Fastec Racing first came into existence in 2010 when several employees at Fastec Engineering — a UK-based precision engineering firm that specializes in CNC machining – splintered off to do their own thing, focusing on motorcycles. Taking the knowhow and expertise they’d picked up at the engineering outfit, the team now runs Fastec Racing as a one-stop-shop that offers service and repairs, custom builds, and custom CNC machined parts. Be it in the racing world or the bespoke bike scene, Fastec routinely works with the upper echelons of the moto world with clients in BSB and WSBK, and custom outfits like DeBolex Engineering and Untitled Motorcycles.
Originally built for The Bike Shed’s 2018 Tobacco Dock show, this custom M600 Dark features dozens of hours worth of trick CNC’d parts — all of which Fastec made in-house. While it’s definitely a fun build, it also serves as a marketing/advertising opportunity for the firm as it shows off an array of its available parts and services.
The M600’s stock Marzocchi units were removed, stripped, and refreshed before being reslotted in a custom CNC’d set of triples — a design Fastec employs for a BSB client, though altered for the lower triple to accept a custom billet headlight bracket to support the build’s Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight, while the bespoke upper triple had a space machined out to make room for a Motogadget Motoscope Mini with warning lights. Nestled just in front of the top triple are the Brembo reservoirs that were previously on the handlebars, and though the M600 originally came with Brembo brakes, Fastec has upgraded the units with a more modern full set of Brembo hardware.
The M600’s subframe was hacked off and swapped out for a stubby hooped unit that supports a new single rider café seat that only extends halfway over the rear wheel — radically altering the Monster’s silhouette. Beneath the new tail unit is a seat tray that presumably houses the Duc’s new Motogadget Blue system — a part added when the Monster received a complete rewire. This included replacing the stock keyed ignition with a trick one-off CNC’d stainless button for the Bluetooth keyless unit now positioned at the top of the tank.
Instead of going with the typical LED-strip-in-seat-hoop taillight, Fastec opted to go with a set of micro Shinyo LED lights poking out on either side between the new subframe and billet exhaust caps. These bright little LED’s act as the build’s turn signals, tail light, and brake light, keeping the tail-section mighty tidy while a license plate hanger protrudes up from the swingarm.
By far one of the build’s coolest features is its fully bespoke stainless exhaust, which travels beneath the engine, up through the swing-arm, and out under the seat, culminating in dual pipes capped off with CNC’d billet end caps. In place of the stock timing-belt covers now rest a set of CNC’d aluminum units, while the other side of the L-Twin has been treated to a CNC’d sprocket cover.
The stock handlebars were replaced with Fastec’s CNC’d units, wrapped in the company’s grips and a trio of CNC’d switchgear on either side. All in all the cockpit is incredibly clean and uncluttered with everything that remains being of the trick and/or top-shelf variety. The stock foot-peg-mounting bracket had the upper section with the passenger pegs lopped off and the stock rear-sets were replaced with Fastec’s CNC’d units. Fastec also tacked on a pair of its CNC’d axle-slider/stand spools both fore and aft.
Not only were the frame and swingarm stripped and powdercoated in gloss red, the wheels — which have received all new bearings and discs — were also stripped, remachined, and then diamond cut on the outsides before being adorned in a protective lacquer. The stock fuel cell was left untouched aside from a custom silver and matching red paint job — which the fender also received a coat of.
Thanks to the M600’s 583cc, L-Twin’s being air-cooled; this Ducati build doesn’t boast the awkward radiator out front that far too many one-off Ducs suffer from. And while the Italian mill’s 51 horses are nothing to write home about, its stock sub-400lb (dry) weight — which has almost certainly gone down over the course of Fastec’s transformation – make this a really fun urban runner, especially with the bulk of its oomph being towards the low and mid-end of its powerband.
While this is admittedly a lot to pay for what was already something of a budget model when new almost two decades ago, this one-off 600 is brimming with billet pieces, and has a generally top-shelf vibe. I’d also be willing to go out on a limb and guess that all the CNC’d parts don’t hurt the M600’s performance. In addition to the photos of this build, TheBikeShed also put together a YouTube video where Fastec’s director Danny goes over the billet-clad custom:
You can find this custom 2001 Ducati M600 Dark for sale here on TheBikeShed at Fastec’s HQ in Newmarket, Suffolk, England with a price of $14,200 (or £10.995), though this example is currently on display at TheBikeShed.