Ducati Desmodue E-Book

Greg Pullen

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

A definitive account of the popular Ducati Desmodue - the reliable, affordable, high-performance motorcycle range that boasts one of the most successful Italian motorcycles of all time, the Ducati Monster, and is still in development today. Including full production histories, comprehensive specification details and owners' experiences, this new book covers the history of Ducati and the rise of the brand in the 1970s and Grand Prix racing with Fabio Taglioni's desmodromic valve engine design. The world-beating TT2 and TT1 racers are covered along with the best-selling Ducati Monster, the Desmodue 900SS and the SportClassic range. With the Scrambler, and new Ducati factories in Thailand and Brazil, the Desmodue story is brought right up to date - a story based a wonderful corner of Italy, some very special motorcycles and the astonishing people who made it all happen. Fully illustrated with 211 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

DUCATIDESMODUE

THE COMPLETE STORY FROM PANTAH TO SCRAMBLER

GREG PULLEN

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2015 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2015

© Greg Pullen 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 902 5

DisclaimerEvery reasonable effort has been made to trace and credit illustration copyright holders. If you own the copyright to an image appearing in this book and have not been credited, please contact the publisher, who will be pleased to add a credit in any future edition.

DEDICATION

For all who served with the SPORTS MOTORCYCLE racing team.

CONTENTS

Introduction

CHAPTER 1

FROM ELETTROTECNICA TO MECCANICA, FROM SINGLES TO TWINS

CHAPTER 2

GRAND PRIX RACING AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE PANTAH

CHAPTER 3

THE TT2 AND TT1 RACERS –TAGLIONI’S FINEST HOUR?

CHAPTER 4

DUCATI’S SWAN-SONG AND THE CAGIVA TAKEOVER

CHAPTER 5

CALLING ON HISTORY

CHAPTER 6

THE MONSTER PHENOMENON

CHAPTER 7

AMERICAN OWNERSHIP AND DIVERSIFICATION

CHAPTER 8

RACING TODAY – AND THE FUTURE FOR DESMODUES

Index

INTRODUCTION

Ducati. The name means so much more than just a motorcycle to so many of us. It is an obsession that can leave fans of other marques bewildered, never mind those from outside motorcycling. This is despite the fact that Ducatis can be fickle, fragile beasts even with the regular, expensive fettling the older bevel camdrive twins and later eight-valve engines demand. But that’s the price you pay running what are effectively exotic racing motorcycles on public roads. Yet in between the demise of the 1970s bevel twins and the rise of the fuel-injected Superbike range in the 1980s, Ducati developed a new range of motorcycles that were reliable, affordable, yet still visceral and exciting to ride. Indeed I would wager that for most people, most of the time, a mid-nineties Ducati 900SS is one of the finest and most satisfying motorcycles ever built, yet can still be bought for Japanese middleweight money.

The 1993 900SS also introduced the word Desmodue into the Ducatisti’s lexicon. Meaning ‘two desmo’, it was part of a rebranding exercise that saw the 900SS take the colours of the iconic 916, a motorcycle that had arrived with ‘Desmoquattro’ emblazoned across its flanks. This referred to the 4-valve cylinder heads – quattro is Italian for four – which the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected Ducati Superbike range had pioneered, allowing them to compete with Japanese 4-cylinder motorcycles on the racetracks of the world. Retrospectively the term Desmodue has come to mean the 2-valve head, cambelt Ducati twins even though many of the old bevel camdrive Ducatis – from the first 350 Mark 3D to the final Mike Hailwood Replica Mille – had desmodromic 2-valve heads. But then these models were modified conventional valve spring engines, where what is referred to as the Desmodue family – starting with the 500 Pantah – were designed from the outset for desmodromics: a positively controlled valvetrain that didn’t rely on springs to close valves. The resulting cylinder heads were too compact to be retrospectively fitted with valve springs: Ducati were betting everything on a Desmodromic future.

Desmodues on the Moto Giro. An early but typically modified M600 Monster and 1000 SportClassic.GREG PULLEN

This brings up a point on terminology throughout this book: respecting the Desmodue and Desmoquattro labels, references to a 2-valve or 4-valve engine means the number of valves per cylinder, even though these are twin cylinder motors that therefore have double that valve count. It would just be too wearing to read (and type!) two valves per cylinder on every single occasion.

Although I must confess to finding the first Desmodue, the Pantah, a little underwhelming – trying to grasp how this related to a friend’s thundering 860 GTS was beyond my modest imagination – the TT2 racer that it morphed into is one of my very favourite Ducatis of all, showcasing its designer, Fabio Taglioni, at his most brilliant. Another Desmodue is not only another of my favourite Ducatis, but also the first Ducati I owned, many years ago – although my choice will horrify some Ducati enthusiasts – the 750 Paso. But the Paso was ground-breaking and I was already a huge fan of its designer, Massimo Tamburini. Sadly no longer with us, Tamburini had already proved his genius with the Bimota SB2, and would go on to create his opus major, the 916. The Paso is cruelly ignored, a fabulous and versatile motorcycle that is probably the cheapest Ducati you can buy.

