The ‘new’ Ducati Monster is almost five years old, but we still haven’t made peace with its hawkish design, nor the loss of the Monster’s iconic trellis frame. Luckily, our good friend Winston Yeh doesn’t share our reservations. When a client requested an aggressive, performance-oriented custom, the Ducati Monster rose to the top of the list.
“I’d always been a Ducati Monster fan, and had done a couple of projects with their previous 1200 and 821 platforms,” says the man behind Taiwan’s Rough Crafts. “So when the new generation came out with so much praise for its rideability, for sure I wanted to jump on it.”
Given the client’s parameters, there was a question of whether the Ducati Streetfighter V4 would have been a more suitable choice. “The bike is packed super tight and leaves little room for customization,” Winston explains. “Plus, 200-plus horsepower is not easy for most riders to handle.”
“The Monster had enough performance but was simple enough for us to go wild. The mission was to find the perfect blend of retro styling with modern high-tech race elements.”
Like most modern motorcycles, the Ducati Monster is a tightly packed puzzle full of molded pieces that only fit together one way. That makes it far more complicated to tear apart than the Harley-Davidsons that Rough Crafts typically favors. Winston had to get creative.
Rather than use a traditional subframe design, the Monster’s entire tail section is one molded unit—so Rough Crafts removed it and started from scratch. A gorgeous CNC-machined aluminum subframe from Artitek Ltd. replaced it, while still housing everything that hid inside the original unit. Some deft metalwork produced a slim tail cowl that flows over the top of it.
A 3D-printed fairing sits at the opposite end of the bike, fitted with a Koso headlight. The OEM fuel tank is still in play, but it wears a pair of carbon fiber ‘wings’—designed by Rough Crafts and produced by Motocomposites. They offer a visual connection between the waspish tail section and the sharply angled nose cone.
The bodywork is slathered in black paint, carbon fiber overlays, and sharp graphics, executed by regular Rough Crafts collaborators Rover Works Custom Paint and SFC Simon Fiber Craft. As is customary for the Taiwanese custom powerhouse, the tank badges are exquisite hand-crafted items from 2 Abnormal Sides. Equally luxe is the seat upholstery, executed by Chirui Leather Custom.
Winston’s intentions for the new-gen Ducati Monster went far beyond a mere cosmetic overhaul. In the hands of the local workshop CH Moto, the Monster was treated to a variety of tasty hop-up parts—starting with new suspension.
A set of blacked-out Öhlins FGR300 forks was fitted up front, held in place by a CNC Racing bottom yoke and a Rough Crafts top yoke. Moving to the back, the crew transplanted an Öhlins shock from a Ducati Monster SP (an upgraded iteration of the current monster), while also treating it to a hydraulic preload adjuster from Andreani Taiwan.
In the interest of going all-out, Winston also ordered a pair of burly laced wheels from Jonich in Italy. Measuring 17×3.50” at the front and 17×6.00” at the back, they’re wrapped in sporty Pirelli Supercorsa V4 tires.
The front brake calipers were swapped for a pair of Brembo 484 units—high-performance calipers that sport a more subdued look. A Brembo HP caliper does duty at the tail end, with SICOM carbon-ceramic discs fitted all around. The rear wheel also features a CNC Racing titanium flange with a CeraCarbon carbon fiber sprocket.
Tucked behind the fairing are new clip-ons, fitted with Motogadget grips, and Brembo controls fitted with Motocorse reservoirs. The original dash sits front and center, but it’s been relocated via a custom bracket that’s integrated with the top yoke. The brake lever protector and foot controls are CNC Racing parts.
Elsewhere, you’ll find Rough Crafts x KOSO LED turn signals, with the rear set doubling up as taillights. The clutch cover, gas cap, and water pump guard are from CNC Racing, the air filter is from Sprint Filter, and the exhaust is a combination of titanium headers from Zinja Handmade and an SC-Project can. A smorgasbord of carbon fiber trim pieces adorn both sides of the Monster’s 937 cc Testastretta L-twin motor.
Like everything Winston produces, this custom Ducati Monster is as sharp as it is menacing. The kinetic graphics and subtle blue details are pitch-perfect, and the black backdrop that they’re set against is quintessentially Rough Crafts.
Thanks to this tempestuous little number, we might finally be warming up to the new Ducati Monster.
Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Weeber Photography
