1036CS
Project By: Alex Ortner (www.AlexOrtner.com)

DUCATI 1036CS There are many crazed Ducati nuts, but one of the craziest I have ever come across is Alex Ortner. Alex likes to modify bikes, but modification is a loose term in his vocabulary. What Alex really wants to do is create his own individual bike, and a few years ago I saw the fruits of his labors with his 908 SSP. This was a spectacular 85 horsepower, 175 kilogram merger of an air-cooled 900 Supersport motor in a custom mix of 900 and 916 chassis. Now he has turned his attention to the Desmoquattro 996. This time his obsession is weight reduction. "Some people think bigger is better, but my motto is less is more.".

Ortner's 1036CS started life as a 1999 Ducati 996 he bought midway during 2003. "I had done a few two-valve projects and wanted to do a four-valve bike. It was a project bike I had done for someone else, but was never licensed or ridden." He sent the cylinder heads off to Martin Brickwood Performance for a full Testa Rossa head kit. Guy Martin is one of the best-known Ducati tuners in North America, operating out of Ponte Claire near Montreal. Although probably better known for their unbreakable Ducati valve collets that are used by just about anyone racing a Ducati, Martin Brickwood also prepare many highly successful racing Ducatis. They seemed a logical place for Alex to turn to, and in went 36.5mm inlet valves, with porting done on a flow bench by Guy Martin. After 27 years experience working on Ducatis this is what Guy Martin has to say about stock Ducati porting. "Production Ducati heads leave a lot to be desired. Ducati's success in racing demonstrates that impressive power can be achieved, but are seldom reflected in stock port design. In terms of the ports; location, sizing, shape are often dictated by racing homologation requirements, often with very large valves coupled with inadequate porting. Material selection is also compromised for production. We match valve size, shape and seat geometry to port configuration, selecting cylinder head component materials to match performance with reliability." And the proof is in the product with Alex Ortner saying, "these are an absolutely terrific set of heads."

The stock 96mm pistons were junked for a BCM 100mm 13:1 Pistal race piston kit, and the cylinders rebored and plated. BCM is another leading Ducati workshop in America's North East, operating out of Laconia, New Hampshire. The rest of the motor was stock, even the camshafts, just carefully assembled and balanced.

A custom Duane Mitchell FIM chip was supplied for the dual injector 1.6MB Weber Marelli injection system, while a higher capacity Feber oil cooler kept the temperature under control. Ortner installed a Yoyodyne light weight clutch with aluminum friction plates to reduce wear on the clutch basket, and Yoyodyne clutch slave cylinder. This hard-anodized 7075 billet-machined aluminum slave cylinder offers better corrosion and wear resistance than the stock unit, and the inclusion of a bleeder valve improves bleeding the clutch hydraulic system. Along with the Yoyodyne clutch plates Alex fitted a Cycle Cat PP series billet aluminum clutch pressure plate, designed to survive a crash. Alex worked at Cycle Cat as a consulting designer...

With an IGA air filter in a hand laid carbon airbox twice the size of a Corsa airbox and Moto Corse 54mm titanium exhaust system from San Marino, the power of the 1036 is 150 horsepower at 8500rpm. "This is a street bike, not a racer," says Alex. "150 horsepower is enough for the street. I was really after the best power to weight ratio and wanted the lightest bike possible." While the engine modifications are not extreme, there is little conventional about the chassis. Ortner's passion for weight reduction has been taken to excess. First to go was the steel frame, replaced by a carbon-fiber Carbo Tech frame from Karl Wagner Carbo Tech Composites in Salzburg, Austria. Made from T700, T800 and M40J carbon-fiber, the same material Carbo Tech uses for the Williams F1 cars. The twin spar frame weighs 6.5 kilograms, including the sub-frame, compared to the stock 11.5 kilograms. Longitudinal stiffness is claimed to be 100% improved the steel frame and torsional stiffness 50% over the steel frame. "This is the Holy Grail of frames," says Ortner. "A hand built carbon-fibre frame with it's internal honeycomb helps it beat a Ducati original for stiffness as well as providing a hefty weight saving. The main honeycomb frame section makes the original 916 frame of pipes and welds look like straw." The Carbo Tech frame is laid out using a "Pre-Peg" method, with a computer program defining the correct amount of resin to impregnate the carbon strands, then laying the carbon weave onto a mat at a pre-calculated angle. This strengthens certain areas against flex and torsional stresses, much the same as gusseting on a conventional frame. The frame is then baked in a high pressure oven. "One of the advantages of the Carbo Tech frame is it still uses 996-style bodywork," says Alex.

