UK-based customs outfit Spirit of the Seventies has produced some of my all-time favorite retro-themed builds. As the shop’s name suggests, SotS specializes in transforming modern machines into retro-styled customs and while this particular Ducati project is one of the shop’s low-end builds, it’s nonetheless a pretty fascinating one; making just a couple major modifications and leaving the majority of the bike stock.
This build, dubbed the “583 SuperRacer” began its life as a 1997 Ducati 600SS – basically a 583cc version of the better-known 900SS. Once passed off to Kevin and Tim at SotS, the pair got to work tearing down the Italian two-wheeler and hacking off the subframe, exhaust, and front end. From there the two designed and built a new one-off subframe, fused it into place, and then powder-coated the chassis and its new subframe. An off-the-shelf aftermarket seat was selected and dropped into place on the Duc, capped off with a new cafe cowl matching the shape of the subframe. One nice touch that’s pretty subtle are the holes drilled into the cam belt covers.
A custom exhaust system was also designed and fabricated in house by the SotS guys – a clean single pipe that furthers the build’s blending of vintage and contemporary aesthetics. Someone slapped a Termignoni sticker on the exhaust which I think is kinda lame, but otherwise I really enjoy the new unit. A bespoke heat-guard was also fabbed up for the custom pipe and a K&N filter was also tacked on for good measure. Next, a set of forks was sourced off a Monster 900 before being anodized and fixed to the frame. A pair of dual front discs were borrowed off a slightly more modern Aprilia SL1000 Falco, along with the Aprilia’s Brembo calipers.
A fender eliminator, aftermarket indicators, aftermarket rearsets, and a pair of round bar-end mirrors were all added to the project as well. The nose fairing was replaced with a piece of track bodywork to which an offset, single round yellow spotlight was added which is reminiscent of old endurance racer headlights. Interestingly the light is mounted to a bracket protruding from one of the ram intakes instead of being attached or sunken into the bodywork. The entire bike was painted the Ducati red, and then black race-inspired “1”s were added on the nose and sides. The tank was also painted black below the white piping running horizontally across the top of the seat, and pieces of tank skins were also added below said line on the black portion on the bottom of the fuel-cell.
“Jerome’s Ducati was a challenge for us, not least because the budget was very tight. We’ve made substantial changes to the rear, adding a loop and bracing. We’ve used an ‘off the shelf’ seat unit provided by Jerome and created a bespoke exhaust system at the rear. The whole bike has been stripped and we’ve also sorted out some wear and tear issues we came across during the build,” explain the builders.
The seller says the machine only has 7,900 miles on the odo, which isn’t bad considering it’s more than two decades old. According to the ad the only reason the current owner is parting ways with this example is because they want to start a new project and seemingly need the space/funds. In addition to thinking this is a pretty good looking bike, I really appreciate how this project only had to make a few changes in order to thoroughly transform the bike as a whole. I like how this was a custom that was built to be ridden, and not some two-wheeled statue. The price does seem a tad excessive, even considering the pedigree of the shop it came from, but I still really dig this one.
You can find this custom 1997 Ducati 600SS “583 SuperRacer” for sale here on TheBikeShed in London, England with a price of $13,185.