Who needs fairings when your Ducati can look like this?

Think Ducati, and you’d almost instantly imagine a sexy red sports bike with elaborate fairings, winglets, and the sort of aggressive styling that makes it look fast even when it’s standing still. But Vietnamese custom motorcycle outfit Bandit9 has a rather different interpretation of the Italian marque’s sporting DNA.Meet the (RED) 800, a Ducati-powered creation that looks less like a conventional superbike and more like a futuristic sculpture carved from metal. Its flowing, hand-shaped aluminum bodywork transitions from a vivid racing-red finish into exposed, brushed metal, doing away with much of the visual clutter you’d normally associate with a performance motorcycle.It’s based on Bandit9’s one-off Ducati 821 build, but this isn't just a pretty object for a collector's garage. There's a real purpose behind the dramatic red paintwork. It’s developed in collaboration with the healthcare charity (RED), meaning a hefty chunk of each sale price will go toward efforts to combat preventable diseases, including AIDS. This Ducati is built to save lives. The (RED) 800 fades from racing red to raw aluminumBandit9 I’ve covered some of Bandit9’s work in the past, and it’s the custom house’s unique sense of styling that almost always makes each one of its creations instantly recognizable. That starts with the aluminum bodywork shaped like it’s liquid form that was instantly frozen.Heck, there are hardly any straight lines on there. There are zero external panel seams and hardly any visual breaks. Even components like the seat, the lights, and the control cutouts are all seamlessly integrated into the design.Underneath that sculpted body sits Ducati's 821cc Testastretta V-twin, producing 110 hp and 65.8 lb.ft (89 Nm) of torque. Bandit9 says the bike does 0 to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 3.3 seconds, reaching a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). The (RED) 800 features flowing, hand-shaped aluminum bodyworkBandit9 That engine sits inside a steel trellis frame which is suspended on non-adjustable 43-mm Sachs forks up front and an adjustable Sachs monoshock with preload and rebound on the back. Stopping power comes from dual 320-mm Brembo monobloc radial calipers and 245-mm Brembo discs at the front and back, respectively. The whole thing weighs 386 lb (175 kg) dry.Bandit9 has fitted the thing with bespoke components, including fenders, foot pegs, and mirrors. But perhaps the most striking visual component is its custom hand-painted gradient that transitions from Racing Red into hand-brushed aluminum. Probably one of the best paint jobs I’ve seen in a while. And because it’s done by hand, no two of the planned units will look the same.At US$49,900, the (RED) 800 demands a serious financial commitment, putting it firmly in the territory of rare, high-end collector motorcycles. But unlike some ultra-expensive customs that are designed primarily to look pretty parked in a showroom, Bandit9's creation has the performance hardware to back up its futuristic styling. It's an unusual marriage of painstaking metalwork and proven Ducati engineering, with the added distinction of contributing to a charitable cause. $14,000 from every sale will go toward (RED)’s charitable cause. Powering the (RED) 800 is the 821cc Testastretta V-twin producing 110 hp Bandit9 Every example will be built to order, with customers facing an estimated wait of eight months to a year. There’ll only be nine units made, with every example built to order. For collectors after something beyond the usual exotic motorcycle, the (RED) 800 offers exclusivity, distinctive craftsmanship and a meaningful philanthropic element. It's also an interesting demonstration of how a bespoke motorcycle can be more than an exercise in performance or aesthetics, using its limited production run to support a cause that extends well beyond the garage.Source: Bandit9