Deus Ex Machina is one of the most respected names in the custom motorcycle world, and the Beastie is among the most extreme machines the Venice-based atelier has ever built. Conceived by US Design Director Michael Woolaway as a dedicated Pikes Peak Hill Climb racer, the Beastie started life as a Ducati Hypermotard SP and was transformed into something almost unrecognisable, a 180-horsepower hillclimb weapon weighing just 340 lbs under full load.
Built for Pikes Peak, Stripped to the Essentials
When Woolaway took the Beastie to Pikes Peak in 2018, it finished second in class. He returned in 2019 with a machine rebuilt almost from scratch, keeping only the front wheel, the numberplate, and the electronics from the original Ducati. The chassis was replaced with a Street Fighter frame, mated to a magnesium swingarm to cut unsprung weight. A new aluminium fuel tank, shaped after Marc Marquez's Honda MotoGP race bike, replaced the Ducati production unit. Additional components were sourced directly from a Ducati World Superbike program, giving the Beastie race-proven hardware throughout.
Engine tuner Mark Sutton extracted 180 hp from the Ducati V-twin, a significant output for a machine in this weight class. The result placed Woolaway fourth in Exhibition Powersport class and 27th overall at the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a circuit where aerodynamics, light weight, and mechanical grip matter more than outright top speed. Bike EXIF covered the build process extensively, and Asphalt and Rubber reported on the 2019 campaign in detail.
What the Beastie Represents
The Beastie will not reach private buyers, but it illustrates exactly what a high-calibre custom motorcycle atelier can do when performance engineering and bespoke fabrication are the only constraints. Deus Ex Machina builds machines for the full spectrum, from café racers and surf bikes to Pikes Peak hillclimb racers, and the Beastie sits at the extreme end of that range.
For those drawn to custom Ducati builds and the broader world of bespoke motorcycles, the Ducati Pandora by Young Guns Speed Shop and the Hazan Ducati 860 GT Turbo represent a similar commitment to craftsmanship and mechanical ambition. Explore the complete custom motorcycle collection at TheArsenale for the full range of exceptional two-wheeled machines available to serious collectors.
