APOGEE MOTORWORKS DUCATI 749

The haute couture that Penna drapes his models with follows a pretty simple formula - strip everything back, then adorn with a selection of carefully chosen and finished parts that lets the real beauty shine through.

In the case of Francesca, that meant removing virtually all the fairing panels and deleting the factory seat and rear subframe. Penna makes a point of not altering the geometry or footprint of his creations, so there are no lengthened swingarms, custom rakes or frame chops. Given that knowledge, the California-based enthusiast's ability to radically change the appearance of a stock bike is particularly commendable.

For Francesca, those changes included replacing the standard 749 engine with the lighter, more potent unit from a 749R. That means race-spec cams, larger valves and a slipper clutch. The 'mechanical' appearance is enhanced by the exposed belt drive for the overhead cams, with an artist's touch applied through thermal barrier coating of the pulleys and selected other parts.

Hooked up to that is a bespoke exhaust system that was developed with the help of a friend of Gustavo's who works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The pair used fluid dynamics programs to design the underslung silencer, then built it from titanium using 3D printers. Kept cool by an injection-moulded air diffuser that prevents heat build-up at low speeds, the new exhaust allows more power than the 749R's stock 86.8kW (118hp). A low-sheen ceramic-coating on this high-tech set-up is in harmony with the rest of the bike's appearance.

Speaking of appearance, the industrial-looking headlight up front is actually the vertically-stacked factory unit, but it's been trimmed and mildly restyled before being powdercoated in mild titanium grey to match the frame and wheels.

The tank is also the factory 749 item, but has been stripped back to bare metal on the sides, with the contour line re-welded. A strip of the former Ducati red was retained on top, with the scratches and scuffs a reminder of this bike's former service as Penna's trackday special.

A clever touch below the headlight is the split front guard. The 'break' isn't apparent at first notice, but looks good and also serves a more practical purpose in protecting the polished front forks from stone damage.

The triple trees and brake calipers are kept free of road grime thanks to a clear, anti-stick 3M coating. The wheels have also been given a spray of this over their midnight titanium grey basecoat.

Francesca's ready-to-pounce stance is largely the result of the custom seat and subframe. This scratch-built, truncated unit is hung off the modified tank, but retains the same fore and aft movement as the Ducati factory seat for rider comfort.

Since completion, the positive reception Francesca received has resulted in three sisters: 'Silvana' is a 749S that's in the garage of the CEO of Audi North America; while an 999S-based sibling, dubbed Svetlana, has gone to a Russian billionaire. A third, 999R-based, custom is destined for the President of Azerbaijan!

Penna is adamant Francesca will stay with him as his personal canyon carver, but is happy to build more siblings to special order. But make sure you only send him a trellis-framed, dry-clutch model - Panigales are against his religion! To find out more, get in touch via www.apogeemotorworks.com or www.steadfilms.com