There are custom motorcycles that borrow from endurance racing, and then there are machines built by Pepo Rosell. For more than two decades, the man behind XTR Pepo has been refining a style that now influences custom workshops across the globe: track style bodywork, exposed mechanicals, race-bred ergonomics and a visual aggression that makes factory bikes look ornamental by comparison. His latest creation, the “Roedpilen”, takes that philosophy in an entirely new direction, transforming a 2018 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 into a razor-edged endurance racer that looks ready to line up at the Bol d’Or.
The donor platform alone makes this build fascinating. Pepo’s name is often tied to Ducati-powered customs, dating back to his groundbreaking Radical Ducati era, but the compact single-cylinder Husqvarna gives the Roedpilen a very different personality. The Vitpilen’s lightweight chassis and narrow engine architecture allow the entire motorcycle to shrink-wrap itself around the mechanical package. The result is visually closer to a late-70s Formula racer than a modern street bike, with an impossibly slim waistline, minimal frontal area and proportions that look completely functional rather than styled.
At the front sits one of Pepo’s own XTR endurance fairings, originally designed for his GRR 450 project, now adapted perfectly to the Husqvarna chassis. Combined with a hand-crafted plexiglass screen, custom front bracket and integrated XTR LED headlight, the nose section delivers the exact endurance-racer silhouette Pepo has become famous for. But as always, the details matter. The fairing doesn’t hide the bike’s mechanical elements; it frames them. The exposed radiator, visible trellis frame and tightly routed exhaust all become part of the visual composition, giving the Roedpilen the same mechanical honesty that made the great factory endurance racers so captivating.
The chassis modifications are serious too. Pepo converted the Vitpilen to dual front discs using original fork bottoms paired with KTM Duke 790 fork tubes, opening the door for a pair of Brembo radial calipers sourced from a Ducati superbike. Galfer wave rotors, Frentubo lines and a Discacciati PR19 radial master cylinder complete a front brake package that would embarrass most modern sport bikes. The suspension remains deliberately taut and purposeful, with a WP rear shock balancing the aggressive geometry and keeping the bike visually pitched forward in classic XTR Pepo style.
Engine breathing has also been completely reworked. The bulky stock airbox is gone, replaced with a DNA filter setup feeding directly into the single-cylinder engine, while a titanium exhaust system and SC Project silencer free up the exhaust side. To maximise the gains, Pepo installed a Rapid Bike EVO Racing programmable ECU, giving the Husqvarna a sharper and far more race-oriented delivery. Combined with the lightweight chassis, reduced mass and compact wheelbase, the result should be every bit as intense as the bike looks.
One of the most impressive elements is how cleanly the entire package has been executed. The modified fuel tank flows naturally into Pepo’s custom rear subframe and Pantah 821-inspired solo seat unit, creating a dead-straight line from the steering head to the tail section. The rear of the bike is almost impossibly minimal, with the integrated LED lighting and trimmed mudguard leaving little visual clutter behind the rear wheel. Even the carbon-fibre chain guard, brake cooling scoops and foldable rearsets feel integrated into the design rather than simply added as aftermarket parts.
The livery seals the deal. Finished by Artenruta with graphics from Trazza, the Roedpilen wears its red-and-white endurance colours with absolute confidence. The race numbers, Shell logos and vintage sponsor decals could easily tip into nostalgia overload in less capable hands, but Pepo understands restraint. The graphics work because the motorcycle underneath already looks authentic. Nothing feels decorative. Instead, the bike carries the atmosphere of a factory-supported privateer racer from the golden era of European endurance competition, updated with modern brakes, suspension and electronics.
That ability to blend history, engineering and visual intensity is exactly why XTR Pepo remains one of the most important names in the custom world. Plenty of builders now imitate the endurance-racer formula he helped popularise, but very few understand proportion, stance and mechanical composition the way Pepo does. The Roedpilen isn’t just another retro race bike. It’s another reminder that the best customs don’t simply reference racing history; they feel like they belong in it.
[ XTR Pepo | Photography by Xavi Dynamische ]