Heavily reworked 860GT that beat Ducati at their own homage-paying game...
Funny how ideas (good and bad) seem to occur within the same timescale, enabling the many to claim they got there first. Del Thomas wanted something that wasn’t a Triumph Scrambler and gravitated to Ducati’s venerable bevel-drive V-twin to form the basis of this device. In collusion with Tony Prust of Chicago-based Analog Motorcycles, the duo had a clear plan.
"We really wanted to pay homage to the original Ducati Scrambler," said Tony... "To make it look like a Scrambler that Ducati would actually have made if they’d kept making them into the ’70s."
The result pre-dates the latest "official" item from Bologna by some months. Never enthusiastically received the Ducati 860GT base bike was a strange choice, and weighing a tubby 233kg some savage weight paring was paramount. So all that remains is frame and engine – bodywork is newly-crafted aluminium, front end is Triumph Tiger, and those high-level pipes are a standout.
"This bike is more than a 'just for looks' build," claims Tony. "We even took it off a jump. I am not certain whether Del will ride off-road regularly, but it’s nice to know it can do it and do it well."