Achim Baulig

About the winner

My name is Achim Baulig. I am 51 years old, happily married and father of two great daughters. I live in Jülich (between Cologne and Aachen). Professionally, as a mechanical engineer, I manage the approx. 20-strong design and development department of a medium-sized plant construction company in the field of general materials handling technology.

Technical data

Ducati Monster S4RS "La Purista

• Year of manufacture 2007
• Power 144.2 hp at 9668 rpm
• Torque 113.9 Nm at 7682 rpm
• Weight full tank 176 kg
• Conversion period 2013 - today

The story of Achim Baulig:

The passion for motorcycling already developed as a young boy during joint rides with my father and my godfather. Childhood and early youth were marked by the aura that surrounded the motorbike scene. A fascinating aura of freedom, individuality and liberal ideas that I still feel today when I come into contact with motorcyclists.

So, at the age of fifteen, I got my moped licence and my first motorised two-wheeler (Hercules M5) came into the house. Then, at the age of sixteen, I got my 80s licence. At first I inherited my brother's terribly ugly Yamaha RX80SE, before my constant nagging and at the same time desperate rebuilding softened my father and he allowed me a Yamaha RD80LC2.

At the age of eighteen I got my 27 hp driving licence and a Yamaha RD250LC motorbike. This was followed by an excessive and long-lasting 2-stroke phase with various Yamaha RD350LC models, but always the classic LC’s, never the then more modern YPVS Power-Valve models.

When we were in the middle of the road, we were very happy.

When we in the clique finally set off on more and more extensive motorbike holidays, sticking to the 2-stroke became a financially unsustainable undertaking. As a student, you can't afford 9.5 litres of super per 100 km if you want to go to the Algarve…

So the 2-stroke bike was followed by a Yamaha XJ600 (51J), which proved to be a faithful and reliable companion on tours throughout Europe over the next few years. All my motorised two-wheelers have met the same fate to this day. Without exception, they are modified and rebuilt in all possible and impossible ways. My personal taste for the individual motorbike has developed over the years into a clear and to this day hardly changed direction with the following main principles:

• As light as possible
• Only the bare minimum
• Tube handlebars

At the end of my studies in the early 1990s, a motorbike came onto the market that electrified and captivated me like no other to this day:

The Ducati Monster M900

I first became aware of the Ducati brand in the course of the 1980s, when we were on the road for a few years with a buddy as part of his YAMAHA Cup and OMK Cup commitments on various race tracks. In the programme there, the BOT’s always impressed me with their hollow sound, which was rather suspicious for us 2-stroke guys at the time and was criticised as being different.

And now Ducati suddenly launched a naked bike with tubular handlebars and a beautiful trellis frame. It had to be the part! We quickly borrowed 5000 DM from our girlfriend at the time, somehow scraped together the rest and went to the Ducati dealer Scheer&Weermester in Baesweiler. Burkhardt and Martin didn't have the used primeval monster in the shop for long! Of course, my first Monster was also extensively modified and remained in my possession for almost 80,000 km. It saw much of Europe and was in no way inferior to the Yamaha in terms of reliability and suitability for travelling.

With my then new partner (and now wife) came the end of my motorbike passion in 1999. Buying and renovating a house, family planning and various other activities demanded other priorities for over ten years. This phase of life was wonderful. It was self-chosen, incredibly rich in experiences and enabled me to build an intimate relationship with my parents. And this phase of my life also created my therapy room, a well-insulated garage attached to the house, equipped with heating, light and water, into which I can retreat today in all weathers to do my handicrafts. During this long time, however, my interest and passion for beautiful motorbikes has never waned.

After a few tentative attempts to get back into motorcycling (Skyteam 125, Yamaha FZS 600 Fazer), which failed due to my own inner lack of enthusiasm, I finally bought a Ducati Monster S2R1000 in 2013 after a lengthy search of the second-hand market. For me, this bike was the logical connection to my past original Monster. The part was more modern, the engine with fuel injection more homogeneous and with this beautiful single-sided swingarm… Otherwise the look and lines of the original Monster were almost the same. It was a perfect fit.

Quickly, the customisation began. I dived deep into the Ducati scene, which was suddenly just a click away thanks to the Internet. The relevant forums are an incredible knowledge database. What parts are available in the accessories section? What saves weight? Who has what experience? As always, the goal of the beginning conversion was the above guidelines:

• As light as possible
• …

After months of research in the forums, I finally decided to visit a Ducati meeting at Vogelsberg in Hesse. Let me just say this: the refreshing diversity and warmth of the people I met there is indescribable.

Related to the Ducati meeting in Vogelsberg in Hesse.

The only thing relevant to my conversion story, however, is the fact that I had the opportunity to test ride a friend's Ducati 999S at one of the following meetings. Not really my cup of tea, but I was fascinated by the Testastretta engine with its incredible agility and power. This engine actually exists in the „old“ Monster??? This is my next project!!!

So I decided to go in search of a Ducati Monster S4RS. With a lot of luck, I ended up with a red beauty imported from Italy that had already been rocked down a bit on the racetrack. But the price was right, because as a family man the euro is never loose in the wallet.

Without further ado, the modifications already carried out on the S2R1000 were transferred to the S4RS and it was sold in almost original condition. This is how I arrived at the basis of the bike I am presenting today, and in the meantime there were also some new guidelines that were to serve as a guideline for this project:

• As light as possible
• As strong as possible
• Only the most essential things
• Tube handlebars
• No drive-supporting electronics

My vision became the pure purist sports bike. A bärenpowered superbike engine supported by outstanding chassis components. LA PURISTA.

Every component was analysed for its necessity and its optimisation capability. Of course I had to make compromises. Otherwise it becomes infinitely expensive or you never finish. But I tried to make as few compromises as possible. Acceptability was taken into account in almost every measure. The bike should be roadworthy and suitable for everyday use. Almost everything is registered. I am not a pure customizer. In the summer I want to ride, in the winter I want to wrench.

I couldn't find a super bike.

I couldn't build a Superleggera, I don't have the money. I used a lot of second-hand parts. But it is the search for parts, the „hunting and collecting“ that often produces the greater satisfaction than simply ordering parts by catalogue.

I have not recorded the hours of work that went into the conversion. They are not hours of work, but hours of reflection, fulfilment and satisfaction. Relaxing and exciting at the same time. A passionate waste of time.

The LA PURISTA project is not over with this presentation, even if of course the performance and the rebuilding dynamics will no longer reach the high intensity of winter 2019/2020. A new project I am pursuing next winter is the creation of a concept study for the conversion of a Ducati 748 to electric drive.