This Month's Featured Bike:
Red Rider Rick's 2000 M900ie

First, thank you for the interest in my Monster! It's been a lot of fun (and work) getting it the way I like it, but well-worth the effort.

Second, this started out as my wife's bike.
She had a metric cruiser that she never really did like much, so we started shopping.
We found a used, yellow 2000 M900ie, and after just a short test-ride, I knew Jan would love it. That was in 2002. I had a Honda RC 51 at the time, and loved it for the track, but not for around town.

The Monster is the PERFECT "town" bike: torquey v-twin, upright/visible riding position, and lots of style. Jan really liked riding it, and even did a couple of track days on it, but her interest in motorcycling waned. I guess that's where I came in.

The bike was stock when we bought it.
I did several mods right away, which included Leo Vince high-mount exhaust and Power Commander.

The sound is just right, and there's no mistaking a Ducati if you know what you're listening for. But I added an open clutch cover to get that dry clutch jingle going just in case. A CRG bar-end mirror replaced the Mickey Mouse Club mirrors the bike came with, and that gigantic rear fender had to go, too. I put a carbon rear hugger on, and that was about it for the next three years, during which the bike only saw about 4k miles. (Shameful, huh?)

When the RC became a little too uncomfortable for me I started riding the Duc more. In fact, I took it with me to Laguna Seca in 2005 to ride the back roads before the Moto GP races.

If it's a perfect "town" bike, then it's an absolutely unbelievable bike in the 2nd and 3rd gear twisties that are hidden in the hills of California!

This really sparked my interest in doing something special with this bike, especially after seeing the Monsters on Ducati Island.

I made a list of items that I thought would make up a "Dream Monster".
My original plan was to do a little at a time, and I prioritized the list. That lasted about two weeks, and I started working overtime shifts. Within a month, the items on the list were checked off. ALL of them. It just so happened to be a week before this year's Moto GP event at Laguna Seca.

My dream had come true!!! This time MY bike would sit on Duc Isle with all those other trick rides. But I think there's one big difference between mine and the others that were selected for the Moto Euro Concours d'elegance this year, and that's that I RAIL this bike on a regular basis. I think it definitely goes as well as it shows, and I ride it on the track as well as the street. Kinda like the phone book, this is the "one that gets used". It came 4th against the other Monsters there. That was as good as a win for me!

I didn't set out to make a show bike, and I don't really think it is. I just wanted to make something that would look nice and be uniquely mine.

Almost as much as I like riding it, I just love standing back away from it when it's parked somewhere and watching people enjoy looking at it, as they point at the carbon parts and modifications.

Click here for past featured bikes