Custom builds and customising

Custom motorcycles designed and built in England

Ray Petty Meccanica builds custom motorcycles and customises Ducatis and other Italian bikes at its workshop in Greenwich, London. From a change of bars and mirrors to a complete one-off build, every change is chosen to make the bike better to ride as well as to look at.

Looking for a restoration? See Ducati restoration.

Builds for Death Machines of London

Death Machines of London commissioned Ray to build two of their custom bikes: a Moto Guzzi known as the "Airtail" and a Triumph called "Up Yours Copper". Both were shown at Bike Shed shows.

See the Moto Guzzi build · See Up Yours Copper

Front view of a red and white custom cafe racer built by Ray Petty Meccanica

Make it yours

Part of owning a Ducati is making it your own, and that's hard on a stock bike. Most owners want to put their mark on it: high bars, low bars or clip-ons, spoked or cast wheels, a different paint scheme.

Small changes, big impact

Changing just the handlebars and mirrors can change a bike's whole character. But manufacturers spend a fortune developing a motorcycle, and chopping and changing parts because you can doesn't always make it better. It can make it unpleasant, or even dangerous. We can usually tell straight away whether an idea will work, and steer you towards a bike that still rides properly.

Quality parts only

We only fit parts of the highest specification: Rizoma, Brembo and other high-end Italian makers, and top-of-the-range DID chains. Ray's rule: "I will only sell it if I would buy it for my own motorcycle, and I'm fussy."

Custom projects

Moto Guzzi Airtail

Black and copper custom Triumph built for Death Machines of London

Up Yours Copper

Red, white and green hand-painted helmet with Ducati lettering, on a matching Ducati

Custom painted helmets

Related work

Performance upgrades: Rizoma, Brembo and set-up
Custom painted helmets to match your bike
Ducati restoration: sympathetic and ground-up

Custom work questions

Is my customising idea a good one?

Bring it to us and we'll tell you straight. Some changes transform a bike; others make it worse to ride. We'll explain which yours is before you spend anything.

Do I need to tell my insurer about custom parts?

Usually, yes. Most UK insurers ask you to declare modifications. Check with yours before the work is done.