Help with Ducati Bitsa

good thing you are not big on originality, from the picture's the best way to go is a custom. if it was to be a total resto you might be surprised how much it can cost :shock: the instrument mount is not the original one and I am not sure what it is from. the key switch should have been on the left side below the tank on the rear side of the tube where the multi pin connector is in your picture. why would you want to drive an electronic speedo from a cable ? with a doubt the simplest one would be the GPS unit but most of the electric ones use a setup like a bicycle unless you go with the autometer stuff. been there and had to figure it out on my own as there tech support was no help. the one I did last winter the guy went with the sillent hectic from Germany. it was sold to fit with the electric start but it was a nightmare to fit. more than likely would be a drop in on a std bike.

sportster_restorer said:
I didn't include a pic of the gauges, but they're Veglia.

Second, I'm not big on originality, I'm big on riding. Some folks get off over numbers matching stuff, but I'm more the hotrodder. Even if I restored this to absolute originality, I don't think its going to affect my 401(k). Might as well just have fun.

I'm even thinking of some aftermarket gauges, and indeed have already been looking at some aftermarket ignition systems. Speedhut has some good lookers, just have to find a way to drive an electric speedo from the cable drive. Or get one of the new GPS drive setups.

There seems to be a few folks who have converted Ducati Monster ignitions, or there's the few European setups. Something like that is in this bike's future.

I kind of like what Ferdinand Porsche said one day when he saw some older restored cars on trailers. "We built them to be driven, not stared at."

I'm still trying to figure out if that big hole in the instrument mounts is for some kind of ignition key. If so, what kind?
 
swooshdave said:
Mufflers look like Contis, worth a bit if perfect.

They are not Contis. Bin them. I agree with Bill, the tank looks like it's from a 750GT. I also agree with Bill that the cost of restoration (using new old stock or aftermarket replica parts) can be very expensive, and yours is missing some expensive bits. It can be done, but you would have to love the bike to spend that much. It looks like an 860GT-based bitsa. That model does not have the cachet of any of the 750s or the SS models. However, if you do decide to restore it, they can clean up very well. There was a good article in Classic Bike a while back on a restoration of an 860GT in Australia. I can try to dig out the issue if you're interested.
 
One sold here is the weekend, http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =515480754
10 NZ or 8K US,
Help with Ducati Bitsa

Last one here went for 14k NZ
if you want an MHR there is one here too:
http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver ... 239807.jpg
Help with Ducati Bitsa

only 22K NZ or 17.5 US
you rarely see the SS's or MHR's on the road here anymore, even the 860's are disappearing.... still see the odd Darmah.
 
NITRO ! :p

Help with Ducati Bitsa


One has the Distinct Impression , that if they have DUSTALL printed on them , Theyre not pirate copies .Otherwise , theyre pirate copies of Dunstalls . SEE above First Pirate . AARRGHH .
 
One definite worry I have is with the gasohol attacking that fiberglass tank. Seems there's not a lot you can do, even with the internal coatings available eventually the ethanol gets to the glass. I do have that original 860 steel tank that I picked up years ago, and might just use that for daily riding. Either list the glass tank or keep it for shows and bike nites. I've heard of folks running ethanol-free gasoline in fiberglass Norton tanks, but I've never seen a pump displaying ethanol-free gas in central Texas.

The other thing I really want to do is get rid of that damn ducktail seat. I've seen other Ducatis with a regular seat and the lines look so much better. My research seems to suggest this was a pretty common mod as well as cutting off the frame loop in the back.
 
sportster_restorer said:
The other thing I really want to do is get rid of that damn ducktail seat. I've seen other Ducatis with a regular seat and the lines look so much better. My research seems to suggest this was a pretty common mod as well as cutting off the frame loop in the back.

Sportster restorer - here's a pic of a restored 860GT with that seat. I think it looks OK. The green livery seems to suit it too. The article in Classic Bike that I mentioned earlier features this model with this paint scheme, as far as I can remember.

Help with Ducati Bitsa
 
"The new boss De Eccher saw Ducati’s future in US exports, and had engaged Giorgietto Giugiaro to do the external design work on the new 860 instead of Tartarini. Taglioni was made to redesign the outer engine cases to match Giugiaro’s design. (The new 350 and 500 GTL sport vertical twins were also released, also externally designed by Giugiaro. The motors were not built by Taglioni. He had refused to be involved with them.)