A 996 Corsa magnesium swingarm was then installed, this lengthening the wheelbase 10mm and improving weight distribution. But as with most projects this wasn't a simple bolt-on process. "I wanted to use BST Carbon-fiber wheels," says Alex, "and I had to offset mount the swingarm so I could fit the 6.25-inch MV-spec BST wheel on a Corsa axle." Why the BST Wheels? "If its good enough for the Ducati MotoGP team its good enough for me," replied Alex. The 17-inch five-spoke BST wheels are built by Blackstone Tech in South Africa, and are notable in that they are a one-piece monocoque molding, without bonding or gluing. They are extremely robust, with a superior resistance to shocks than metal wheels, and the nesting and cutting machines are the same as those used in the aerospace industry. "Where the BST wheels really score is the reduction in unsprung weight, the weight of 2.3 kilograms including bearings less than half that of a stock wheel. The total weight saving with both wheels was 4.6 kilograms." Wheel weight savings on this scale also reduce flywheel and gyroscopic effects, allowing for faster directional changes, and providing the rider more control.

Alex also fitted extra special suspension to his 1036. "The 46mm Showa front fork came from Matt Mladin's 1999 Suzuki Superbike. I ended up with this unobtainable racing fork because it was claimed under the AMA claiming provision at Loudon in 1999. The fork tubes are nitrided, and the sliders solid magnesium, but it was a bargain even at $20,000. Max Macalister at Traction Dynamics totally rebuilt the fork, and set it up for this bike." The Suzuki Showa fork required new triple clamps, Alex getting a set of Marchesini forged billet magnesium triple clamps from MotoWheels. "These are lighter and stiffer than the stock cast aluminum pieces, and includes an aluminum steering tube and billet steering stops. The different offset provides slower steering, and is ideal with the longer Corsa swingarm as they transfer extra weight to the front wheel, while an Ohlins steering damper tightens things up in the front." The rear suspension includes a Corsa rocker, with a John Hackett Performance adjuster rod, three-way adjustable Penske shock, and Yoyodyne titanium spring. "All this stuff was chosen because I believe it is the best available. John Hackett is famous for his Ducati Superbike racers, and I have had the best results in the past with Penske shocks and Yoyodyne springs."

The 320mm brake rotors are Lyndall Racing's aluminum metal matrix with custom five-spoke carriers to match the wheels, gripped by GP P4 30-34 two-piece Brembo billet racing four-piston calipers, with a 19x18 Brembo billet GP radial master cylinder and Fren Tubo Kevlar brakes lines. The rear brake is a Ducati Corse steel rotor, also with a Brembo billet 4 piston racing caliper.

The weight saving obsession continues with all the body work in carbon-fiber. The fairing and mudguards were supplied by M&S, and the fuel tank is a Cech Sebimoto (Now Fuel Cell).

One of the few Ducati items is the 998R seat and tail unit, also carbon-fiber, with Tecnosel seat with carbon base. It goes without saying that every nut or bolt was replaced by aluminum or titanium. Where an off the shelf piece wasn't available Alex made it custom. Every detail has come under scrutiny, from the Stack digital dash to the Cycle Cat custom carbon-fiber clip-ons and myriad of beautifully machined components by Alex. After 9 months solid work Alex Ortner finally finished the 1036 and couldn't have been happier. "A stock 996 weighs around 220 kilograms (485 lbs) ready to roll and my aim was 154 kilograms (340 lbs). The bike actually weighs 155 kilograms (342 lbs) wet, with no gas. It is unbelievable. Can you imagine this 150 horsepower bike weighs 10 kilos (22 lbs) less than a World Superbike racer, and is street legal? It is an amazing feeling riding it." Alex won't say how much it has cost but did comment, "it would take almost $100,000 to reproduce this bike if you bought all the parts and did the assembly yourself. But there are so many one-off parts that I have manufactured you can't put a price on it."

Originally published in Two Wheels magazine.

1036CS
Production

1036CS
(Ducati 996)

• Testa Rossa head kit - Martin Brickwood Performance
• BCM 100mm 13:1 Pistal race piston kit
• Custom Duane Mitchell FIM chip
• Dual injector 1.6MB Weber Marelli injection system
• High capacity Feber oil cooler
• Yoyodyne light weight clutch with aluminum friction plates
• Yoyodyne clutch slave cylinder
• Cycle Cat PP series billet aluminum clutch pressure plate
• IGA air filter in a hand laid carbon airbox
• Moto Corse 54mm titanium exhaust system
• Carbon-fiber Carbo Tech frame from Karl Wagner Carbo Tech Composites in Salzburg, Austria
• Corsa magnesium swingarm
• BST Carbon-fiber wheels
• 46mm Showa front fork
• Marchesini forged billet magnesium triple clamps from MotoWheels
• John Hackett Performance adjuster rod
• Three-way adjustable Penske shock
• Yoyodyne springs
• Corsa rear suspension includes a Corsa rocker rocker
• 320mm brake rotors fromLyndall Racing's aluminum metal matrix with custom five-spoke carriers
• Fren Tubo Kevlar brakes lines
• GP P4 30-34 two-piece Brembo billet racing four-piston calipers
• 19x18 Brembo billet GP radial master cylinder
• Rear brake is a Ducati Corse steel rotor, also with a Brembo billet 4 piston racing caliper
• Carbon-fiber fairing and mudguards supplied by M&S
• Fuel tank is a Cech Sebimoto (Now Fuel Cell)