Ducati 'Desmo' 1974 Single 250cc 

I owned one of these back in 1979. It came to me a little troubled. Not much in the way of lighting so I uprated the electrical system, very simple. I also fitted aftermarket electronic ignition. Decent British tyres. Rechromed a few bits. It was a wonderful bike. A truly wonderful bike. The handling was incredible in an era when bikes could be really quite pathogenic. It had the front end of the 750 Sport with one of the best disc brakes of the time, stopping was never a problem. It was very light, very slim and fitted me like a glove. That engine was lovely, oiltight, mechanically quiet and easy to clean and keep up like it was brand new. Mine was easy to start where I believe the 450 could be malicious. Mine also had a top fairing like a 750 Desmo. They were very rare even then although surprisingly there was a 350 Desmo about 500 yards from where I lived and a 350 Mark 3 500 yards the other way. I found the bike to be very sensitive to the silencer fitted and I went through a few iterations to get the look and sound and performance right. I know there’s always been a lot of speculation about the speed that they could reach but mine would never ever get anywhere near 100mph. My friends of course thought I was insane. An RD250 of the time would leave it for dead. It was so peculiar to have an Italian bike at that time, my mate’s mum called me “John Ducati” and did so for forty years, bless her.

I had one when I was 17, kept it for a good few years.

I had a 1974 450 Desmo I bought second hand in 1978. Quintessentially the same bike with a larger capacity motor with CDI instead of points. A mate bought the 250 Desmo around the same time, so had a direct comparison. Only mods to mine were new Koni suspension fitted to the rear & top end rebuild (P, R & L). As I recall, a light & good handling bike whose most outstanding feature was its excellent ground clearance restricted only by its bias ply tyre tech of the time, but even the 450 was truly as gutless as. Great going downhill & cornering. Of course with their 6v electrical system & incandescent headlight, daylight riding only. A good Brembo front brake with a large sintered steel faced disc, but really didn't need to use it much. Torquey through the tight twisties, but slow as uphill. My 1972 CB350K-3 twin (front leading and trailing drum cable brake) had more grunt and higher top speed, but not the ground clearance or light superb handling and braking of that Ducati. Still of its time, the 450 Desmo (& 250) were fun bikes to ride through the twisties downhill with nothing of its time better handling. The 750SS (which I also owned) & Sport V twins were overall a better ride albeit without the light handling or steering. Their wheelbase and steering angle ensured they tracked instead with the stability of a train on rails. It wasn't until the arrival of the ground braking liquid cooled Yamaha RD250LC & 350 in 1980 that I think there was a better handling, albeit much more powerful, much quicker and superior handling small capacity light sport bike than those Desmos. The earlier RDs were much quicker accelerating, faster & light handling so they would easily beat a Desmo single hands down on any road in capable hands, but without the ground clearance or the pretty much viceless handling of the Desmo singles. Today there's much romance surrounding them (Desmo singles) but that's what it is. For sheer 250 ride fun, give me a late 1990s RGV250T or earlier peer equivalent KR1-S, TZR , NSR any day.

Back in the late 70's my mates had 250 RD's KH's GT's etc and we all went for a ride out to a pub one night, while we were there a young man turned up on a 250 Ducati in this colour and I recal thinking what a fantastic looking bike it was. I think his dad owned a motorcycle dealership in Nottingham. They must have been quite rare as I don't recall seeing another on the road. Watching this some 40 odd years later I still think it is still a beautiful looking bike.

Nice one , i`ve still got the Bill from my 250 Desmo i bought Brand new in April 1974 from Neil Frazer Glos , 600 Quid when Japanese "Rice Cooker" 250`s were around 370+ , rode it everywhere ! lights were weak but handling super , absolutely loved my Desmo !

I heard that David Cronenberg modelled the teleportation-pods from 'The Fly' on this engine. And wow - I can see it! Great channel. take care - New Forest, UK

Just discovered your Motorcycle channel from across the pond. These short videos are of the highest order. Quality images and sounds throughout. The artistry is noted, with lush country roads and pan shots often placed perfectly at the shift points when the bikes roar by. I admire Don's passion and his natural ability to be calm and authoritative, yet he easily exudes the fun and "magic" that only motorcyclists understand. Bravo. Dennis, San Rafael California

On my 1975 machine, the original Ducati Electronic Ignition failed, along with many others I considered Lucas Rita but went with a direct replacement worked ok afterwards. Thank you to the late Mick Walker for looking after us all!!.

