OTHER CLASSIC FEATURE
OLDER ONE
Left: The 1973-74 350cc Desmo single
Right: A trio of 750cc Ducatis seen in Auckland
curves are more uniform, and reliability
is improved”. The Desmo valve system
separated Ducati motorcycles from all
others of the period, and became almost an
exclusive feature of Ducati engines.
That of course is just the beginning. I think
it is fair to say that road going Ducatis
didn’t begin to appear in New Zealand, in
any numbers, until the late 1960s and early
70s. One of the early favourites was the 350
Desmo single, which arrived in the midst of
the Japanese multi-cylinder invasion. It was
to be the last of the Ducati Sport singles,
and a lasting reminder of the beauty and
simplicity of a well built, and designed, sports
middle-weight.
1971 is considered by many to be the year of
the big bikes, and Ducati was ready for the
challenge. The GT750 carved a notable niche
amongst the Laverda and Honda machines
of the day, and firmly established Ducati as
a contender in the most keenly contested
section of the big bike market of the time.
The bike was a 90-degree 748cc V-twin
motor, with Desmodromic single overhead
camshafts, weighing 185kg with a top speed
of 200km/h.
The GT was the beginning of a new and very
successful future that would take Ducati and
Taglioni to the very zenith of both road and
racing success. This, following the arrival and
influence of Taglioni, is simply the beginning
of the Ducati story, and something I’ll
continue at a later date.
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