Honoring Minerva The Goddess Of War, Wisdom And Arts

0Minerva2Minerva5Minerva6Minerva3MinervaOnly an Italian can build a custom motorcycle to pay tribute to a Roman goddess. Minerva, the goddess was born from Jupiter. Minerva, the bike featured here, is reborn from a 1971 Ducati Mark III 250 bought by Simone Ceccarelli from a collector. Ceccarelli is a semi professional builder whose name in not unknown since he collaborated with Abnormal Cycles on the now internationally famous Union Flathead sidecar.

During the last 10 years, it seems that almost all the world of bike building took its inspiration from antique or classic motorcycles. The lines, the parts and the themes.

10Minerva8Minerva9-bisMinerva7Minerva11Minerva12Minerva4MinervaIn Italy, a leading small group of builders add a new twist. Customizing motorcycles using techniques borrowed from their rich history of preserving and restoring masterpieces. For this purpose, they contract with craftsmen – renaissance painters, sculptors, furniture makers, etc – who have never contributed to motorcycles but who can give their works some historic and spiritual quality.

The purpose of this feature is not about describing the Ducati restoring job, from cleaning up old parts to rebuilding an engine, but about a specific body component, the fairing made of a wood named “Padouka”, in which has been inlaid the shop RR logo (for “Ruote Rugginose” meaning “Rusted Wheels”) made of maple and ebony wood with details in mother of pearl… A technique used for classic furniture. A labor of love performed by Davide Aresi in his own classic furniture shop. Famous architect Luigi Caccia claims that if the Italians are quite simply the best at design it’s because they have more imagination, more culture, and are better mediators between the past and the future.

Will this new approach to motorcycle restoration using classic master craftsmen coming from other disciplines influence other builders outside Italy? Answer in major bike show competitions around the world. Photography of Minerva in the small medieval town of Viterbo, near Rome @ Cyril Huze. 

13-bisMinerva

 

16 Responses to “Honoring Minerva The Goddess Of War, Wisdom And Arts”


  1. 1 Rodent Jul 21st, 2014 at 8:17 am

    Cutting out all the myth crap and getting down to the bike, it’s a neat Ducati!

  2. 2 Jeff Duval Jul 21st, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Very neat… Bet it goes well too? Bravo!…

  3. 3 MMA Jul 21st, 2014 at 8:47 am

    The wood work is beautiful. I can’t imagine how you’d clearn bugs off the fairing though. I don’t see it as a rider. But it’s a really beautiful piece of work.

  4. 4 Woody Jul 21st, 2014 at 9:02 am

    Very, very nice bike, love the lines and paint. Sweet ride!

  5. 5 Greeko Jul 21st, 2014 at 9:06 am

    Thank you for this one, Cyril. Fresh air from the past in a sea of pseudo choppers, bobbers and cafe non racers.

  6. 6 P. Hamilton. Jul 21st, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Ducati is a religious thing in Italy. Hence the beautiful pictures.

  7. 7 John Brooks Jul 21st, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Great art

  8. 8 Marilyn Jul 21st, 2014 at 11:57 am

    Appreciation to a Frenchman for recognizing the artistry of Italians. If our bikes were not artistic, they would merely be for transportation–not for passion!

  9. 9 Blackmax Jul 21st, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Very,very nice !!
    Now that is art !!!

  10. 10 James just another Crazy Kiwi Jul 21st, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    Brings a whole new meaning to stone chips

  11. 11 nicker Jul 21st, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Reminiscent of the early 1960s small bore cafe racers being sold by the OEMs.
    They came with GP-style tanks and clip-on bars.

    – Ducati called theirs the Dianna.
    – Bultaco called theirs the Metrella.
    – Benelli called their little Egg motored road racer Motobi.

    Back then the kids who bought these bikes were more interested interested in performance riding than profiling down the boulevard.

    Could that culture be reemerging…..???
    How cool……. 🙂

    -nicker-

  12. 12 izadore Jul 22nd, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Very, complicated, all these names and People and names of significance in far away Countries.. Godesses and Gods and…….. Whats up? Does he want to sell it or not? Is he going to build more for Sturgis or Daytona Bike Shows. Are they Producing more for Saale? I believe that if it is not Yes to any of those questions than, BIG DEAL!!!.

  13. 13 Mac miss Jul 22nd, 2014 at 8:18 am

    On the track when I was young they were a religious thing on the track . And you worked to build something to take them out . That alone made a lot of us better Mac Out

  14. 14 bigalyts Jul 22nd, 2014 at 8:28 am

    Amazing sense of finding Bikes and stories of the History of Motorcycles. Cyril you are really really Good at your Profession. Cyril you have some of the sharpest Bloggers and Regulars that contribute to your experience in the Business of Motorcycles. You deserve to be a Judge in the most important Bike Shows anywhere in the World! My expertise is in Nothing, that makes me anything but a Peanut Gallery blogger. I just am here to render my opinion of this Bike or Build. I put a price of $25 K what’s your take?

  15. 15 Bradshaw Jul 22nd, 2014 at 8:32 am

    Bigalyst. Cyril has been the head judge of the Rat’s Hole Show during many years, most of the 90’s.

  16. 16 Simone Ruote Rugginose Jul 25th, 2014 at 7:40 am

    thank you for the nice words, are the manufacturer and the owner of minerva fill my heart and thank you for the wonderful article cyril.
    if anyone is interested I could sell it.
    you can contact me at: ruoterugginose@blogspot.com

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Cyril Huze