This Beat-Up Ducati GT1000 Café Racer Was Fully Restyled. Now, It’s Retro Perfection

The retro styling of the Ducati Sport Classic range of motorcycles didn’t manage to win over enthusiasts when they were released last decade. But a recent restyle of a beat-up GT1000 with over 30,000 miles on it by Purpose Built Moto shows that there was a classy Café Racer hidden beneath the bike’s needless bells and whistles all along.

The first thing the Australia-based custom company did was go about fixing what it considered to be the fundamental issues with the bike, according to the shop’s website. This included installing a new front fender, correcting an awkward frame line towards the back and outfitting it with a new hand-selected perforated leather seat, all of which combined to make the bike a more comfortable ride and look less chunky from the side and front.

From there, the shop replaced and lowered the GT1000’s handle bars to give it a sportier appearance and also swapped out the stock gauges and levers. The motorcycle was also outfitted with new LED lights, including a polished 7″ Flashpoint Classic headlight, indicators and a recessed strip brake light. Then, to really round out the aesthetic, the shop re-sprayed the bike in its original Italian red paint color, with details applied in matte black.

But calling Purpose Built Moto’s custom job simply a restyle is almost a disservice. With the bike having come into the shop with so much wear and tear, it’s as much a full renewal. The suspension was completely rebuilt to include fully adjustable K-Tech Razor shocks, while the front fork got the same treatment and gained new, fully adjustable cartridges. Finally, the bike was outfitted with Jonich 48-spoke aluminum wheels, which along with the other technical fixes give the bike better handling than before.

Pricing for the Ducati refresh wasn’t made available, but from the shop’s website its clear Performance Built Moto is well-experienced when it comes to such custom jobs. Other recent projects include a Triumph Sidecar Café Racer, a 1981 Honda CX500 and a Yamaha SR250 Aviator. Check out more photos of their custom Ducati Café Racer below: