A bevel Duke.......whats one of them he asked!

[Imola Duke]

Thanks Dad!

I pull up in my old fellas drive, leathers and helmet unloaded........
Time to take a real duke for a blast

Wheel the old gal out of the garage........what a beaut!
Leathers on etc..........

Trickle the 40's .. ignition on... press the starter and bop bop the
hailwood rep coughs and splutters into life....Contis booming.........

Warm her up a bit.......... Bevel gears..... i glance into the gazer.........
I'm nursing one here fellas......

Roll her off the stand ...select first and we are off..
Contis polluting the town with music.......
My grin is ear to ear.......
She pops and bangs filtering in the 30 mph limits gagging for the open road..............................
Up to 70 ish and drop her down 1 for a left hander the over run sound from the bevel makes my hair stand on end..... I'm in heaven
give her a handfull and the intake noise of the open 40's the roar of the contis ............I'm grinning like a spoilt kid.............
I'm doing 60 ish ish ish down 2 .... the noise the noise ...peel into my favourite left .... she glides round .......4..5 not revving her too much as
old fella will kill me!!

Pull up for a cuppa at a local bike haunt.... Return to see the duke with a very very large gathering...........
Lots of Mike hailwood 78 ...beautiful bike mate......(It s not mine it's me dads i tell them)
Then along walks the 1098 owner and asks
Hey mate........... Whats that ? Looking all confused!!!
It's a ducati i tell him...... Yes he says i know that he responded....
it's a bevel i say....... Whats a bevel he ask's..................
You wouldn't understand mate ...I said................................

so what did you do this early evening

[barry]

Philistine

[royum]

Bevels, rubber bands, whatever if the kid on the 1098 doesn't know the history of the brand is that such a crime? After all if he/she's under 21 then you're asking him/her to be aware of things a decade before they were born.

I'm not sure I could talk knowingly about 1940's motorcycles.............

[desmoboy]

I'm with you Imola Duke. No shame in him not knowing just bask in the warm glow that comes because you do.
Did you think, just for a second, that you could make out Taglioni's profile in the wisp of exhaust smoke ?

[955SP]

I have obviously heard lot of folk talk about the bevel bikes. But sadly I couldn't tell you the characteristics of the engine, drive or sound.

When I was old enough to become interested in bikes I was catching the tail end of the 888 producation and my coming of age fantasy revolved around the 916.

Also Imola, its a lot easier when you have a father that's into bikes? My father viewed pretty much all cars and bikes as very poor investments and should only be required to get one from A to B. It was more likely that hell would freeze over than my Dad would watch Moto GP or WSB on TV with me let alone actually take me to a round! To this day neither of my folks know I ride bikes.

So for me I only started learning about bike from the age I could afford to buy the magazines and sadly Bevels weren't in them!

[Imola Duke]

Originally Posted by royum

Bevels, rubber bands, whatever if the kid on the 1098 doesn't know the history of the brand is that such a crime? After all if he/she's under 21 then you're asking him/her to be aware of things a decade before they were born.

I'm not sure I could talk knowingly about 1940's motorcycles.............

Not a kid Roy i'd say he was in his mid 30's......

Not a crime Mate..............

As a 10 year old I remember going over to the local pub to catch one of
the many coach's leaving full of familys on route to Mallory Park for the post TT race in 1978.............................................. ...............................................

The rest is History... Ducati becomes a house hold name along with SMB Hailwood.

Maybe It's me But i do tend to follow a brand because of it's history
not Peni5 length bragging rights.

I hear the new R1 is selling fast, Very fast....................

[MisterB]

Does yours have that high pitched ring from the bevel drive? If I had to get ride of all my bikes, I'd always keep my MHR. I can see it from my desk as I work..

[Imola Duke]

Originally Posted by MisterB

Does yours have that high pitched ring from the bevel drive? If I had to get ride of all my bikes, I'd always keep my MHR. I can see it from my desk as I work..

Oh yes

It's not mine Mister B, It's Dads but one day when i push him down the stairs........lol

He keeps it in a heated garage and still rides it most weekends but
struggles to ride it as his wrists etc are not so good of late.
So he phoned me to give it a run..................

Still smiling ear to ear

[Rich900SL]

Originally Posted by Imola Duke

So he phoned me to give it a run..................

He is not interested in adopting another son by any chance is he...

[rcgbob44]

I had a bevel drive 750 sport for nine years and it was a rare thing of beauty so I know the magic that you get with a bevel, now I have a 998s and it to is a thing of beauty with a very unique engine. Didderent era's and different technologies, R.I.P Dr T.

[geo7863]

Originally Posted by Rich900SL

He is not interested in adopting another son by any chance is he...

Lordy there's no pleasing some...havent you got enough lovely spangly toys to play with?...

[peter james]

Imola I've got bevelled glass in my door does that count. ?

[diamondbrit73]

Nice one ID!

The bevel sounds so good!

I passed my test about 7 years ago now and my old man 'lent' me his 900ss! i had it for a year driving about South London! i did indeed get some funny looks from some riders and others admiring the bike!

Theres nothing like the sound as you roll through the streets and lanes if you go out further south.

I felt the riding position very stressful on the wrists even worse than the 996. the rear sets where slighty higher too! But i sort of got use to it being in traffic!

Great Story and i bet a good start to the day! makes you appreciate those earplugs too!

[weeveetwin]

This blinkered attitude is almost understandable with Ducatis, since their recent history (both in competition and in the commercial market) comprehensively outshines their past. In the seventies, they were merely a 'niche' machine here and rarely seen on UK roads. These days though (what with the name being used to sell everything from bottles of wine to coffee mugs) they can hardly be missed. Ducatis are now almost trinkets to be worn by anyone with the available cash.

But it's true to say I get the same enjoyment from running my old MV around the lanes - and much the same response from the 'yoof' of today when its parked up at some biker haunt. Very few know what it is. They can see its an MV, but beyond that they haven't a clue. Didn't MV only begin to make motorcycles in the nineties..? (Err.. no my man, that was another company entirely).

Paradoxically, a guy on one of the MV forums asked recently: What made you buy an MV? - and he posted a poll with three or four options. Top, with most of the vote, came looks/design/manufacturing - but joint second with almost 30% of the vote came.. heritage!!

I guess reflected glory is better than none at all. Ho ho! There's nowt so funny as folk!

[trick cyclist]

Well done Imola, but it really needs to be revved - about 8000 should do it!

WeeVee, a Ducati dealership close (very) to me is one of the 'Johnny come latelys' to the brand, only becoming a dealer when the 916 became the in toy for stockbrokers to go with the expensive motor car. Not that I begrudge them that particularly, as there are probably a number of fine dealers who started at the same time, however, it is the obvious sneer that I get if my bevel should ever sully the front of his shop.

Heritage? Pah!