The Ducati 500L Pantah Desmo was auctioned with an estimated price of €3.000-€4.000. At the heart of the motorcycle lies a 499 cc SOHC Desmo V-twin engine which is mated on a five speeds transmission. The motorcycle has a pretty interesting history behind it and is one of Ducati’s iconic models.
At the end of the 1970s, Ducati was in trouble. The vertical twins weren’t selling, so management went to designer Fabio Taglioni to see if he had any ideas. He handed them plans for another ground-breaking V-twin, based on his 1973 Armaroli DOHC Grand Prix racer.
The new bike was the belt-drive camshaft 500-cc V-twin Desmo Pantah, and its racing version, the TT2, would win four Formula 2 world championships between 1981-84. Taglioni’s new engine was smaller and quieter than the outgoing bevel-drive twins and was fitted in a trellis frame. The belt drive would be a feature of Ducati engines from that day forth. The Pantah’s electronics were by Nippon Denso, brakes were by Brembo, and its top speed was about 120 mph. The bike on offer is in good original condition with two-into-one exhaust, and many collectors prefer the early, smoother fairing.
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A classic Ducati 750 Super Sport was put on sale at an auction with an estimated price of €15.000-€20.000. This bike is in nice condition with good paint and chrome and alloy wheel rims.
When the 401 round-case 750 Ducati Super Sports were completed in 1974, two-strokes looked like they were going to dominate Formula 750, with the Yamaha TZ 700 leading the way. Ducati elected to contest endurance racing, which did not restrict engine size. They bumped up the 750 SS engine by using a pair of 450 racing pistons to create an 864-cc motor—the 900 SS.
In 1975, both the 900 SS and 750 SS used the square-case engine, with the 860 sleeved down to make the 750 SS. They were basically the same bare-bones production racers as the 1974 models, with right-side shift, a small CEV taillight, fibreglass gas tank, Conti pipes, open bellmouth carburettors and no turn signal provisions.
Only 246 ‘900 Super Sports’ and 249 ‘750 Super Sports’ were built, and an amazing 198 of the 500 went to Australia. The 1976 Super Sports would be civilised, with left-side shifting, steel gas tanks, carburettor air cleaners and quieter Lanfranconi mufflers (though Contis would usually be included in the crate).
Any 1975 750 Super Sport would be a rare find indeed these days, and this model is always sought after by serious Ducati collectors.
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A Ducati 750 200 Miglia Imola Corsa Replica was auctioned with an estimated price of €80.000-€120.000. The motorcycle has an interesting history, as it was constructed from a frame given by the Ducati racing department to Mr. Saltarelli in 1975, as prize money for his racing efforts with his private team of Ducati racing motorcycles.
Mr. Saltarelli decided to build the motorcycle as a spare racer for his team. The bike has received a complete restoration in 20000 because Mr. Saltarelli wanted to display it at his museum.
The motorcycle is currently fitted with a large endurance type racing tank, Marzocchi leading axle forks, three Lockheed disc brakes and the “left high-right low” Conti exhausts.
The 200 Mile Imola 750 Ducatis represent the pinnacle of collectible Desmo V-twins and are on the wish list of every Ducati collector. This is a unique model as none of the factory bikes are available to purchase today.
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The history of the Ducati 750 SS Corsa is pretty interesting as is strongly related to the famous Mike Hailwood.
Mike Hailwood’s comeback victory at the Isle of Man in 1978, 11 years after he had retired and at the age of 38, holds a warm spot in the heart of every Ducati fan. But mention Paul Smart at Imola in 1972, and one will generate even more enthusiasm. At that Italian racetrack on 23 April, 1972, 70,000 race fans watched underdog Ducati defeat the world’s best riders on what were previously assumed to be the world’s best bikes. The riders included world champion Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, Cal Rayborn and Walter Villa competing in the inaugural 200-mile race, much like Europe’s Daytona, with more than $40,000 in prize money.
Agostini took off in the lead with Smart and Spaggiari behind him, but Smart passed him on lap four and Spaggiari a lap later. After that, the two Ducatis diced with each other until the finish—Spaggiari passing Smart but then running wide as he started to misfire, low on fuel. The Ducatis finished one-two at an average speed of 97.76 mph, with Smart, Spaggiari and Agostini sharing the fastest lap at 100.1 mph. The “green frame” Ducati 750 Super Sport had arrived.
However, it looked as though two-strokes were soon going to rule Moto GP, and Ducati switched the V-twin to endurance racing, which had no engine restrictions. By boring the cylinders to 86 mm and using 450 racing pistons, the 864-cc 900 SS was created. The new bike made its race-winning debut at Montjuich Park, Barcelona, where Benjamin Grau and Salvador Canellas won the 24 hours endurance race in July 1973.
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In 1968, the wide-case 350-cc Mark 3 Desmo was the fastest production Ducati one could buy, with 103 mph on tap, or 112 mph with a noisier megaphone pipe. There were several options: high touring bars instead of clip-ons and even a racing kit with more radical camshaft, fairing a range of main jets and megaphone exhaust.
The bike was unmistakable with early examples having twin filler caps on the fuel tank and the white-faced Veglia tachometer on the right fork crown. The fuel tank was chrome plated on the sides, with a metal Ducati badge, and the headlight and fenders were chrome plated.
When the 450-cc engine was introduced in 1969, the range was redesigned somewhat, with a square-slide Dell’Orto carburettor replacing the previous SS1, a single filler cap fuel tank and individual speedometer and tachometer, instead of the headlight-mounted speedo in the 1968 model. A cut-off Silentium exhaust silencer replaced the bullet exhaust.
