NOT a Harley

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Grizz
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NOT a Harley

Post by Grizz »

I bought this moto in NJ or NYC, can't remember which. They were raced on tracks around the Atlantic seaboard, but I never saw them race. This one was in good shape, strong for it's puny engine displacement, quicker than my airhead but about the same top end around 85 or so. A really handy town bike when I lived in NYC. I hauled it across country in the trunk of a car and wrecked it and fixed it in Hollywood, and then drove home from there.

I have no idea when it was built. Ducati 200cc single cylinder single overhead cam. I never worked on it because it always wanted to go. It got good mileage but I'd be guessing but maybe 60 or 70 mpg. I put high octane gas in it and had fun. It was peppy and a good cruiser. Even did well two-up in the 5 boroughs.

Sorry about the crummy pictures. Accident of history.
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gamekeeper
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by gamekeeper »

I've had a few small bikes, they do make good handy town transport.... 8)
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2ndovc
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by 2ndovc »

That's cool! Always wanted a Ducati, they make cool stuff!


jb 8)
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OldWin
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by OldWin »

Cool! You still have this?
Guy in my little jerkwater town sold Ducati's for years out of his little shed/shop. Weird! :shock:
They were pricey for this locale but he sold a few. They are very nice bikes.
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Pete44ru
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Pete44ru »

.

Me likey that café-style bike, Grizz !

.
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marlinman93
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by marlinman93 »

Looks like a mid 60's Ducati 200 Elite to me. Great bike, and trouble free.

I had a new 1968 Benelli 250 in 1969 that I bought a month before I got my draft notice. It got parked at my parent's house until I came home on leave. Bought it new at Montgomery Wards for a whopping $220 back then. It broke the shifter before I even left for basic training. Local repair shop fixed it and after that it never had any trouble. But it took a long time to get used to the rear brake and shifter being reverse of most bikes. And the shift pattern being backwards too! All down instead of up.
I remember one day coming into a corner hard and hitting the brake (I thought) and it upshifted a gear and nearly ran me off the road in the corner!

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Hawkeye2
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Hawkeye2 »

I remember them from the mid 60s. There were tough little bikes. A guy back home sold Ducati/Norton/Matchless from a friend's Texaco station. Aparently it wasn't difficult to become a dealer, possibly just have enough money to buy 3 or so bikes. Berliner in NJ was the US distributor for these brands and possibly Moto Guzzi too. Berliner's dealer support and parts situation was less than ideal.
Leverluver
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Leverluver »

When I was a pup in the 60s, I had a Ducati Diana MK III. Man was that a smokin' bike for 250cc. It came with two exhaust systems, one for street and one for racing. Of course, I got in trouble a few times for having the (loud) racing one on when on the street :mrgreen: . You would have a hard time finding a 250 these days that would hit 110+ mph. Raced it at the drag strip a few times (and won) and then no one in my class would show up. I eventually got put into the 500+ class and the fun was over. Wish I still had it. The classic racers love them and one in good condition is worth a small fortune.
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Grizz
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Grizz »

Thanks for the storied Guys! I sold that bike a long time ago, it helped finance the 45. I love those little naked bikes. Now days it seems the bikes are more complicated than the cars :!: I know mine was not a desmo. I think even then you had to pay up for that. Maybe the 250 had it. I never floated the valves that I noticed. I didn't have a tach and don't know what limited the revs. Maybe just the volume.

Anyway thanks for the photos and stories, makes for good smiles down memory lane.
Leverluver
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Leverluver »

My 250 was not desmo. I know they were available but maybe not when mine was built (64-65?). I don't know whether it was float or not but it topped out at 11,500 which was also the redline on the tach. Actually the megaphone racing tailpipe was not that practical on the street as it stumbled a lot until just past 6,000 rpm. After that, you better be quick on the clutch as that 11,500 would come faster than you could blink. In the higher rpms, I'd say that the tuned megaphone would add maybe 40% to the (at least perceived) power. To a kid that had just graduated from a 50cc Bridgestone, it was, at first, hard to stay ahead of. Thank YOU for bringing back some great memories.
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Blaine
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Re: NOT a Harley

Post by Blaine »

My very first scoot was a '73 Yamaha RD350. Two Stroke w/oil injection. The power came on about 4K and never really stopped...12 -14K RPM was not the upper limit, but I was scared to go any further. As I reflect on this monster, I realize it was too much for a first scoot.
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