Ducati 750 prices, I don't understand

[brider]

top-end rebuilt at 54k (flaky chrome issue).

Ha! So those chrome bores CAN last longer than a ride around the block!

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ha! So those chrome bores CAN last longer than a ride around the block!

Sure can. I know of one that went over 100,000 miles without issue. However.. it had never *sat* for any period of time.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Ha! So those chrome bores CAN last longer than a ride around the block!

Sure can. I know of one that went over 100,000 miles without issue. However.. it had never *sat* for any period of time.

My '69 sat quite a bit - the first only put on 33k and change in 15 years and the second owner only put 3k miles on it in 13 years. I probably should have swapped them out when I got it at 36,360 miles, but the issue wasn't as well known back then. My only saving grace was that I changed the oil very frequently (1k miles on average). I pulled a rod cap when I did the cylinders and there was no sign of any damage from flaking chrome. Dodged that bullet.

[Denis]

Total 750 GT production for 1972 - 75 was 4,133.

There you go!

[Turin]

The 860 GT -900 GTS styled by Guigaro has got to be the second ugliest Ducati produced. (First place goes to the Indiana ).
Their looks kill their collectable value. Who would want that parked in their living room?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

The 860 GT -900 GTS styled by Guigaro has got to be the second ugliest Ducati produced. (First place goes to the Indiana ).
Their looks kill their collectable value. Who would want that parked in their living room?

There's one (just the rolling chassis really) parked in my shed. Kind of growing on me. 

[amamet]

I may have to sell mine for a major home renovation so I hope the prices keep going up.

[Turin]

There's one (just the rolling chassis really) parked in my shed. Kind of growing on me. 

Make sure to lose the sidecovers if they happen to be lying around. 

The later versions look better, you going to turn it into something cool?

 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Make sure to lose the sidecovers if they happen to be lying around. 

The later versions look better, you going to turn it into something cool?

My friend that owns it plans to turn it into something cool. It's well above my "pay grade". 

[Tusayan]

The 860 GT -900 GTS styled by Guigaro has got to be the second ugliest Ducati produced. (First place goes to the Indiana ).
Their looks kill their collectable value. Who would want that parked in their living room?

Not many people would, although in fairness some collectible Ducati singles of the sixties are also a bit ungainly and the 750GT isn't a total beauty queen to everybody who sees it.  860s also don't handle as well as a 750, the frame was changed for the worse.  Their design was screwed up by Giorgetto Giugiario who apparently didn't have much talent for motorcycles, and the government appointed managers who approved his design for the 860GT.  They tried to save it with the 900GTS and its maybe slightly better to some. After that they went back to Tartarini for the Darmah, the guy who did the Sport and SS.

[Chuck in Indiana]

As far as I'm concerned, the GTS handled better than the Darmah. <shrug>

[Tusayan]

As far as I'm concerned, the GTS handled better than the Darmah. <shrug>

The Darmah is essentially an improved and restyled GTS, so those two have essentially the same frame.  It doesn't handle nearly as well as the frame of the 750GT, 750 Sport or 750/900 SS - which are all basically the same as each other.

Minor differences between the Darmah and the GTS include the weight of the wheels (particularly heavy on the later version Darmah) and late Darmahs having longer shocks.  In general I’d agree that a 900GTS handles slightly better than a Darmah.

In about 1983 or 84 they discontinued the slightly more expensive to make ‘SS’ (or 750GT) style frame, and even the last Hailwoods got a derivation of the ‘touring’ frame.  Those bikes don’t handle so well either.

I’m sure all that is of vital interest 

[smross]

The simple answer is supply and demand but, obviously, the answer is more complex than that.  I've had an early V7 Sport for over 25 years and a 750SS greenframe for over 35 years and they're chalk and cheese.  The Ducati is a torque-monster, pulling strongly from idle with a mighty, linear torque band and it's quite addictive.  The engine's characteristics are similar to that of the spring-head Sport except the SS has a higher redline, largely academic on the street, particularly if you want your bevel engine to last.  The 750 GT has a lower compression ratio and smaller carbs and, riding a Sport and a GT back-to-back, the difference is significant.  One can install high compression pistons, available from JE and others, 32mm Dell'Orto "pumpers" and, bam, you have Sport/SS performance.

