

It’s always fascinating to see the personal rides of well-known custom motorcycle builders. Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh, for example, rides a tiny PGO 125cc scooter. This Ducati Pantah belongs to JvB-moto‘s Jens vom Brauck, and prowls the roads around Cologne in Germany.



“I wanted it to look like it was found in a shed in Bologna,” says vom Brauck. “A futuristic design study for a 1981 motor show, but never displayed … the work of a designer who was a café racer fan, but could not convince the Ducati factory.”



Vom Brauck has aimed for a mix of styles, materials and parts from the last 30 years. The wheels and tires are deliberately narrow in profile, to retain a retro look. A smattering of carbon fiber provides contrast. Vom Brauck cut down the Pantah’s rear subframe and heavily modified the tank, adding oil pressure and electrical warning lights.



The exhaust was built from parts Vom Brauck had lying around, including bits from an obscure MZ 1000S. “It has a nice, aggressive sound, but not too loud. And no, the butt doesn’t get too hot!” Performance is good: the Pantah weighs just 170 kg in this trim.



And before you ask, Vom Brauck has no plans to create another Pantah, or offer the parts for sale. For him, the Ducati has been a very personal endeavor, created over three years. A shame, but at least we can enjoy the images.

Check out our archive of previous JvB-moto builds here.