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Ten of the Greatest Motorcycles
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Estimated Value $7,500 to $10,000 From the Silverman Motorcycle Racing Museum To be auctioned in Las Vegas, NV January 8, 2015 |
| 1974 Ducati 250CC Desmo | |
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The final production of the Ducati bevel single took place in 1974 with
the 250, 350 and 450 Desmo’s now fitted with a Ceriani front fork and a
single Brembo disk brake. Although a handful of singles where again
built in 1978, the Ducati single would only come back to life with the
Supermono in 1993, to die again in 1995. This time for good? All Ducati ‘wide case’ single engines have a vertically split aluminium crankcase, a forward inclined (10 degrees) cylinder and a single overhead camshaft driven by a set of straight cut bevel gears from the crankshaft. The five speed gearbox is integrated in the crankcase. The Mark 3 Desmo’s as well as the later 250, 350 and 450 Desmo’s and the 350 and 450 R/T are the only ‘street’ singles to be fitted with desmodromic camshafts. Until 1969, most singles where fitted with a Dell’Orto SS1 carburetor, after 1969 with a Dell’Orto VHB. Power output ranged from 19 bhp with the 250 Scrambler up to 36 bhp with the 450 R/T. All wide case singles have a single-down tube tubular steel frame, utilised as a stressed member. The engine is mounted using two plates at the front and directly at the rear. Most models have a 35mm telescopic Marzocchi front fork apart from most Mark 3 models (until 1973) which had 31.5mm Ducati forks. Rear suspension usually consists of twin Marzocchi three-way adjustable shocks. |