 The handling is still phenomenal; you have to muscle it over but a bevel's stability is unsurpassed. Back in the day, a lot of racers installed longer rear shocks to quicken the handling but that's about it.

Another attraction of the bevel Ducati is, simply, the engine's aesthetics, particularly the so-called early round-case models.  The engines are industrial art and and that continues to the inside of the engine.  Matched bevel gears drive the cams and everything is shimmed by hand.  The early engines were prohibitively expensive to manufacture and changes were made in the square-case engines to reduce production costs.

Too, those of us who are old enough to remember "Cycle" magazine's "Racer Road" articles couldn't help but be seduced by the charms of the bevel Ducati.  Editor Cook Neilson and staffer, Phil Shilling built a 750SS race bike that beat all Factory comers at the prestigious 1977 Daytona Superbike race, effectively putting Ducati on the map in the US.  Prior to that, Paul Smart, on a factory Ducati 750 desmo racebike unexpectedly won the 1972 Imola race which was a huge deal in Europe but not as big a deal in the States.  Finally, Mike Hailwood came out of retirement on a Sports Motorcycle NCR Ducati to run down and then beat Phil Read at the 1978 Isle of Man race.  This was, and is, an incredibly popular victory, so much so that 11 replicas of the winning bike are being constructed as we speak for approximately $125k US.

All of the above factors, and others, have contributed to the popularity of bevel twin Ducatis.  The market has softened recently on many collector cars and bikes so it's a good time to get in.  The supply of bevel parts has never been better and due to the internet, neither has the information on how to keep one running properly.   

[keener]

 smross ................... ........   ... and i still miss my Darmah     

[Smithy]

Old bikes and cars have moved well into the asset class..where do people put their money? Housing and deal with dud tenants, shares that you dont understand or in the bank and get .000001% interest? Bikes especially are easy to store, easy to move around, cool to own and easy to move on when cash is required.

[jas67]

Bikes especially are ..... easy to move on when cash is required.

I'm not so sure I'd agree with this, at least not if you want to get decent money out of them.   Now, I'm talking bikes in general, not rare collectables such as the round case bevels.

The current bike market is pretty soft.   It's a buyer's market.   And, I'm not just talking for seasonal reasons, it's been soft for a couple of years.

I have a few that I want to sell in the spring, so, I hope that it improves.

The round-case bevel-twin is one of the best looking motors ever made.


Makes you wonder what they were thinking when the changed to the "square-case" design a few years later.

[Rough Edge racing]

 In the late 1970s .Cook Neilson was doing a Ducati 900SS road test for Cycle magazine. He made all the usual comments and then added that many enthusiasts would be alarmed that a Suzuki 1000 in the hands of a skilled rider is a faster bike on mountain road..But the Ducati is less threatening at speed. Cook called it "laughing in your helmet " at how stable the Ducati felt compared to 1000 cc Japanese bikes of that era...
  In my opinion the spirit of the bevel drive is still there in my late 90's Monster and ST2...with faster steering ...
   And to throw some Guzzi at this....I remember an early test of a Guzzi V7 Sport in  Cycle.. Comparing it to the Ducati 750. the opinion was it was like a time release drug...the more you rode, it more you appreciated the V7 ability to cover distance at high speeds...The road testers also mentioned the loud intake honk from the unfiltered carburetor velocity stacks...

[Aaron D.]

That CYCLE magazine article got read by me many times. I had bought my V7 Sport and was pleased at the comments-justifying my decision not to get a Ducati despite having lusted for one from the day the V-twin was announced.

They actually discussed both the Sport and the SS-as well as the R90S. Shunpike Dandies, I think they called them.

I miss te days of Cycle, but I understand that the motorcycle industry was at a bit of a high water mark then.

[Tusayan]

Makes you wonder what they were thinking when the changed to the "square-case" design a few years later.

What they were doing was much improving the lower bevel gear design, more bearings, much simpler to assemble etc.  In that they succeeded but it was concurrent with the boxy 860GT restyle, all of which except the engine was thrown away by 1977.   

