The Pierobon X80R Makes Ducati Goodness Better

Building a custom lightweight frame might be the oldest speed trick in the book. And the best.

The Ducati 848 engine plus the lightweight Pierobon X80R frame equals a machine that is "simply phenomenal."Julia LaPalme

"This is frame number one," Brian Larrabure says. That makes this Pierobon X80R even more rare. "Normally Mr. Pierobon keeps the first production unit, but he shipped me this one because I was patient." Due to demands from Ducati's World Superbike and MotoGP teams, which Pierobon supplies with parts like rider-specific fuel tanks and seats, rearsets, and triple clamps, the delivery of Larrabure's X80R was delayed by more than six months. It was worth the wait. Weighing just 323 pounds with fuel and cranking out 144 hp from its ex-Larry Pegram Formula Xtreme Ducati 848 engine, the X80R is "simply phenomenal," Larrabure says.

The $70,000 kit accepts Ducati's 848, 1098, and 1198 powerplants and wraps them in a tubular-aluminum frame that's the culmination of more than 60 years of chassis-building experience. It's the latest in a line that includes Ducati's WSBK from the 916 era to the frameless Panigale in 2011. Hand-built in Borgo Panigale, Bologna, just down the road from Ducati headquarters, the X80R pushes Italian exclusivity and performance to a new level.