Radical Ducati BMW R90 Interceptor is a Sweet Swansong

on January 21, 2014 at 6:33 pm

All good things, as you know, must come to an end. And Radical Ducati, a Madrid, Spain-headquartered custom motorcycle shop that specializes in – shocker – Ducatis is, unfortunately, no exception. After 15 years of turning out some of the sickest, shapeliest modified streetbikes and café racers in the Western Hemisphere, the hyper-talented folks that comprise this little-shop-that-could have decided to call it quits. However, they did create one last motorcycle to put a period on the story of Radical Ducati. Strangely, though, it’s not actually a Ducati.

For what Radical Ducati calls the BMW R90 Interceptor, the company started with a modified and reinforced BMW R80 ST frame. The front fork, on the other hand, is a Ducati piece, as are the brakes, yokes and the front wheel. The gas tank is a modified Laverda unit, and the clutch lever is cribbed from a Suzuki GSXR 600. Oh, and the fairing (which features French police “Gendarmerie” lettering) comes from Pantahstica, while the seat is Radical Ducati’s own.

On the mechanical side, the R90 Interceptor uses a BMW R100 flat-twin prepared by the crew at MaxBoxer. The engine is fully balanced and blueprinted, and features ported heads with bigger valves, lighter high-compression pistons, and a Ducati oil cooler. Radical Ducati isn’t quoting any power figures for the engine, but we’re going to go ahead and guess this is one buff Beemer boxer.

So where do the folks behind Radical Ducati go from here? It’s hard to say for sure, but considering the quantity and quality of their work, we’re guessing they won’t have trouble finding a new place to practice their craft should they ever decide to seek one.