Ricky Gonzalez of Mooresville, North Carolina, is a total first-class Ducati freak, but that doesn’t mean the only mods he’ll do is change what polish he’s using on his Ducatis. Personally, I think he’s at his happiest when he’s cutting and welding one of Bologna’s finest into something that he can truly call his own. Take the late model air-cooled Ducati 900SS Desmo engine and Ducati VIN-head tube that he’s turned into a little devil of a bobber ready to kick some Main Street ass. I say VIN-head tube as that’s all that he needed to make his one-off rigid frame legally be a Ducati. Normally, the L-twin is a hung, stressed member of the frame, but he’s really made his own version of the famed Ducati trellis light and tidy and looking like it came that way originally. Again, Rodent’s definition of a motorcycle as just an “engine and two wheels” really fits the bill here.

 

   Usually a Ducati is all about the handling, but in this case there’s not an Ohlins sticker to be found anywhere. What Ricky’s done is replaced the beefy inverted stock fork with a springer that really fits the bobber bill here better than anything high-tech from Sweden would. He did retain the most excellent Brembo brakes front and rear along with a set of wavy rotors and I can’t fault him a bit on that. Everything else one does on a bobber is debatable, but good brakes are not as far as I’m concerned. Personally, I’ve somehow lived through those charming and quaint Old School brakes and find them anything but when a cell phone-blabbing SUV driver whips right in front of you.

 

  The rest of the bike looks ready to rumble and Ducati’s engine is noted for its smoothness throughout the rev range, so what’s not to like? No, you can’t say it doesn’t sound good like a nice running Harley does as the Desmo has a lovely bass sound track of its own too. Not the same as a Harley, just different but in a good way. All the rest of the typical bobber’s styling cues are there and very well done too regardless of what’s motivating it. Ricky did a fit and finish job worthy of any regular show bike you’ll see.

 

   All in all, this is one tidy little bobber that I’d love to have in my garage sitting right next to my Road King. V-twin, L-twin, they both look and sound good to me and that’s all I care.