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Pierre Terblanche has penned countless motorcycles in his career, but he’s best known for the 11 years he spent at Ducati. In that time, the South African designer became infamous for designing bikes that were polarizing at first but went on to become successful.
The Ducati 999’s boxy bodywork and stacked headlights upset Ducati purists, but it was wildly successful on the race track. The Ducati Hypermotard was a massive departure from the Italian marque’s usual fare, but it was immensely popular among riders. And the Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS, although goofy as heck, went on to spawn one of Ducati’s most successful model ranges.
There’s a huge difference between the Multistrada 1000 DS and the current range-topping Multistrada V4—both aesthetically and mechanically. But time has gifted the 1000 DS a certain awkward retro charm. Look past its quirky split fairing and layered tailpiece, and you’ll find Ducati’s trusty early-2000s desmodromic L-twin engine, elegantly housed in a trellis frame.
Of course, if the old Multistrada’s design doesn’t butter your toast, you can always tear it up and use it as the platform for your next project. That’s what Swiss motorcycle enthusiast Didi Schweighauser did, with stunning results.
Didi’s obsession with motorcycles started when he was 13. He counted the days until his 14th birthday, which is when he could legally start riding mopeds. Then he got his hands on a Puch X30 and promptly found himself in trouble with the law.
Didi’s bikes got progressively bigger, and then he turned 50 and found a new obsession—custom motorcycles. He ticked the bobber box with a custom BMW R65, and then ticked the café racer box with a Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000. A peppy street tracker was third on the list…
“I had long been fascinated by Ducati engines and their characteristics,” Didi tells us, “so I bought a 2004 Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS and started planning.”
“The first steps were difficult. As the Multistrada’s tank, seat, and rear fairing are all one piece of plastic, the idea of replacing the tank and fitting a new saddle was out. My petrolhead friends advised me to sell the thing and look for an easier-to-convert base—but that was the attraction.”
With loaned workshop space (and help) from his friends at Country Road Motorcycles in the picture-perfect Swiss village of Alpnach Dorf, Didi stripped the Multistrada down to its frame and engine and started figuring out his next steps.
He soon found a Honda VF750F fuel tank that suited the lines of the Ducati frame. Armed with the fuel tank, and a clear idea of what he wanted the tail section to look like, Didi roped in his trusted fabricator, Jimmy Iten at Jimmy’s Repair Shop. Jimmy massaged the Honda tank to sit perfectly on the Multistrada, before building the rear section from scratch.
The fuel tank and seat pan lock into each other like puzzle pieces, while the rear hump hides the bike’s battery. A Highsider LED taillight sits under the rear lip, while an integrated license plate bracket lower down hosts a pair of Motogadget turn signals. Toni Käppeli handled the swish diamond-stitched seat.
Other handmade parts include the headlight nacelle, the front and rear fenders, and a set of triangular panels that block the gaps in the front section of the frame. The headlight is a Highsider part, and the front turn signals come from Heinz Bikes. Didi kept the OEM handlebars, dashboard, and controls, but ditched the mirrors for a single Motogadget bar-end item.
A pair of Mivv silencers hang off the right-hand side of the bike, while clear covers on the clutch and belts create a quintessential Ducati vibe. The copper, white, and anthracite livery is as stylish as it gets, complemented by a host of black powder-coated parts.
“My aim with the Ducati was to design the bike with clean lines—to build it as cleanly as possible and to hide or even do without anything unnecessary,” Didi tells us. “The bike is 100% legal and the fun is 100% insane.”
Finally, the ‘Ducati DT’ logos on the bodywork, done in a period-correct font, hint at the bike’s moniker.
“Why DT? For me, it was a play on words for Didi’s Töff, or Dirt Tracker. Or—because the conversion of the Ducati gave me a lot of strength during my divorce—Divorce Tracker.”
Didi Schweighauser Facebook | Country Road Motorcycles | Images by Lennart van Dijk
Sidecar Subject: Major Multistrada MilestonesMultistrada 1000 (2003): The original model introduced Ducati’s adventure touring bike concept, featuring a 1,000cc L-twin engine and a unique trellis frame design. Multistrada 1100 (2006): This version upgraded the engine to 1,100 cc and introduced advanced features like traction control and improved ergonomics for enhanced rider comfort. Multistrada 1200 (2010): A significant redesign that included a 1,200 cc engine, a more modern aesthetic, and several electronic rider aids. Multistrada 1200 S (2012): Added active suspension and a larger TFT display, along with further refinements to the engine and frame for better performance and comfort. Multistrada 1200 (2015): Introduced the Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT) engine, improving torque delivery and fuel efficiency, along with enhanced electronics and riding modes. Multistrada 1260 (2018): Upgraded to a 1,262 cc engine that improved low-end power, along with an updated chassis for better handling and stability. Multistrada V4 (2021): Marked a major shift with the introduction of the V4 Granturismo engine, advanced radar systems for adaptive cruise control, and a new design focused on performance and comfort. |