2003 Ducati 999VX by Venier Customs

Beautiful Minimalist Design Exercise, Race Bike Underpinnings, Featured on BikeExif

I have always admired the subtlety and thoughtfulness with which Stefano Venier approaches his custom builds. They are never flashy, nearly always black, and have a purity of form to them that is often lost when builders try to hard to make a statement. He does not use over-the-top components to grab the eye, but instead focuses on making a design that feels unified and whole. With this 999, he has taken the concept of a Naked Bike and applied it to a 999 that was formerly the race machine of fashion photographer Riccardo Vimercati. The bike was upgraded in many ways (listed below) and also has a brand new motor with only a 10 or so test laps on it. As a race bike it saw action on some of Europe's most famous circuits, but Vimercati decided he wanted to create a street bike. We think the result is stunning. Full details below courtesy of BikeExif:

Ducati 999S by Venier Customs

"This is one of the fastest motorcycles we’ve ever featured—and I’d say it’s one of the best-looking too. It’s a Ducati 999S ‘Testastretta’ converted from race to road use by Stefano Venier, a New York-based builder with an immaculate eye for understated aesthetics.

Venier is best known for his classic Moto Guzzi customs, but he was salivating at the prospect of wheeling a 999S into his workshop. “Working on a race bike was a dream project,” he says. “It was a new experience to work on a modern motorcycle too.” 

The commission for ‘999VX’ came from photographer Riccardo Vimercati, who wanted to convert his track machine to road use. The bike already had a sprinkling of race parts; it’s closely related to the machines ridden by Troy Bayliss and Reuben Xaus in competition. The top-shelf goodies included an STM clutch and Discacciati levers, plus a RapidBike ECU and quickshifter. Power output is well north of 150 hp.

Once the fairing was off, Venier rebuilt the rear end with a leather seat, a new support frame, and a removable hard seat cover. He then switched out the stock alloy wheels for a set of spoked rims from a Ducati GT1000—describing it as “a really hard job to do right on a bike with so much power.” Exhaust gases now exit via Termignoni Corse headers into a Zard muffler. (“You should hear her voice now!”) 

Much of the work was in the detail, removing a multitude of brackets, tabs, wiring and electrical parts, with the odd relocation of components to keep the bike looking tidy in its naked state. The color is a dark gray rather than absolute black, and the front fender is custom-fabricated.

Some things, however, were best left alone. “We tried to redesign the tank, but it was impossible to improve on the Pierre Terblanche design,” Venier reports. “To my eyes, it’s one of the best tanks ever created.” So Venier confined the rest of his mods to small touches like the mesh side panels, designed to give a little visual lift.

The next bikes to leave the Venier stable will be brand new Moto Guzzis: a V7 Stone and a California 1400. We can’t wait to see what he does with those."

Bike is sold with a clean and clear NY title, is currently registered, and will be properly transferred through my licensed NY state dealership.

Please use the contact box below for any questions, call 631-318-0155 or simply email info@northeast-sportscar.com

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