Back in February, Abhi shared a video of Revival Cycles’ bonkers Ducati ST4-based sidecar cross build, entitled “Idioso”. Commissioned by Rebel Yell Bourbon – the same brand that commissioned Classified Moto’s “Frank”, a 2007 Triumph Speed Triple build with a rear ATV wheel – Odioso was built for a contest giveaway, though it now appears whoever was lucky enough to win the bespoke Ducati has just put it up for sale.
Editor’s Note: If you’re wondering what happened to Frank, a friend of a friend in Los Angeles won it, and he rides it around:
When Rebel Yell ordered up the build from Revival, the company allowed the shop to take the reigns creatively, not giving the Texas-based outfit any guidelines or restrictions. As the story goes, during a night out drinking, the subject of sidecarcross came up. As the unique style of racing never really caught on in the US, it was decided that Revival would cook up a custom, three-wheeled, two-man machine to introduce the country to the sport (which can supposedly be traced back to the U.K. amidst the Great Depression era).
The choice to build around the Ducati had less to do with the bike’s off-road prowess, and more to do with the fact Revival happened to have an ST4 example gathering dust in a corner. So the team got to work, stripping the red bodywork from the Italian two-wheeler, removing the stock fuel-cell, seat, radiator, controls, and hacking off the subframe. A handmade bare metal tank was churned out for the project, along with the Duc’s fork-guards, headlight cover, and radiator shrouds. A new one-off seat now rests in a custom subframe too.
The ST4’s 107hp, 65.6ft-lbs of torque, 916cc, 4-valve, DOHC Desmodromic “L-Twin” was left in its factory spec, aside from the addition of a new respiratory system. The Italian lump now inhales via a set of K&N filters and spits burnt fumes out of a bespoke, hand-built, stainless steel two-into-one system, complete with a Termignoni can.
The entire sidecar is a custom unit that was designed and created in-house. A chromoly steel tubing unit supports the sidecar’s platform, while a handlebar curves around giving the sidecar’s passenger (or “monkey”) something to hold onto. The Ducati’s oil-cooler, lithium ion-battery, and radiator are now housed on the sidecar.
Talk about trust!
In total, Revival says it managed to shave around 140 lbs off the ST4’s 521lb stock weight (before adding the roughly 100 lb sidecar). Still, the custom sidecar crosser still weighs considerably less than the stock Duc, making it a more competent dirt-goer. Further helping out in the off-road department is the build’s upgraded suspension, consisting of a 48mm WP front end borrowed off a KTM, and a custom Ohlins monoshock in back paired with an alloy swing arm from a Ducati Monster.
In order to keep the sidecar’s journey as smooth as possible, Revival opted to give the rolling platform its own monoshock and long-travel swing arm. A set of fenders off of a CL350 were borrowed and slightly reworked before being tacked over the Odioso’s three wheels.
The build also sports a generous amount of top-shelf bits, such as Brembo braking hardware, Motogadget instrumentation (and M-Controller), LED lighting throughout, one of Revival’s own “Deluxe Wiring Kits”, Renthal Twinwall bars, Domino Mostro single pull throttle, and 17” Warp 9 rims wrapped in Metzeler rubber, just to name a few. I personally really dig how Revival decided to utilize hand-shaped aluminum coolant lines, steel braided oil-cooler lines, and AN fittings. Top notch.
The final step was the Odioso’s paint, a primary bare metal scheme with wonderfully ’80s neon green, blue, and pink highlights. Revival says it wanted the build’s paint to represent the generally fun nature of the sidecrosser. This color scheme was seemingly a bit hit, as Alpinestars and Revival Cycles joined forces to create the Odioso Motocross Jersey.
While I acknowledge this isn’t the most practical build, I thoroughly enjoy this bike’s idiosyncratic nature. Plus the build quality is on par with the rest of Revival’s beautiful machines. As one might expect; purchasing a one-off bike from an elite customs shops doesn’t come cheap, and this ST4 sidecar crosser is no exception.
You can find Revival Cycles’ Ducati ST4-based “Odioso” sidecar crosser for sale here on Craigslist in Park City, Utah with a price of $19,900. Head on over to Revival’s site for more photos of the build and the finished product.