This Was A Ducati Hypermotard Once, We Promise

What do you get when your design brief basically says something like “a Ducati Hypermotard, but make it more like a Niken” and also decide it needs to be suitable for ice racing? If you’re custom shop Balamutti’s Vitaliy Selyukov, you get his extremely one-of-a-kind three-wheeler, the Yondu.

Like its Guardians of the Galaxy namesake, this build is truly out of this world. Even if you’re not turning blue from the cold, you might appreciate the chance to take it for a spin on beautiful, frozen Lake Baikal—because Selyukov built this creation with every intention to take it to the Baikal Mile, according to Pipeburn. 

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Selyukov kept the trellis frame and the engine but chucked out basically everything else. On went some Sachs shocks, for both front and rear suspension. This thing doesn’t just have three wheels—it has three swingarms, as well, and the front two had to be custom-fabricated. Naturally, the tires are loaded up with an ample amount of spikes to make the finished bike truly ice-worthy. 

Gallery: Balamutti Yondu

Engine modifications include a supercharger setup, 45mm throttle bodies, and a lot of cleverly executed custom fabrication to wring some extra power out of that 1100cc L-twin. What does it sound like? You get to hear it clearly in this video, although it was unfortunately shot vertically instead of horizontally. Nevertheless, the sound is as amazing as you’d hope.

Balamutti is based in St. Petersburg, Russia, and specializes in Italian bikes of all kinds, not just Ducatis. Besides doing insane custom work like this, the shop also does your everyday service, repairs, general maintenance, and storage if you entrust your beloved Italian motorbike to its care. Unfortunately, there doesn’t currently seem to be video of this bike at Lake Baikal, which I for one would really like to see. 

What do you think, would you ride it if you could? 

Source: Pipeburn, Balamutti, Instagram