COVER STORY
Xerox Copy
Author: Text by K3 Chris Onwiler, Photos by Thomas Gray, Twistedfotos (twistedfotos@yahoo.com)
Taking passion to the extreme
 What if you wanted to own a really special Ducati and had the resources to make your dream come true? Would you be content with the superlative 1098? How about the extremely rare 1098R, built by the factory as a homologation special to make its high-end hardware legal for World Superbike competition? What would you do if you wanted a bike even more exclusive than that?
For the owner of this one-of-a-kind motorcycle, the answer was clear. Since the Ducati 1098R is basically a World Superbike starter kit already, why not go all the way and create the ultimate replica as a tribute to Troy Bayliss and all that he has accomplished while racing for Ducati? This machine’s owner has asked to remain nameless. Likewise, we won’t discuss what his Xerox Copy cost to build. The old adage, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it,” definitely applies here. Having ridden and raced a great variety of motorcycles over the past thirty nine years, our anonymous owner decided that this time he’d build a dream cycle. We’d say he’s succeeded.  If you’re going to undertake such an ambitious project, you’d better have patience. When you start fitting custom race parts to a factory-built street bike, the overall complexity of the job rises exponentially. Your best bet is to entrust the work to experienced craftsmen who have the skills and equipment required to produce the desired results. For this reason, the mechanical end of the buildup was handled by Dan Kyle of Kyle USA ( www.kyleusa.com) with Bayless/Xerox replica paintjob painstakingly replicated by John Bisson, of Finishing Touch. (www.finishingtouch4u.com) The bike’s owner takes satisfaction in knowing that some of the work performed on his machine was essentially research and development for parts that will now be available to other Ducati owners.
Here’s a list of the exotica that makes up this fine motorcycle:  Finishing Touch Bayliss Replica Paint
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