This particular client’s desires were simply out of reach for most builders; a one-off Ducati Monster with endurance racer looks, it had to have the charm of an old carby engine but the performance to compete with just about any other bike doing fly laps of the famous Nürburgring, all while being street legal and an easy machine to ride. When you consider the brief, there is only one man to turn to in the pursuit of making this dream a reality. And for his part, the great Pepo Rosell of Spain’s XTR Pepo fulfilled his obligations, transforming the 1993 Ducati Monster 900 into everything the client could hope for, and creating a machine called Quantum. But then things went dark, the client disappeared without paying the bill and this motorcycle, now known as “Do Not Finish,” could be the last XTR Pepo built bike we ever see.
It’s not a place Pepo ever wanted to get to. He’s had one of the most storied careers in all of custom motorcycling. He shot to fame with his Radical Ducati brand, building the coolest Bologna bullets that were as sexy as they were fast. But years in the spotlight took their toll. The endless pressure to create and meet ever-increasing demands couldn’t be sustained. Wisely, Pepo took a break from building bikes, a mental health sabbatical and a chance to recoup. Then, about a decade ago, he returned, a one-man band under the name XTR Pepo, building all kinds of crazy customs in his signature style. But he tells us that when he came back, things were different. “I do not know how to explain it, people who do not honour their word… it was another world.”
But nothing could get in the way of the master, producing one smash hit after another. Along the way, though, he did get burnt a few times—customers not paying their bills or disappearing just as the bike was finished, leaving Pepo holding the bag. But despite this, he pressed on. In 2021, a wealthy Dutchman approached him to build this Ducati. He was the client with the big list of demands, and after many conversations, Pepo agreed to take on the build. The Dutchman shipped the Monster and a host of expensive parts to Spain, and all seemed to be going well. Pepo did notice that someone had attempted to modify the bike themselves, very poorly, but that’s never stopped him.
He set about cleaning up the steel trellis frame, repairing any poor welds and improving the gusseting, before firing up the angle grinder and taking the subframe off. Pepo then took some tube stock and began to shape a new, shortened subframe, with extra height for the bodywork he had in mind. All those pieces and panels are XTR Pepo items, designed to provide the ultimate in lightweight and that signature endurance racer look.
The fuel tank is based on the design of a Ducati 749 but is made entirely of one-off carbon fibre, with clear fuel sights and a trick dry brake race filler. The Monster, being naked, was not equipped to take fairings, so an XTR front support was bolted on too. This supports the full carbon fibre front fairing, which features a one-off clear windshield and a pair of headlights on an XTR aluminium bracket.
The solo seat is more carbon, sporting a battery box in the tail to help keep the lines of the bike tight, and the belly pan is another of Pepo’s creations. The front fender and rear hugger are both featherweight carbon pieces, and then, with a render designed by Pepo and approved by the Dutch client, it was off to paint. As always, this was handled by a good friend of the shop, Artenruta, and Pepo knocked the upholstery out of the park. The bike now had the looks, but you can’t send a dashing Ducati to take on the Nürburgring with a stock engine.
The 900cc Desmo twin was completely pulled apart and disassembled, with the cases and barrels sandblasted to get them looking as good as new. The entire engine was blueprinted and rebuilt to perfection, with the rotating assembly rebalanced, topped with a set of high-compression pistons, and the cylinder heads ported for extra flow. A lightened flywheel and slipper clutch made the gear changes smooth as silk and a Silent Hektik ignition system brought the spark into the 21st century.
To fuel the Italian, Pepo tuned up a set of expensive Keihin FCR 41 carbs which were purchased from the US and topped with big K&N filters. The exhaust is a combination of Wolfman 2-into-1 headers and a Spark Megaphone muffler, all producing over 80hp at the tyre in a bike that weighs just 152kg.To get the bike rolling, the client wanted only the best. While carbon was considered, the decision was made to go with big-buck OZ Racing Piega forged aluminium items with Continental tyres.
The suspension too is all the best of the best, with a set of custom Ohlins forks originally intended for a 1098 slotting through a pair of S&P CNC-machined triple trees, with the guys also machining up a set of clip-ons. These sport a set of Domino grips and a quick-action throttle, and the switchgear was modified to operate both the Koso LED lights and indicators, while also scrolling through the Aviacompositi digital dash. This gives you all the stock functions, as well as the ability to support a lap timer, shift light, and other racing features.
It was around this point that things started to go south. Pepo got a request for one hell of a braking package, but as he started to piece it together, the money for the components seemed to be taking its time to show up. There are huge Discacciati 330mm floating rotors, while the rear uses a Brembo rotor and caliper combo. But when Pepo upped his demands for the owing funds, now needed for the front calipers, the client went incommunicado, and he hadn’t paid the bill for any of the labour either. This was in 2022, and despite his efforts, Pepo never heard back and was left seriously out of pocket. That’s when he renamed the bike “Do Not Finish.” After a couple of years of waiting, he’s decided to tell his story, show off the bike for all to enjoy, and sadly announce his retirement. Burnt one too many times, he’ll now only build bikes for himself, and we’re all the worse off, because a few rotten apples really do spoil the bunch.
[ XTR Pepo | Photography by Jose Martin ]