This is a build by Liviu Alexandru Maslin a.k.a. Desmo Bibu from Timisoara, Romania. What’s interesting is that this is a shed build, all work done in his own garage over a period of 2 years. The 350 GTV model was built from 1977 to 1981, and they were not known as the most powerful or most reliable Ducatis in history. The lack of significant Ducati identity and lingering mechanical problems combined, make survivors of this particular model quite rare. When Ducati introduced a non-Desmo version of the 350 Super Sport, it paved the way for a new line of bikes that have come to be known as the 350 GTV. This particular 350 GTV was built in 1980 and is one of 958 built that year. The 350 GTV came with a 350cc SOHC twin engine that was mated to a five-speed transmission, and in it’s days of glory put out about 24HP.

Bibu picked up this 350 GTV for a three figure price tab. The bike was in great running condition with roughly 14.000km but less than desirable cosmetic shape, however he saw the potential and had an idea of what he wanted this build to look like. He completely stripped the bike to its frame. The motor was in great running shape so it was thoroughly cleaned and painted to go with the overall theme of the Cafe Racer build. The wiring harness was completely redone by Bibu. The carbs were also cleaned and adjusted. The exhaust manifold was sandblasted, painted black and mated to new chrome mufflers. The brake and clutch levers, the controls and the brake slave cylinder were stripped of paint and polished. The speedometer was cleaned, modified with a brass bezel and attached to a stainless steel support plate which includes the instrument LED’s.

The headlight was cleaned, painted black and receive a headlight visor to keep in theme with the Cafe Racer look. Classic bullet style turn signals and round stop light were the right choice to keep the theme going. The handlebars were replaced with a set of Fehling M-Bars. The The yoke and the headlight support were sandblasted and painted black. The forks were polished and received new boots. The front rotors were cleaned, resurfaced and pained black at the core. The wheels were also sandblasted and painted black. They are currently wrapped in a set of Metzeler ME22 tires. The tank could not be salvaged as is had plenty of rust and was replaced with a fiberglass replica from Resincorse. The tail was made in-house by Bibu. When he reassembled the build he changed 99% of the bolts with stainless steel bolts. The bike was painted a high gloss black, with cafe racer decals that feel at home on this build. The sweat, blood and tears that went into this build were worth it, as this is one of the cleanest and attention to detail builds I have encountered in a long time for a shed build. Check out the gallery for the rest of the pictures of this beautiful build.

List of modifications:

– Resincorse fiberglass gastank

– Custom Cafe exhaust mufflers

– Custom Cafe turn signals

– Custom Cafe mirror

– Fehling M-Bars

– Desmo Bibu seat and tail piece

– Desmo Bibu stainless steel dashboard

– Refurbished speedo with brass bezel

– Refurbished Paioli rear shocks

– Shortened rear fender

– New wiring harness

– Refurbished engine

– Deep Gloss Black paint

– Metzeler ME22 tires

– All aluminum parts polished

– Tommasselli throttle kit

– Steel braided brake hoses

Via: Desmo Bibu

Photos: Rperformance