Ducati sales fell. The 860 GTS did not sell well, and the vertical twins were hardly selling at all. De Eccher was out, and Taglioni was back in favour, and so, by association, was Tartarini. A hasty re-design of the fuel tank and seat was undertaken to create the 900GTS - a model destined to help the company regain some ground. At the same time plans were put in place to create two new models the Darmah and the Pantah."

Good thing Tartarini came back,,,,
You could do this with your GT,
Help with Ducati Bitsa
 
:shock: There may well be trouble here , if you go this way . :(

Help with Ducati Bitsa


Communist ( RED ) one .

Help with Ducati Bitsa


Dark and mysterious one.

Help with Ducati Bitsa


Down to Earth , :(

Help with Ducati Bitsa


Yes , well. we can always dream ; whos paying for this thing . :?

Help with Ducati Bitsa
 
Would you put some NORTON stickers on the tank for the meantime , or people are going to start wondering . :)

Help with Ducati Bitsa
 
The down to earth version really appeals to me. Guess I'm just an old fashioned retro-type. Might want a little higher bars for the ol' back.

It seems to me that "Ducati" seems to rhyme with "rear-sets" and "clip-ons". For old farts like me, those don't rhyme with "back" or "hips".

Although I do have to admit, I've spoken to waay to many builders who tell me they've slowed down on customs and choppers and are doing more and more cafe racers. That seems to be where the money is. So I guess if I want to go the greed route, I'd do the racer version and sell it.

Well, its back in the shed for now. I work overseas on construction jobs and come back on rotations. Guess that will give time for contemplation about what exactly to do with it. Thanks to all for the great pics.
 
Matt, if you reckon the Ducati was "the best handler" back in the day, then I can only figure that you never really gave one enough stick to find out the difference between steering, roadholding & handling.
Any stiffly suspended/raked out/looong wheelbase bike can give that [false]impression - like the big `70s Suzuki 4s - but that feeling of being railroaded, & having to lean right over , just to make an apex, is not really 'handling', by comparison, the sorted Brit bikes of the `70s were nimble, with sensible wheelbases & didn`t give that ponderous self-steering feel, well- I never liked it, anyhow.
 
Thanks Matt, that 's the first I've ever seen of Dave Aldana riding a round-case flat track Ducati. Its way cool in my book.

I wish I could remember the link, but there was an article where a guy documented his history building a bevel drive road racer along with some help from Axtell, who built a lot of the XR-750 flat trackers. In the end, they both seemed to conclude the 2 valve bevel heads were good, but not really in the class of the XR-750 heads. Thought that was kind of surprising. Maybe that's why Aldana didn't do a whole lot with the Duck flat tracker.

Kinda strange, folks always seem to think, "Oh, its an OHC or DOHC. Its gotta be the best in flow, waaaaay better than any ancient pushrod engine". But I guess that's something that Norton or HD (as far s the XR750 was concerned) might disagree.

Even GM, with their somewhat old-school pushrod LS engines, make crazy power nowadays.
 
I would love to own your bike. A friend of mine once said ' at least your bike looks right'. The reason it looks right is because it IS right. I know how a racing motorcycle should be constructed, and I build accordingly. Your ducati might be unoriginal, but it is a beautiful bike, and all it takes is willpower to make it really great. I would use the parts you already have to build something sporty and sensible that performs well. I have a policy that if I see something stupid on my bike, I re-engineer it. I'd simply remake the wiring loom, leaving out the unnecessary bullshit, and I would buy a decent after market ignition system and include it in the rewire. Replate anything which is rusty, and re -upholster the seat. What you have got is an easy re-build, and it could become a really great bike.
The remake which turned that other bike into a Harley flat tracker look alike is a waste of a good bike, it has no intrinsic value and neither does that revolting chopper.
 
A Kiwi bloke, who won a few races - [Daytona 200/Superbike & Imola amongst others] -Graeme Crosby, wrote this about racing the Ducati SS 900.
"We tested it at Amaroo Park & found it a slow-steering beast that dragged its exhaust pipe on the ground. It had no real appeal to me because it felt long in the wheelbase. It wouldn`t change direction fast enough for me...it understeered severly. I found I was stuck in the Ducati groove on the track, unable to be aggressive & attack...riding those air compressors perhaps wasn`t really me."
Of course, he was used to wrestling big production Kawasakis to lap records & race wins, so his opinion is of 'doubtful value' - eh, Matt?
 
JAW, I agree with Mr Crosby!
When pushed at the limit 900SS's will bite and are long and stuck in their groove.
But on the public highway (especially a curving one) they are on their own for enjoyment and confidence of feel.
And they do sound nice too!
Graeme
 
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