But then, the Desmodue range has always featured the quirkiest Ducatis, as well as some of the best. Nobody expected the Monster to be such a hit, let alone go on to become the best-selling Italian motorcycle of all time. Then there was the original Hypermotard, which astounded all who rode it, with a surprising number of owners thinking it the best Ducati – and therefore the best motorcycle – that they had ever ridden. But, like the Monster range, the Hypermotard has now become a Desmoquattro and, although these engines are more flexible and faster than Desmodues, as well as better able to meet environmental regulations, the liquid-cooling plumbing does spoil the look. Yet, despite fabulous looks, the SportClassic (yes, it was just one word) Desmodue range didn’t sell well when it was launched. With hindsight, the concept was ahead of its time, and dealers had to discount massively to sell them when new. Ironically, today a good SportClassic will cost you more than it would have done new. There’s good news therefore in the shape of Ducati’s latest Desmodue, the Scrambler, which is fun, fast – and affordable. It actually sells new for less than a second-hand SportClassic might cost.

In researching and writing this story of Ducati’s Desmodue history I am indebted to a number of people. First and foremost is Pat Slinn, famous as a mechanic for Mike Hailwood’s and Tony Rutter’s TT World Championships for Ducati. Pat also worked for the UK Ducati importers Coburn and Hughes before going on to Sports Motorcycles and then fettling Tony’s world beating TT2s and TT1.

Other absolute legends that have helped me are a Ducati roll of fame. Multiple World Champion Phil Read kindly told what the 500 GP was like to race, with Sammy Miller, famous for his trails riding and fabulous museum, giving a similar insight into the 125 GP. Steve Wynne and unsung hero Ron Winder were kind enough to confirm details of Sports Motorcycles’ remarkable TT achievements. Ivar de Gier also helped greatly, especially with insights into Fabio Taglioni’s efforts to build a successful Desmoquattro. Thanks must also go to those who encouraged me, especially my wife Joanna and Crowood’s commissioning editor Hannah Shakespeare. I am similarly indebted to the owners of Ducati Desmodues who offered their experiences and insights, most especially John Fallon of Made in Italy Motorcycles, Dutch von Anderson of Bike Shed fame, along with Alun Wright and Ian Phillis. My gratitude too extends to fellow authors and Ducati enthusiasts Alan Cathcart and Ian Falloon, who were kind enough to point me in the right direction when other sources failed. Phil Aynsley, a gifted photographer and a man who has only ever owned Ducatis, was also a great help and introduced me to Ian Gowanloch of Italspares. I am also indebted to another Australian Ducati specialist, Michael Fuller at BELTANDBEVEL.COM.AU, as well as many others who selflessly contributed photographs.

Finally, as with previous research, a special thanks to Cook Neilson, editor of the US Cycle magazine at the beginning of this story. Cook is still a better wordsmith than pretty much anyone who has ever written about motorcycles, with the possible exception of his successor at Cycle, Phil Schilling. Cook offered his opinion on why Ducati racing with the original L-twin set them on the path to glory, and how they very nearly decided to build diesel engines rather than motorcycles. For the introduction to Cook, as well as much else including factual guidance and beautiful photographs I must also thank Vicki Smith of ducati.net and Rich Lambrechts of Desmopro.

While the Desmodue Ducatis might lack the glamour of the earlier twins and the Superbike ranges they are every bit as important. In truth the 1990s 900SS and Monster made the money that allowed Ducati to develop and race the Desmoquattros, while providing many riders with their first taste of the Ducati experience. The Desmodues are incredibly satisfying motorcycles, and it has been a joy to research and write about them. And, of course, to ride them.

The new Scrambler is the latest Desmodue, described by Ducati as ‘post-heritage’, taking the best of the past and creating something unique yet absolutely contemporary.VICKI SMITH/DUCATI.NET

CHAPTER ONE

FROM ELETTROTECNICA TO MECCANICA, FROM SINGLES TO TWINS

When the three Ducati brothers left their eponymous factory, shortly after World War II, one went on to become a rocket scientist, another an estate agent and the third to make automatic gates. The talents these roles demanded – scientific genius, a clear mind under pressure and precision engineering – might be essential when establishing a successful motorcycle business, but the Ducati family had nothing to do with Ducati motorcycles. The bikes came later, after the war and political gamesmanship had brought the Ducati brothers’ business to its knees.

Ducati was founded on 4 July 1926 as Scientific Society Radio Brevetti Ducati SpA, financed by selling a property in Florence belonging to the brothers’ father, Antonio Cavalieri Ducati. He was eager to build a company around his brilliant eldest son, Adriano, already a physicist of note by the age of nineteen. Having moved the family from Comacchio on Italy’s east coast some 100km (60 miles) west to Bologna, industrial engineer Antonio wanted to take advantage of the city’s reputation as the hotbed of Italy’s industrial revolution. The university was also a world leader in physics and radio telegraphy, thanks to Bologna’s most famous son at the time, Guglielmo Marconi. Founder of the company that still bears his name, Marconi started on his rise to fortune and fame by winning the Nobel Prize in Physics with his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission.

A REVOLUTION IN RADIO