High-quality custom motorcycles don’t come cheap. Inevitably there are instances where customers leave builders with an unpaid bill and an incomplete motorcycle. This heavily modified ’93 Ducati Monster 900 is a prime example. It’s the work of Spanish builder XTR Pepo and thanks to an unpaid bill the 95% complete project has come to an unsavory stand still .
Pepo originally named this project Quantum when it kicked off in 2021, but due to the complications with its Dutch owner, he now refers to it as DNF which stands for Do Not Finish. It’s a sad turn of events that has left the bike missing a few final components to complete it, but nonetheless, it’s a stunning build worth taking a closer look at.
When Pepo was approached by the owner of the Monster 900, he was asked to build a lightweight bike suitable for tackling the famed Nürburgring circuit in Germany. But not only did it have to perform well, it also had to be the envy of his fellow riders. To meet his customer’s requirements Pepo laid out plans to create such a bike.
“The inspiration was a Supertwin racer for endurance use,” he explains. “The design was influenced by the RAD 02 race bike I constructed during my Radical Ducati years.”
Kicking off with the engine the Monster 900’s Desmodronic L-twin has had a thorough going over. Inside its freshly sand-blasted cases, you’ll find ported heads, hi-comp pistons, a lightened flywheel, and an anti-hooping clutch. The entire assembly has also been treated to new bearings and gaskets and has been blueprinted to ensure maximum performance without risking reliability. Spark comes via a Silent Hetkit ignition system while air and fuel are managed by K&N pod filters and Keihin FCR 41mm carbs.
To keep everything operating within safe temperatures Pepo’s added a large RC Racing Oil radiator at the front of the engine. And in line with this builds weight-saving approach, the battery is a lightweight LIPO unit. Rounding out the new engine setup is a striking 2-into-1 Wolfman exhaust wearing a Spark megaphone muffler.
In typical XTR Pepo style, he hasn’t pulled any punches with the styling. The new bodywork is made almost entirely from carbon fiber. The carbonated list includes the Endurance-styled front fairing, 749 R-type inspired fuel tank, seat pan and rear cowl, battery box, and both the front and rear mudguards. Holding everything in place are equally lightweight custom-made aluminium brackets and the tail unit sits on a redesigned subframe.
For an authentic track bike look, the fuel tank features an Endurance quick filler cap machined from high-grade alloy and there’s a FRP pan covering the Monster’s belly. Quantum’s seat was upholstered in-house, but the job of laying the outlandish livery was handed to Pepo’s go-to paintshop, Artenruta Painting.
Although this bike was built to be street legal, the owner’s desire to occasionally race it meant this Monster had to have premium handling. Pepo has achieved that by retrofitting it with suspension lifted from a Ducati 1098. An S&P yoke and triple clamp hold the new forks in place and their performance has been matched by fitting a premium YSS shock in the rear.
To keep unsprung weight to a bare minimum this Monster rolls on OZ Piega forged alloy wheels wrapped in Continental rubber. The (almost complete) brake package uses Discacciati floating 330mm rotors in the front and a Brembo unit at the back with a Brembo rear caliper and pump. The brake and clutch fluid lines are Kevlar items from Frentubo and there’s a Dural CNC machined rear sprocket awaiting a chain on the rear wheel.
Other premium components picked out for this project include an Aviacomposti dash, Koso LED turn signals, a Louis LED brake light, S&P clip-on bars, S&P rear set pegs, and a Domino throttle and grips. With all the changes made this Monster has shed an astounding 40kg of weight, and with 80hp at the rear wheel, it’s sure to be a beast on the track… should it ever get finished.
Unfortunately, with the end of this build in clear sight, Pepo has put it on hold. With an unpaid bill for work already completed it’s left him out of pocket and extinguished his desire to complete it. The experience has also forced him to make the difficult decision to no longer take on projects for customers. Instead, XTR will be offering pre-built bikes of Pepo’s own design, which rest assured are sure to be every bit as beautiful as this one. Hopefully one day Quantum will find its way to the Nürburgring when the right buyer comes along.
XTR PEPO
Photography by Jose Martin
