India's only Ducati 1199R gets custom carbon body panels & other mods

He teamed up with a very famous design house in Italy that works with Ducati

BHPian no_fear recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

2024 - time to grow.

It is now exactly one year since the 1199R was torn apart and rebuilding commenced. Now that the bike is up and running, I decided to mod it a bit more. I was brainstorming ideas with my brother and wanted to add a few bits and pieces to keep myself sated. Well, I was steamrolled over. I am sure there are many of you who have an older sibling who listens to you and then decides to do whatever they think is best, taking you along for the ride and turning you into a spectator

Well, to keep matters short, my brother produced his aces and went overboard on this 1199R project.

He teamed up with a very famous design house in Italy that works with Ducati and sent out sketches of the front and rear fairings he penned for the bike. He sketched it out in MS paint and then worked with the designer to craft the fairings in carbon fiber and get them custom painted. Concurrently, one of Japan's biggest aftermarket parts maker heard of this 1199R story and decided to throw their hats into the ring. Over the past 6 months, after several iterations, everything was manufactured and then shipped. After all the pieces were installed, I am glad to say the 1199R has turned out to be something far more crazier than I ever expected. Let the pictures do the talking. I will comment on each picture and explain the rationale of the mods.

Working up from the bottom

The first thing to get updated was the entire tail section of the 1199R. The ABS plastic fairings were in good condition but needed fresh paint and clear coating. My brother simply got rid of everything and installed brand-new carbon fiber fairings. When I say everything - I literally mean every plastic bit.

Rear tail cowl, fairings, and air vents were removed. Carbon fiber rear vent attached.

Carbon fiber tail ends and seat rest cowl attached.

Rear seat cowl is attached The whole tail section is now custom carbon fiber. It's manufactured by Fullsix and custom painted in Italy. The number 23 inscribed on it signifies the rebirth of the bike in 2023 and also my brother's favorite number. You can see my brother is a controlling egomaniac. The fit and finish is perfect to the nearest millimeter. Designing decals on three separate pieces that are not mounted on the bike speaks volumes about how crazy good Italian painters can be.

Next on the list were the rear sets. Years of abuse on the existing pegs meant they were in need of a serious upgrade. I have covered rear sets before in my V4S thread and always liked the Italian makers. Well, my brother proved me wrong. There is one company in Japan that does sublime stuff. They are the true godfathers of customization and each part they make is the stuff of dreams if you are into machining, lathing, or cnc. They were piqued about this bike and decided to collaborate on a one-off piece. The red color on the rearsets comes from "alumite" which is anodic oxidation of aluminum that is done in Japan. The stuff is just drool-worthy.

Aella - a company in Japan that makes manufactures magic

Along with this - small bits, like the oil filler plastic cap were swapped with a CNC Racing aluminum cap. Ducabike frame plugs were also added.

The tank cap also had aged considerably and was in need of a serious re-paint and reconditioning. Well, that was what I wanted but I was overruled. Enter CNC Pramac Racing quick-release tank cap. It has no key - means joy and fun for thieves, only if they can figure out how to operate it.

Brake caliper cooler ducts

I personally think brake caliper ducts prolong brake life plus they look super cool. This was something I wanted and got them.

Piece de resistance

The final flourish for the 1199 was the front fairing. The OEM one had too many swirl marks, and scratches and again needed a full repaint and polish. Also, it looked dated. I wanted something that kept the element of 1199 back in 2014 but would be modern and reflect 2024. The design was meticulously chosen and created by my brother who has worked on the fairings for both my V4S and V4R. Well, after many months of ideas, the final product was created.

Front fairing removed

New custom carbon fiber fairing attached.

The decals signify the WSBK paint scheme used by Ducati back in 2014-18. It flows with the rest of the bike, creating three sections - a white fairing, red body, and black tail. The color combo breaks up the monotony of a red Ducati but keeps the looks of the 1199R exactly the same. You will not mistake it for any other bike.

The final icing was a ginormous WRS sticker on the windscreen. Why not - they are the world's best windscreen makers and if they are on VR46 and Pramac MotoGP bikes, they are welcome on mine.

The full package put together, we took it out for a spin on a cold Delhi afternoon. There is no sunlight so the pictures are not the best, but I am quite glad with the final look of the bike. Might do some more work, but for now I am feeling rather smug.

Having picked up the bike in early 2021 and starting in 2024, in a span of 3 years, it has been a wild ride with this machine. It has been a lesson in humility, learning, forgiving, staring at an abyss, and looking up at a mountain. But the key to all this - is never to give up, and never stop dreaming.

A few snapshots to end this post. Till next time

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