[reidy]

Is there a link to the Cycle magazine comparison of the Guzzi V7 sport to the Ducati. I know some of the old road tests were thinly disguised advertisements but some seem to have a genuine description.

Thanks

Steve 

[Smithy]

I'm not so sure I'd agree with this, at least not if you want to get decent money out of them.   Now, I'm talking bikes in general, not rare collectables such as the round case bevels.

The current bike market is pretty soft.   It's a buyer's market.   And, I'm not just talking for seasonal reasons, it's been soft for a couple of years.

I have a few that I want to sell in the spring, so, I hope that it improves.

The round-case bevel-twin is one of the best looking motors ever made.


Makes you wonder what they were thinking when the changed to the "square-case" design a few years later.

I am talking collectables...buy right and good money can be made.

[Aaron D.]

Is there a link to the Cycle magazine comparison of the Guzzi V7 sport to the Ducati. I know some of the old road tests were thinly disguised advertisements but some seem to have a genuine description.

Thanks

Steve

This was a genuine description-but of course it was perhaps the best publicity for these bikes until maybe the Cook/Phil Ducati race series.

Should be possible.I may use my mad google skills to see.

[Aaron D.]

Hm-actually there is a Facebook group dedicated to Cycle, and a Larry Kahn has posted images from that issue-June '74-and calls it the high water mark.

I don't do Facebook but search "Friends of Cycle Magazine" and it should show up.

[tetarabra]

Italian art 

[redrider90]

Is there a link to the Cycle magazine comparison of the Guzzi V7 sport to the Ducati. I know some of the old road tests were thinly disguised advertisements but some seem to have a genuine description.

Thanks

Steve

I read every Cycle article for a decade or more. Cycle got my attention to dump my 72 HD Super Glide and move to a new Ducati 750 GT. At the same time it embedded a chip in my brain that eventually was remotely turned on in 1991 which forced me to buy a new Mille.
 One thing that sticks out for a comparison is the Ducati came in at a 50 HP claiming 125 MPH top speed which mine never got close to even laying down on it.  Yet the V7 sport had 70 HP. The V7 was a true super bike for in the early 70's. The 750 GT was not a "Super Bike" as much as it was a super bike.

[jas67]

Italian art 

Absolutely!     

[Tusayan]

One thing that sticks out for a comparison is the Ducati came in at a 50 HP claiming 125 MPH top speed which mine never got close to even laying down on it.  Yet the V7 sport had 70 HP. The V7 was a true super bike for in the early 70's. The 750 GT was not a "Super Bike" as much as it was a super bike.

The V7 Sport's early 70s competitor was the Ducati 750 Sport.  The two had similar performance.  The GT had the handling of Sport, but was otherwise set up more as a gentlemans bike.

The big valve LeMans IV made a little under 70 RWHP with B10 cam, 200 more cc and 40 mm carbs.  The first 2V/cylinder one to make over 70 HP at the rear wheel in stock form was the 1100 Sport in 1995.

[Rough Edge racing]

I read every Cycle article for a decade or more. Cycle got my attention to dump my 72 HD Super Glide and move to a new Ducati 750 GT. At the same time it embedded a chip in my brain that eventually was remotely turned on in 1991 which forced me to buy a new Mille.
 One thing that sticks out for a comparison is the Ducati came in at a 50 HP claiming 125 MPH top speed which mine never got close to even laying down on it.  Yet the V7 sport had 70 HP. The V7 was a true super bike for in the early 70's. The 750 GT was not a "Super Bike" as much as it was a super bike.

 Yes, the 750 GT was a standard bike much like a Guzzi G5 ...The two 750 GT's I had over the years had trouble crowding 110 MPH.. From the early 70's Cycle comparison road testes, the 750 GT runs the 1/4 mile in low 13's  stock but well tuned with an experienced rider.

[chuck peterson]

Just found, posted 16 hrs ago....

https://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/d/1976-ducati-motorcycle-model/6758224495.html




hobbit 3 plot

[drbone641]

Mike Hailwood and Paul Smart never raced Moto Guzzi race bikes .

 Dusty

Incorrect Sir. 1978 Hailwood raced a 900 and won
https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/mike-hailwood-ducati-isle-of-man-tt-steve-wynne
1972 Smart raced a 750 at Imola


Both won