Dark art: A stripped-back Ducati 999 from Freeride Motos

There's no doubt that the Ducati 999 is set to become a future classic. Pierre Terblanche's aggressive design polarized opinion when it first broke cover, but it didn't matter; the 999 was proper fast, and took three titles in its tenure on the World Superbike circuit. And its looks have grown on most people over time—like a movie that gets panned by critics at first, only to become a cult classic later. So if it's that great, why customize it? For Pierre Dhers at Freeride Motos, the answer is simple: it was the best possible donor for this project. The...