The Ducati Panigale 1199 S on another level
It’s quite literally a killer racing custom, and it comes to us from the brilliant minds at France’s Ortolani Customs. They completely redesigned the Ducati Panigale 1199 S to a level that is absolutely amazing and different from its initial purpose.
Since 2009, Olivier, Gilles and Maxime have honed their skills at their base just north of Nice, creating an array of custom cars and bikes under the Ortolani banner. And if one thing has built their reputation, it’s the beautiful paint jobs they lay down. They’re equally capable of old school pin striping and gold flake right through to modern carbon fibre-infused race bike replicas.
The concept
The bike's owner brought with him a concept illustration by automotive designer Holographic Hammer. Named the 'Panigale CR' the illustration depicted a naked, stripped back version of the 1199S with cafe racer styling and an exposed engine. Not wanting to simply recreate the Holographic design the Ortolani team devised a plan to transform the fully faired motorcycle into an alloy covered racer. "My first reaction when the bike arrived was excitement," says workshop owner Olivier Ortolani. "Then we disassembled the Ducati and our enthusiasm completely disappeared." Beneath the Panigales bodywork was a mass of unsightly wiring and electronic gadgetry that would all need to be rerouted for their concept to work. This wasn't a show stopper though, merely the first of many hurdles they'd need to clear to complete their vision.
In its stock configuration, the Panigale S tips the scales at 188kg and
produces an impressive 195bhp. The Ducati was celebrated for its
rideability thanks to a plethora electronic gadgetry that allowed riders
to modify different aspects of the bike's performance on the fly
(throttle response, engine braking, traction control, power and
suspension). 
As you can well imagine modifying a motorcycle of this
calibre requires careful consideration, so, with the bike torn down, a
list of performance tweaks were planned in order to extract some
aditional power from the Superquadro L-Twin.
To tie the tank in with the rest of the build, the bulk of the
bodywork was then separated into two highly complex pieces. That they’re
shaped from single sheets of alloy defy what most people believe is
possible.
The first wraps around the steering stem and neatly covers where the front section of the bike is bolted to the engine. The
second forms the tail; extending reward, the exquisite lines have a
smoothness as if they were clay turned on a wheel. The dramatic rear
section provides the perfect recess for a tail light without a single
gap in the metal.
Tunning the beast
A combination of larger pistons that increased capacity to 1200cc, a race tuned exhaust system from Akrapovic and a remap resulted in a 210 bhp figure. Improving on the Panigale's high-tech stock suspension was deemed unnecessary aside from swapping the rear shock spring for a titanium item. To tweak the Brembo brake set up they fit 330mm race spec carbon ceramic discs and also shed some additional weight by replacing the factory wheels with OZ Racing forged rims wrapped in Michelin slicks in preparation for the bikes racetrack debut.
The cafe styled fuel tank with its knee dents and Monza filler cap houses the fuel pump, airbox and relocated electronics beneath its shiny veneer. Side panels with integrated air scoops cover the monocoque frame and channel cool air into the engine. To keep the cast frame completely hidden from sight they also constructed a shroud to cover the neck of the frame. At the very rear of the bike sits a wasp-like tail with an integrated brake light and tastefully upholstered saddle by NMB Designs.
The brilliant factory dash remains, but is given a new alloy mount so it lies down, keeping a low profile. And you can’t have a set of keys jangling around on a bike this neat, so they wired in a Motogadget m-Lock. With the front end now a far cry from the way it left the factory, the lads could have simply grabbed a 7″ headlight, had a beer and called it a day. But it’s just not their style. So the finishing touch is a yellow-lensed unit housed in a custom crafted alloy surround that exquisitely includes a meshed air intake. Ever seen that before? Neither have we.
9 months to build, like a baby
Olivier told us that "like a baby" the bike took 9 months to build with countless hours assigned to polishing.
The gold theme has been carried across to the engine using a matte metallic coating on the cases. Custom grips made using the same leather as the saddle have been sewn to the clip on handlebars and the rear set footpegs have been chrome plated. While gold is hard to miss on an build it's the polished alloy that really makes this Panigale pop.
Designed in Italy then reborn in France the Ortonali Panigale 1199 S is a reincarnation we'd definitely like to ride.
Sources: http://www.ortolani-peinture.fr/ and http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com/2017/03/1199-panigale-caferacer.html#more and http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2017/03/17/ducati-1199-s-panigale-racer-ortolani-customs.html
