The Ducati SportClassic range is universally adored, but some SportClassic models get more love than others. The limited edition, Öhlins-equipped Paul Smart is the pick of the bunch?provided you have deep pockets and can actually find one. At the other end of the spectrum, you’ll find the Ducati SportClassic GT1000.
To the uninitiated, the GT1000 is just another SportClassic. But put it side-by-side with its siblings, and you’ll spot a number of obvious differences. Designed as a practical variant of the café racer-like SportClassic, it wears riser handlebars instead of clip-ons, a chunkier seat, and a different fuel tank with generous knee cutouts.

It’s also distinguishable by its twin rear shocks, and its chromed exhausts that sit on either side of the bike, rather than being stacked together. But while it might not have quite the same appeal as sportier SportClassic models, it has the same bones and is no less attractive. You still get a 992 cc desmodromic L-twin engine, a trellis frame, and oodles of retro charm. Tom Gilroy, founder of Purpose Built Moto on Australia’s Gold Coast, is a fan of the Ducati GT1000. As far as he’s concerned, it’s a great bike that only gets better the more you tweak it. And Purpose Built Moto sure knows how to tweak it.

The owner of this 2008-model GT1000 brought it in for a makeover, with only a handful of specific requests. He wanted the GT1000’s basic suspension and heavy wheels upgraded, ...