If you?ve never heard of Moretti before, don?t worry?it was a new name for us, too.
The bike was built by Canadian race enthusiast Paul Hewitt, and it?s one of just ten in the world. While toying with the idea of building a custom Ducati Pantah, Hewitt stumbled across the tale of Domenico Moretti, famous in Italy for building a gorgeous racer based on the Ducati TT2 in the 1980s.

So Hewitt found an engine from a 1985 Cagiva Alazzurra?which is is mechanically identical to the Pantah, because Ducati?s then-parent company built it.
He boosted the original 650 cc engine to 750 cc, and added a solid dose of headwork for even more power. The engine internals have been lightened and balanced, with performance upgrades including Carrillo connecting rods and 900SS camshafts.
The Marvic magnesium wheels are replicas of 1980s Campagnolos, hooked up to forks from a Ducati 851. The rear end is suspended by an Öhlins TTX shock originally designed for a Honda CBR600RR.
Kits are supposed to be easy, but this build took six months?with a ton of brackets and machining to make it work. Ten kits have been made, but Hewitt completed his first.

As soon as the Moretti was finished, it was time to hit the track. But on the first day out, the timing belt skipped a tooth. Valves met pistons, and the head of the exhaust valve was ejected from the muffler.
?Builder error,? Hewitt admits. ?I squeezed it a little too tight. But I didn?t crash, I stayed upright.?

...