dietrichpfeifer said:
Tough crowd! This bike got huge compliments/exitement in the Monster community if I rememeber right. Not sure how many here have built something from a pile of parts with your own hands to something you can ride or drive around. I'm not sure of the history here, but someone said the bike was damaged by fire. Instead of putting it in a dumpster, the guy rebuilt it into something of his own. I don't think it's supposed to "be" anything in particular, but looks like a real blast to ride. I like it.
I don't recall the exact details* myself anymore. Meet Andi, "the guy" who built this bike and named it Malattia. I think it was after the mishap with his Monster -- a fuel line burst, engulfing the bike in flames, starting a grass-fire and burning several acres near a hill top with choppers coming out the extinguish the fire
-- that Andi found this mildly used, nearly new MH900e somewhere in the US and had it shipped to New Zealand. What follows is any owner's nightmare with one part after the other failing or breaking. The bike was still under warranty -transferrable to the new owner- but Andi got caught between Ducati in Italy, New Zealand and USA. Suit was filed, but I don't recall the details or outcome of that anymore*. When all was said and done, Andi was so fed up with the MH900
e that he decided to make a bulletproof rideable bike out of it. Welcome Malattia, which has essentially been trouble free ever since. I remember Andi posting when he had to replace the first parts because they were worn (chain and sprockets).
Personally, I like the bike for what it is and I think Andi did a fantastic job creating this bike. Remember, this one predates both the HyperMotard and StreetFighter by a few years :think:
RonB
*Too bad JohnC, a.k.a. johnchypermotard, former President of the MH900
e Owners Club and featured in some of the pics of the Summer 09 West Coast SF Bay Area coast ride and drinking event, lost the server (fatal crash) on which he hosted the website of the MH900
e Owners Club ..... lots of information, great pics and excellent stories were lost
