It's easy to be quite conservative when it comes to breaking the rules, and we're not always sure how 'arty' a bike can be and still look like a bike we'd actually want to own, rather than just admire on creative or engineering merit, however, this build by Stefano Venier is one of those motorcycles that balances badass with smartass perfectly. It's quite stunning. What makes it more spectacular is that this build manages to seamlessly blend four different bikes, all beautiful in their own right, and create something unique that looks like it was meant to be that way. A reverse-engineered classic. Stefano describes the build as his "first collage". "This is the first bike I designed, even before the Diabola". "...I began to be tired of the cafe racers with oversized tires, skinny seats and holes underneath it. I think the world of the cafe racer / special needs start to see something different, and this is my first try, something that doesn't follow the classical look. So I wanted to believe in it and I made this hybrid." The bike is a combination of a 1984 350cc Cagiva Ala Azzurra and a Ducati Pantah TL, from which Stefano took the tank, customizing an aluminium gas cap, and those vented side covers. The headlight is from a Moto Guzzi Stornello with specially fabricated brackets to reposition it as Stefano wanted to integrate a newer speedometer. There are also hand-made fenders, a hand-made leather seat (with the Italian flag), Dunlop tyres, a custom exhaust and vintage handlebars taken from a Benelli 354. The Color is a simple and elegant gloss black; "elegance is the key word to read this build. Even if it is a small 350cc is a really fun and light motorcycle, I would say perfect for every day use and big cities, even if I would just keep it in my living room :-)". This has got to be one of our favourite builds of the year so far, and one of the few that balances style and substance with an original build that somehow looks like it rolled out of the factory that way. Great work by Stefano Venier and we look forward to having plenty more builds from Venier Customs on The Bike Shed.