Naked And Nasty

NAKED AND NASTY

This bare-bones Ducati isn't funny but its owner sure is

PAUL DEAN

ALONZO BODDEN DOESN'T MIND IF YOU laugh at him. Matter of fact, he wants you to laugh at him. And that's no joke— or maybe it really is. Bodden, in case you don't already know, is a stand-up comedian whose credits include winning NBC's Last Comic Standing competition in 2004 and appearances on quite a few cable and broadcast TV shows. So, feel free to laugh at him, but first make sure he's trying to be funny; otherwise, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound former pro basketball player might

switch from punch lines to punches in the nose.

But side-splitters and knee-slappers aren't this comic's only passion. For the past 30 years, Bodden has been an avid motorcyclist, having owned more than a dozen-and-a-half bikes ranging from his very first, a Honda CB400 Four, to the current five-bike stable he refers to as his "Jay Leno starter kit." It includes a BMW 11P2, a Hayabusa. a Ducati Multistrada and a Triumph Rocket Ill. Plus the cus toni 2007 Ducati seen here.

Though it looks like a modified Streetfighter.

that Duc actually began life as a fully faired 1098 Superbike. After crashing it at a track day last year, transforming most of its bodywork (and some of his) into rubble, Bodden shipped it off to Nick Anglada Originals (www.nickangla daoriginals.com) in Florida with instructions to transform it into a custom naked. ‘Tve already done a lot of the work for you,” Bodden sarcastically told him. “The rest is up to you.” What he got in return is far more exciting and elaborate than he anticipated.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” says Anglada, whose previous enterprise, Custom Sportbike Concepts, mostly turned out radical sport machines with stretched swingarms, huge rear tires and elaborate paintwork. “I closed that shop and started NAO because I was over the whole bling thing. I wanted to concentrate more on high-performance stuff.”

When reworking Bodden’s 1098, Anglada had no desire to change the bike’s original spirit. “Ducati put years of its racing and engineering expertise into this machine,” he said. “I just tried to create something cool and different that would still be.. .well, a Ducati.”

That it certainly is, since three of the elements that play the biggest role in a Ducati’s unique character—the frame, swingarm and engine internals—were left stock. Before having the frame powdercoated by Johnny Gall at Rhythmic Racing, Anglada did need to weld on necessary brackets for the CRG billet rearsets; and because the bike is a naked, he cut off all the bodyworkmounting tabs.

Anglada also slightly enhanced the Due’s engine performance by bolting on a Double Dog Moto titanium exhaust system that not only showcases some of the most gorgeous welds in the history of metal fusion but also weighs just 9 pounds, 13 less than stock. A Bazzaz Z-FITC fuel-mapping and traction-control system helps optimize the benefits of the less-restrictive 2-into-l exhaust.

Neither was the outside of the big Desmo V-Twin neglected. Covers for the ignition, water pump, countershaft sprocket and clutch, along with the clutch pressure plate, all are from Speedymoto; so are the frame sliders and the elaborate top fork triple-clamp that also has a mount for the Hyperpro steering damper. The hydraulic clutch’s slave cylinder is a nifty item made by PSR (Powerstands Racing), and the spidery gold-anodized timing-belt covers are exclusive NAO items simply called “Cordova.” Anglada named them in tribute to his CAD operator, Darryl Cordova, who designed and fabricated the covers, which keep pantlegs and large animals out of the belt cases but very little else.

Perched atop a sea of gold anodizing is a silvery 1198R gas tank. “I left it in its natural brushed-aluminum state,” says Anglada, “but applied classic 1970s Ducati logos before clear-coating it.” A little PSR push-and-tum gas cap keeps things tidy up top, and nestled just behind is an abbreviated subffame/seat/ rear fender from Double Dog Moto. That carbon-fiber piece includes no actual seat, so shortly after our photo session, Bodden had a custom saddle installed.

It certainly needed one. Not only was Bodden originally forced to sit on unforgiving carbon fiber, the suspension was calibrated to racebike specs. After the stock stanchions were anodized, the fork was equipped with a Gold Valve damping kit from Race Tech, who also provided the trick G3-S Custom roadrace-quality shock. The wheels are forged aluminum Carrozzeria VTracks riding on Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires in the stock (120/70-17 front, 190/55-17 rear) sizes and fitted with Beringer calipers and rotors. The brake and clutch lines are Galfer items, and the quick-change rear sprocket and carrier are from Driven Racing, who also is responsible for the clip-on handlebars and grips. The carbon-fiber mount for the instruments is an Anglada fabrication.

When coming up with a headlight that would provide the look he wanted, Anglada first tried an H-D V-Rod unit, finally settling on one from a Yamaha MT-01. But he invested the most time working with the rest of the bike’s electrical system. After installing a superlight Speedcell Lithium-Ferrous battery, which saves about 8/4 pounds compared to a lead-acid counterpart, he spent countless hours trying to conceal all the wiring. “I did it once, wasn’t happy with it, did it again,” says Anglada, “but I still didn’t like it. I ended up doing it four times before I was satisfied.”

He was very pleased with the way the entire bike turned out, however. And Bodden was absolutely ecstatic, especially after his first ride on a 1098 that makes a little more power than before but is about 50 pounds lighter. “I was flying down the road with my teeth chattering, my ass burning, my knees aching and my brain scared to death,” he recalls.

“I loved every minute of it.” □

“Ducati put years of its racing and engineering expertise into this machine. I just tried to create something cool and different that would still be...well, a Ducati.”i