This is another Ducati Leggero series, build by Walt Siegl in New Hampshire.
“I picked a 2012 Ducati Monster 1100 as a donor,” Walt Siegl says, “for its engine and single-sided swing arm. My mechanic Aran Johnson had also been wanting to adapt one for a Leggero.”
The Leggero series are all based on Ducati production bikes – but they all have bespoke trellis frames, suspension, brakes, bodywork, fuel tanks, electrical systems, wheels, and exhausts.
The GTS is a new version of the Leggero developed specifically for daily use in urban environments. The handlebars are slightly higher, the suspension geometry is modified, and the headlight fairing helps to push airflow up over the rider’s head.
“With all WSM projects, performance is paramount,” says Walt, “so I tried to come up with further possibilities to use the lightest and strongest possible components.”
Walt built a new trellis frame from aircraft grade chromoly with an aluminium subframe so the chassis weight could come down to just 14.5 lbs / 6.6 kg. A set of the latest generation Öhlins suspension was fitted front and rear, and a set of OZ Racing lightweight wheels helped to keep the gross vehicle weight to an absolute minimum.
Mechanical magician Bruce Meyers rebuilt the engine to significantly higher performance specification, and an all-new wiring harness was made bespoke by Aran Johnson. Leonard Wu of LWS Tuning then programmed a new tune to take advantage of the new SC Project exhaust system and higher-spec engine. The seat, fuel tank, and fairing were all moulded in-house by Walt from hybrid kevlar, and the final paint work was done by the talented Robbie Nigl of PeachPit Racing.
“I wanted to show the surface quality of the WSM Kevlar parts that are normally covered by paint,” explains Walt. “So I chose a silver weave and showed it as a graphic element. It was a real chore not to appear too obvious, showy and loud.”
Source Siegl
