You don’t become 4-time WSBK Champion, IOM TT lap record holder, GP racer, NW200 winner, Macau GP winner etc etc. without knowing a thing or two about what makes a good motorcycle. Perhaps more importantly than that is knowing who makes a good motorcycle. Impressed by the IDP Moto Dominatrix builds from the Silverstone based outfit, Carl Fogarty headed down to their workshops for a design day. The guys at IDP knew Carl wasn’t the average customer, so weren’t surprised when he pitched up with a polished ally fuel tank under his arm.
A decent ’99 NX650 Dominator had been sourced and before a complete strip down was gently coaxed into accepting the ex-CCM fuel tank. Carl subsequently sent down a fibreglass tail section that he wanted to be incorporated. If you’re going to have a particular customer then you want one that supplies his own ideas and parts to suit, I bet more builders wish they could say that.
Once bare, the subframe was shortened and adapted to accept the new tail and give a proper flat line; many Dominator builds miss the aesthetic mark by plonking a seat directly onto the upswept rear. Satin black powder coat was the finish of choice for chassis components leaving the shiny bits to do the talking.
Being well connected always helps in life. While Marc Marquez was busy making his colleagues look like also rans, his suspension man Andy Dawson built an Öhlins shock for the Dominator, proper bespoke! Meanwhile, Co-Built Geoff, F1 exhaust fabricator extraordinaire, created this gorgeous twin-exit system with welds so perfect you’d swear a robot had taken his place in the workshop.
IDP Moto’s customer base is packed with racers, ex-champions, film makers and generally folk whose attention to detail has afforded them the ability to commission a custom build. As a result corners remain something to be worked around and not cut. There’s nothing worse than seeing a beautiful bike on a plinth at some bike show with a rusty or mismatched bolt lurking out of sight; there’s no such place. Equally, a bucket full of lurid titanium fasteners can spoil to a similar degree. So, that’s a roundabout way of saying; Carl’s nuts and bolts were all sent off for zinc plating.
Whilst buffing the tank, the top yoke and engine casings were given a shine-up, and the engine treated to a few coats of silver enamel. Polished Talon rims maintain the raw theme and Continental TKC 80s suggest the off-road ability. In-house painter Spidey laid down silver to the tail, shortie mudguard and swingarm to match the bare aluminium before adding number boards to the side panels. Carl wasn’t fussed about ruining the bike with lights and indicators so a DTRA spec number board was fitted, complete with the Foggy Eyes and Öhlins yellow airbrush work by Purple Fayz.
Seat man Steve Adams upholstered a simple pad from water resistant synthetic suede, providing the grip for Foggy’s penchant for wheelies.
On a typical British damp and grey day the bike was delivered, but wheeled straight into the garage; far too many polishing hours to be undone by the wet roads. Luckily the sun got its act together and gave Carl plenty of opportunities to enjoy the country lanes around his home. Although he has admitted to popping out to the garage, just to have a peek at his new toy.
Could there be a greater reward for the guys at IDP Moto than hearing that? I don’t think so.
The queue is building so if you fancy commissioning a project, get in touch with Daryll via the IDP website and keep an eye on the latest builds on Facebook.
via The Bike Shed
