a back road as it was when it left the factory.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I just love how the overall design came together and how the bike looks cohesive from front to back. I also love how the headlight came out; I wanted to keep the race-inspired look of no headlight on the fairing, but also wanted the bike to be road legal. The Morimoto lights tucked up under the fairing made that look possible while also being pretty functional.
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