Bryan Fuller is one of the better-known names in the custom car and motorcycle worlds. In addition to owning Full-Bore Publishing – an outfit that publishes various how-to-build books – Fuller also now owns Fuller Moto, a renowned customs shop that builds bespoke two and four-wheelers, and also offers hands-on classes to pass on their skills. The Atlanta-based shop has earned a solid reputation after churning out a myriad of noteworthy builds such as a beautiful Ducati 250 Scrambler and a street-fighter powered by a 1,650cc Motus MST engine. This example that is currently for sale was completed as a side project by one of FM’s team, Bryan Heidt.
Heidt has ample experience building bespoke bikes and hot rods, often designing his own one-off components and then fabricating them by hand. Interestingly, Heidt didn’t have any immediate plans to rebuild this 1975 Ducati 860 when he picked it up in pieces from Rich Lambrechts of Desmo Pro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 860 was then parked in a dark corner of the Georgia shop where it was left to collect dust until a random series of events would spark what would become a gorgeous one-off Ducati project known as the “Cavallo Nero” (Italian for “Dark Horse”).
One day Heidt was walking through Fuller Moto with a Benelli Mojave fuel-cell in hand as he passed by the basket case of a 860. On a whim he set the vintage Benelli tank on the Ducati and something in his head clicked. “It suited the bike to a T and I was hooked; I had to see this thing built,” Heidt told BikeExif in late 2016. So Heidt presented the project to Bryan Fuller, asking to work on the bike on site – an arrangement Fuller agreed to upon the condition it didn’t eat up regular shop time or resources.
As the use of the Mojave tank suggests, Heidt’s aim with this project was to create/deliver a clean, classic aesthetic, though he also wanted to bring the four-decade-old machine’s performance into the 21st-century. So the 860’s frame was stripped, suspension removed, and the engine was torn down. The Italian power-plant was then built back up using vapor-honed Dell’Orto carbs and engine cases. Because of the deteriorated state of the frame, Heidt ended up rebuilding the entire rear-half of the chassis.
Heidt wanted to run modern Motogadget components but knew the 860’s stock 110-watt stator wasn’t going to cut it so a unit was borrowed off a more contemporary 900 Super Sport that makes a more respectable 200 watts. A lithium-ion Antigravity was also dropped into place. Unbeknownst to me, the 860 originally came with an optional electric start, though they seldom pop up for sale on eBay and forums and whatnot. Heidt vigilantly scoured the interwebs for a reported two years before coming across one.
After the engine was sorted, Heidt’s next move was to tack the front end of a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R750 onto the Ducati (with the GSXR’s stock steering-damper being moved to the front of the forks). A monoshock was taken off of a Yamaha R6 and married to the 860’s original swing-arm. A set of wheels off a Ducati SportClassic were also selected for the build. Though Heidt was able to utilize the SportClassic’s front hub, the rear unit had to be replaced with a hub off a Kawi KLR650 due to chain clearance restrictions. From there the hubs were laced to feather-weight SuperMoto rims before being covered in Pirelli Diablo Rosso rubber.
Since Heidt had started the project, the Benelli Mojave tank had become increasingly popular in the custom scene and he worried that this might give the Ducati build something of a generic flavor so he opted to cut out the sides of the stock Benelli tank and added more aggressive lines to the fuel-cell. Heidt then brought the tank that sparked the project to his buddy Joe Patterson at JDK to have it and the bespoke tail-section painted in a dark graphite Mercedes-Benz metallic coat. An oversized vintage “Ducati D-Logo” was also painted on the tank for good measure.
A one-off aluminum seat pan was fabbed-up by Love’s Trim in Hampton, Georgia. Next a hand-formed aluminum tail-cover was crafted to cap off the end of the build’s new tail. A custom upholstered seat was made for the Ducati as well, featuring a combination of plush suede and leather. A pair of clip-ons from a modern GSXR were selected before being fitted with pro-grade Domino controls and adjustable CRG levers. A set of GSXR rear-sets were also picked out for the project, though a bespoke stainless set of brackets had to be created in order for the 860 to accept the Japanese foot-pegs. Heidt also sourced a carbon-fiber fender from a Ducati Monster 800 which he then cut down and reshaped slightly before attaching it to the 860 via another one-off stainless bracket.
As the build continued to come together – a long process as a result of Heidt only working on it in his off-time or after-hours – Heidt began selecting the final odds and ends the build required. A classic round H4 xenon headlight unit was mounted up front, and one-off stainless pipes and a pair of reverse megaphone mufflers were designed and hand-built in-house by Heidt. For the instrumentation Heidt went with a trick digital Motogadget Motoscope Pro unit, and an equally trick Motogadget M-Unit digital keyless ignition was added to the Ducati.
Heidt managed to initially complete the build just in time to get it shipped out to Austin for Revival Cycle’s Handbuilt Show. Following the show over MotoGP weekend, Heidt would again ship the bespoke 860 – this time back to Desmo Pro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he originally got the bike. Rich Lambrechts got to work rebuilding the engine with high compression pistons and a port and polish which supposedly boosts the Ducati’s power by almost 25 percent to around 80hp – a figure up from 65.
Heidt’s build managed to shave quite a few pounds off of the 860’s stock 500lb (wet) weight. So the 860’s supplementary power and upgraded suspension components pretty much guarantee that this thing rips. “The 860 is now nice to look at and a blast to ride,” says Heidt. “But I wanted to make it stood the test of time too. So I swapped out all the nuts and bolts for stainless steel, and everything but the tank and tail is either powder-coated or anodized. The finishes will stay like new for years to come,” Heidt said.
While this one-off Ducati is far from cheap, it is a pretty special build. Heidt demonstrated not only his ample design and building chops, but he also displayed an immense attention to detail, replacing dozens of minor odds and ends with good looking, high-quality parts – such as the build’s Rizoma reservoirs. Part of what justifies this build’s price tag is who built it, and the fact it was featured on BikeEXIF gives it a bit more street-cred as well I’d suspect. The current seller of Heidt’s side-project is Rosso Corso – an ultra-premium dealership in Laguna Hills, California that specializes in exotic two, three, and four-wheelers.
You can find Bryan Heidt’s 1975 Ducati 860 “Cavallo Nero” custom for sale here on Craigslist in Laguna Hills, California with a price of $29,880, or you can find it at Rosso Corsa or on their website.