The annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb is a true test of motorcycle riders and their machines, spanning 12.42 miles, 156 turns, and 14,115-feet of elevation. It’s been lauded as one of the most challenging races in the world, and as such, we can guarantee that the formidable team at Deus Ex Machina has had their sights set on the podium for quite some time.
After the team’s rider, Michael Woolaway, finished in second place at last year’s event, he approached Deus Ex Machina with a proposal. To battle Pike’s adversarial complexities, ‘Woolie’ envisioned an entirely new build — one with a bespoke rear-end, a new subframe, and a close-ratio gearset to power through the peak’s worrisome sections. The team ditched the bike’s old Hyper SP frame for that of a Ducati Street Fighter and implemented a longer magnesium swing arm to keep the bike compact and nimble, allowing Woolaway to turn, and accelerate out of tight corners with ease. At just 340-pounds, the ‘Beastie’ is an illustration of purposeful minimalism, relying on a lightweight c.30 Chrome Moly subframe, slimline tank, and a revised Nova gear-box to keep the bike’s 180-horsepower engine in check.