Cycle magazine tested the 250-, 350- and 450-cc models imported to the U.S. and reported that the 250-cc and 450-cc engines had a wide power band, while the 350-cc was basically a bottle-rocket, with power coming on with a rush at 6,500 rpm. Not surprisingly, the 450 cc was fastest through a quarter-mile at 16.6 seconds, but the 350 did it in 17.6 seconds, and that was cut to 15.15 seconds with a megaphone exhaust, suggesting that the Silentium pipe restricted the bikes performance significantly.
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A vintage 1969 Ducati 450 Mark 3 was auctioned with an estimated price of €3.000-€4.000. The motorcycle is powered by a 436 cc SOHC single engine paired with a five speeds transmission.
The 450-cc Mark 3 model was introduced in 1969, following the new wide-case 250/350-cc a year earlier. The 450-cc frame had an extra gusset along the top tube like Spaggiari’s racer, including a wider chain and sprocket and slightly longer Marzocchi forks. All 450s had a new type of Dell’Orto square-slide VHB 29 carburettor, and the bullet silencer was replaced by the cut-off Silentium type, which could be long or short. The bike on offer appears to be in sound condition and is finished in its original red and black, with some re-finishing to the paint. This model was produced for the Municipal Police and is known as “Vigili Urbani.” Its reduced 8.4-to-one compression ratio, solo seat and valanced front mudguard are all factory correct.
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A classic 1974 Ducati 750 SS Corsa was presented to an auction by a private seller. The bike has an estimated price of € 40.000 - € 60.000 and was prepared at Reparto Corse Ducati with the help of Franco Farne and is Carlo Saltarelli’s own 750 SS which he campaigned as a privateer in both 1974 and 1975. The model was painted grey in 1974, then carrying race number 43, and then repainted white and red, carrying number 23.
The frame and engine numbers suggest this machine left the factory as a 750GT and was up-rated to the competition specification in period. The comprehensive specification includes Marzocchi front forks, adjustable rear Marzocchi shocks, Scarab brakes, Veglia competition tachometer, Tommaselli handlebars, front oil cooler, competition exhaust, competition camshafts, twin Dell’Orto PHM 40-mm carburettors, lightweight clutch, lightweight pistons and Borrani rims.
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A reserve bike prepared by NCR for Hailwood in the 1979 was put on sale by a private owner with an estimated price of €20.000-€30.000. The body of the bike was NCR, the engine was up-rated, but the frame was a standard 900 SS.
The bike has Brembo brakes, Marzocchi forks and Marzocchi rear shocks. It has a Veglia competition tachometer, twin Dell’Orto PHM 40-mm carburettors, front oil cooler, Campagnolo wheels oil pressure gauge, Verlicchi handlebars and light clutch.
All enthusiasts know the story of Mike Hailwood’s return to the Isle of Man TT races in 1978 and his success on the Steve Wynne Ducati 900 SS, which led to Ducati’s first World Championship.
At 110.62 mph, Hailwood broke Phil Read’s lap record by nine mph on the way to an immensely popular victory. He followed up with a win at Mallory Park the next weekend, a crash at Donington and a 3rd place at Silverstone against much faster opposition. Ducati was thrilled with the TT result and promised to build Mike Hailwood replicas and also give Hailwood a factory bike for the 1979 TT.
Hailwood tested the 1979 F1 bike at Misano but crashed before any changes could be made, cracking two ribs. After numerous delays, Ducati sent two NCR endurance race bikes to England; one was an endurance machine, and the other was a TT1 variant with a wet clutch engine. Wynne tried numerous modifications—even fitting the 1978 frame—but the bikes could not produce enough power and handled poorly. The best Hailwood could do was 5th place in the TT, and he declined to ride the endurance bike in any other races.
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Mario Recchia started as a Ducati mechanic in 1946 and was a pivotal figure in the racing department for many years. Recchia was also a skilled rider, winning his first race on the Via Emilia in 1947 on a Cucciolo and becoming champion of Emilia Romagna province in 1951. According to the vendor, Recchia raced this bike on street circuits in 1950. He rode it to work in Bologna during the week and raced it on Sundays.
Recchia raced with Bruno Spaggiari, Franco Villa and Franco Farne and also built and tuned their engines. He competed in the 1955, 1956 and 1957 Motogiro D’Italias, but one of his best stories is his roadside repair in a Milan-Taranto race. His Cucciolo broke in Sienna; he dismantled it and discovered the bearings had seized. Lacking any oil, he used the banana he had bought for lunch and finished the event.
When Carlo Saltarelli began working at the Ducati factory in the early 1970s, he and Recchia became lifelong friends. Recchia was present when Saltarelli opened his museum to the public in 2000, and he gave Saltarelli his racing Cucciolo as a gift. Mario Recchia passed away soon thereafter in 2007.
This bike was restored approximately 30 years ago and is presented with a handsome patina. Owned by two pivotal motorcycling figures, this machine offers a rare opportunity to own a piece of Ducati history.
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Moto Guzzi V7 released the complete details on its new 2013 Guzzi V7 Special. The new model was designed to help you ride comfortably on long journeys and is packed with a fresh 750cc, 90° V-twin engine. The 90 V-twin 4-stroke, 744 cc engine develops a maximum output of 37 kW (50HP) at 6,200 rpm and 42.7 ft lbs. / 58Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm.
The new Moto Guzzi V7 Special draws inspiration from the original V7 concept released in the 1970se. Technically, the V7 Special is a touring bike with sophisticated finishings and exclusive technical solutions. Just like its ancestor, it is wrapped in a two-tone color concept and equipped with spoked wheels with aluminum rims.
The motorcycle is equipped with an innovative fuel tank that has a 5.8 gallons capacity which ensures a range of up to 310 miles.
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