Styling
As I’ve mentioned already, I feel that the styling of the early half-fairing Alazzurra was not as well resolved as it might have been, even though it was more attractive and dynamic than the Pantah 650TL on which it was based. Specifically, I reckon it is front- and top-heavy, partly because the rear of the bike is very understated, and I find the graphics applied to original Alazzurras only make matters worse.
More detail of fairing. New sidelights are fitted behind glazed slots in black apron. BSA-style rubber gaiters for that chunky look, with stainless clamps. Calipers forward and proud!
The 35mm fork tubes might have lightened the look of the front end, but they are so ridiculously skinny, they make the fairing above look even more bulky. Modern bikes have strong substantial-looking forks, which draw the eye forward and down to the front wheel. The Alazzurra front wheel appears virtually unsupported, which is hardly confidence- inspiring for such a vital component. Hence the fork gaiters, which at least make the fork tubes look stronger...
As received, the fork sliders were painted black, but I suspect that the paint dated from the recent respray, rather than being Ducati Pantah original-spec. The sliders look much more attractive and substantial having been stripped back to the bare alloy, with the top section polished.
Much as I like red, I found that painting the panels surrounding the indicators in metallic charcoal had a worthwhile slimming effect on the front of the bike, as did de-emphasising the lower apron of the fairing with the same colour. Custom ‘Alazzurra’ script-only decals from Classic Transfers UK also draw the eye downwards to the lower flanks of the fairing. The tank decal is also a Classic Transfers special.
Well, it was fun to do!
Probably the most noticeable styling change is the new screen. Almost as soon as I got the bike, I took a saw to the old screen and reduced it to little more than a trim because of the appalling amount of turbulence and wind-noise it generated. Thus it remained until the recent rebuild, when something more attractive and effective was called-for. Having carried out exactly the same exercise with my ST4, it did not pose a big problem to design a screen with a better profile, and make it in glass-fibre- reinforced-plastic. This is a slow process, and begins with a sheet of expanded-mesh metal that is massaged into shape to make a former, onto which the first layer of GFRP is laid. A great deal of shaping and re- shaping then follows, plus quantities of polyester filler applied and mostly removed, before something reasonable emerges.
The new Alazzurra screen starts lower and tighter to the fairing at the front and rises gently, with a curved cross-section in preference to the 1980’s-square look of the original. It sweeps well back towards the rider, and the curve tightens towards the horizontal, so that the air is released from the lipless edge without any turbulence. (The ‘flip’ is the main turbulence-inducing feature on most screens) The height is set so that the airflow boundary is at neck level, leaving my helmet unshielded because I enjoy the smooth feeling of the clean air against me, if not the inevitable squashed bugs! At high speeds, leaning forwards and down sees my helmet connect with the aerodynamic envelope of the screen, giving more protection with only a modest increase in wind-noise.
I’ve finished the screen in satin metallic grey paint, opacity not being a problem at all as I am always looking over the top. I’d like to see how it would look in clear moulded acrylic, but I don’t have that technology, nor the funds to support commercial production of such a limited-market item.
While working at the front, I took time to fill the gaps between the fairing sections, and also the front peg-holes, attaching the screen by four 5mm mushroom-head screws and well-nuts on either side. A section of bright trim carved by hand from solid alloy sits between the headlamp and the screen edge, completing an installation that is much neater than the original, even if it doesn’t actually reduce the height of the front of the bike. Screens are always a compromise between looks and performance, but I’m pleased to report that this one also works as well as I hoped. Beneath it, the various warning lights are now more visible in the daytime, and it provides a discrete place to mount my Pro-Oiler control panel.
So much for the front styling. The rear is neat but understated, and the first thing I did to add emphasis was to paint the black indicator housings in metallic steel-grey. Next, my eye lit upon the grab handles, which are almost invisible in black powder-coat. These look much more attractive taken back to alloy, and their angle definitely ‘lifts’ the rear of the bike.
Extra bling at rear purely to add visual emphasis: wouldn’t need it if the body-styling had been better balanced. Includes polished grab handles, trim to fill gap above rear light, fat seat and gorgeous Ducati Meccanica decal.
Getting a liking for custom trims in carved alloy, I made a composite unit to fill the odd gap between the seat unit and the rear light, and a tapered strip to add a dynamic highlight to each of the side panels. These solid alloy trims look very much better than sections of proprietary plastic moulding or stick-on vinyl stripes, though they are labour-intensive to make.
As mentioned, the increased angle of the silencers improves the look of the bike, and a coat of metallic grey paint on the alloy silencer/footrest hangers reduces their visual interference with the sweep of the exhaust. In contrast to that subtlety, a beautiful ‘Ducati Meccanica’ decal fixed to the top of the seat panel adds a bit of gratuitous bling...
Having physically raised the height of the back of the bike by fitting longer shocks and shifting the wheel down the slope of the swing-arm, I looked at other options that might add visual weight to the rear. At one time, I had a carrier/pannier frame fitted to the bike and this helped, but it was not exactly pretty and I no longer needed it anyway. After several experiments, I gave up the idea of adding any extra bits and turned my attention to the seat.
The Alazzurra seat was quite comfortable from a rider’s point of view, especially after softer foam was fitted to the front section. However, the back section is very shallow, as is the side panel beneath it, and together they give an atrophied look to the back of the bike compared with the front. The side panels are, nonetheless, quite elegant, so I opted to bulk- up the rear by redesigning the seat to raise its profile. At the same time, I wanted a gel pad fitted to the front section, and an understated style and covering that resembled the original rather than looking like something out of a Corbin catalogue.
Custom seat built to style of original, but with extra stuffing especially at the back, plus gel pad in the front. Extra stitched panel at front prevents wrinkles.
Fortunately, I found Ross Hunter in Coventry who was willing to rebuild the seat to my requirements. Not only does it look very close to what I had in mind, it is now really comfortable, as Ross added a little width while fitting the gel pad. He felt that a separate panel was needed at the front to avoid wrinkles, and arranged the stitched join so it lines up with the junction between the side-panels and the tank. A coat of matt-black paint on the reversed edges of the body panels and tank masks minor fitting discrepancies, and the result could easily pass for original equipment.
Horizontal cam-belt cover minus ‘Pantah’ rectangle. Ducati cast-in logos highlighted. Note hex-head screw in end of starter spindle housing for oiling.
Having sorted the styling of the cycle parts as well as I could, I had a go at prettifying the engine, and highlighted all the cast-in Ducati logos with black paint. One aspect of the aesthetics of the Pantah series of engines that always irritated me was the rectangular depression in the horizontal cam-belt cover that should house a ‘Pantah’ decal. Original foil examples being unobtainable, I got a vinyl one from Classic Transfers, but the script was not proof against petrol from the carb above it. Besides, I feel that the Alazzurra has enough of an identity problem already, without adding further confusion.
But what to do with that awkward feature? Eventually I decided the ideal was to try and remove it altogether, so I punched the alloy up from the back, and refinished the front. The result is virtually perfect, and that elegant case now looks even better!
One feature continues to spoil the visual impact of the engine for me, and that is the frame tube that crosses the vertical cam-belt case. Various cosmetic experiments later, I know that nothing short of removal of the tube itself will look right, and I’m not about to redesign the frame, so I guess it stays...
Thanks to Nick for the great writeup!
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