Bullitt Ducati Monster 821 Build: Paint Update
Our Bullitt 821 build stalled out for a little while over the summer but we’re back on track and working hard to wrap it up soon. We had dropped our tins with painter buddy, Ronnie Simmons, and went back and forth for some time with the overall design.
The design concept was to take the gloss paint and raw aluminum combo from the Panigale R and apply it to the Monster’s bodywork. Well, the true original plan was to take an actual Panigale tank and a Monster tank, saw them both in half horizontally and mate them back together.
My thought was utilizing the base of the Monster tank so fitment and fuel delivery wouldn’t be an issue and massaging the Pani tank to sit up top…seemed like a match made in heaven.
After many conversations and a whiskey or three, I decided to keep the trademark Monster profile but still wanted to apply the Panigale R-inspired design. Raw steel was exposed and we wanted to confirm that the tank was in good enough shape to leave it exposed. It was.
The “DUCATI” letter was left in peekaboo steel and I decided to run the accent color in a bronze to match the engine case and swingarm.
The Monster 821 Dark comes in a matte finish and while I’ve done some many things matte in the past, I felt it was time to go gloss. We went high-gloss black, and did the raw steel in a matte finish for contrast. To keep consistency across the rear cowl and front fender, we laid down a silver to mimic the raw steel as close as possible.
Not being sure about the gloss decision until I saw the final product, getting it home and on the bench, the vision became clear.
Having the completed bodywork sitting in the shop was the fuel we needed to kick this build into high gear. After sending some bits out for ceramic and powder coating, we’re ready to reassemble and get this baby back on the road. That day can’t come soon enough.
