Of all the motorcycles that Bimota ever made, the DB3 Mantra is perhaps the most peculiar. As you’d expect from the Italian firm, the DB3 featured a Ducati engine in an aluminum trellis frame and was known for its nimble handling. But its alien-like aesthetic was a little too far out there for most pundits.
As rare as the Bimota DB3 Mantra is, customized examples of it are even rarer. We’ve only ever featured one custom DB3 on these pages?and now, that very same bike is back for another round. It’s just gone under the knife for the second time at Analog?and now looks even better.

The DB3’s first makeover happened eleven years ago, when Analog’s Tony Prust modified it for his good friend and drummer of the rock band Chevelle, Sam Loeffler. The bike made waves at the inaugural Handbuilt and Mama Tried shows, and starred in an episode of Café Racer TV. More importantly, Sam rode it… a lot. More recently, Sam brought the bike back to Tony for a couple of mild changes. He wanted a front suspension upgrade, and he wanted to add a front fender (something that was excluded the first time around).

?I was reluctant,? says Tony. ?In my opinion, it was a popular build in its time and I was proud of it, for the most part, as it was. Sure, there were some things that if I had to do again I would have made different choices?but it was a ‘finished’ Analog build.?
?Sam revisited the conversation a number of times and I finally caved. Bu...