I rode mine from FayetteVille, North Carolina to Georgetown, Texas at one long non-stop, mostly raining and carrying my skinny 160 lb ass plus a 75 lb rucksack. Very reliable and pretty fast. Headlight was a little dim. No battery. And it had a cool feature of ignition going through tail light, so if bulb blew, the engine quit. There was a switch to bypass the light and now you knew you needed to get a new.

Again thank you love watching your vids your speech the way you explained things in detail is remarkable well done keep it going

What a great review. I've never heard such eloquent words in a review! Almost poetic.

I see this bike has had the original Magnetti Marelli electronic ignition system replaced with the Lucas Rita, good idea! In May of `75 I bought the last 450 Desmo in captivity. £672. It was beautiful, like a lightweight, oil-tight Manx Norton Engine in a tiny frame, with big chunky (750) forks and one big disc brake. A toy with real balls It handled like a dream, sounded like a Gattlin-gun and gradually ate a quarter of its rear wheel spokes. It needed 12 volts and a little bit of help with some of the "original equipment" it was superb except for the expensive rubbish ignition system which,when it failed, for the 2nd time, led me to sell it in pursuit of the Mk1 Moto Guzzi Le Mans, I just wish I had managed to "Rita" fix it and keep it., the other lost love of my life! :(

sounds like a fine tuned and well balanced moto bike. thank you sir Don for sharing this informative video

My all time dream bike.

Great reflection!! Quarter liter machines have always seemed the most satisfying as you can appreciate and extract top of the line performance from a modest sized package without excess expense and risk. I've ridden many from the '60s - '70s era and enjoyed them overall most. Good cruising speeds, economy, reliability, impeccable handling, and looks; Bultaco Metrallas, Parilla Grand Sports, Ducati Dianas, Honda Hawks, a great s array of well done machinery back in a day when 250cc machines were some of the most advanced around.

Not a vintage bike, but a true classic. I always covet these machines back in the day, but couldn't afford one. I knew someone who owned one for a while, but eventually couldn't afford the payments and had to give it up. He always said it was the sweetest handling machine he ever rode.

I never owned a Ducati motorcycle but we rented a house that had a Ducati 250 engine in the garage when we moved in. I took it apart and put it back together so many times. I learned how a transmission work from doing that. I saved for weeks to buy a new piston and then walked about 12 miles to go to Brooks Cyclery to buy one. The original was bad and I needed to get a good one. My mom was "Really?". I think I was about 12 years old at the time. I rode Harley Davidson Sprints on the street and raced flat track with them. That's another great handling Italian motorcycle with lousy electrics.

Great piece of history! Good looking to.

I simply had to subscribe, your presentation is magnetic.

My High School Sweetheart, it blew away anything in it' class ...

Lovely review! Upside down right foot gearshift as well!

A true classic.

Raced one of these a number of years ago. Not the fastest, but the only production bike I ever rode where I could let the front wheel drift a little wide in corners without a sense of impending catastrophe.

What a beautiful signorina ❤

Great review of a great bike.

Actually Taglioni can be credited with the design of the engine but styling on this bike and the 750 sport was done by Leopoldo Tartarini who came from Italjet to Ducati in 1972.

I remember this as a Mick Walker Desmo, he modified and sold 250, 350, and 450, to this his own spec.

Loving the channel!

Sounds nice!looks great!

I recently acquired one of these beauties. Some PO issues aside, and that it vibrates more than a...erm...rabbit 😂 it's an absolute joy to ride on a country road.

I've always loved the 750 model made that year

Amazing sound!!!

Glad you like the channel, will consider some triples - thanks for suggesting XS850 would be an interesting review.

The Sound of a Ducati was Unique, I bought an Italjet early '70s, my career was only just starting.

DOn is a fantastic reviewer.

My mate had one and raced a BSA Starfire over an about 6-mile road one night to the cafe - not only did he win comfortably but you could see the exhaust glow dull red near the cylinder head

The final screech at the end of the videos make me jump out of my skin!

I like it most with double duplex brake fitted. What a bike!

Great bike!!

I lusted after a 250 Desmo in my youth. The nearest I came was an Enfield Crusader 'Sport' which, unfortunately, lacked the mechanical reliability and innovation of the Duke. Back in the day, the 'learner' capacity limit was 250cc, and I eventually went the route of buying a P&M Panther with a sidecar like a conservatory. At least it was a single! I transferred my riding life onto three-wheelers where (and when) any bike could be ridden on L-plates.

Love your videos real interesting husband and l look forwards to another bike vid thanks

A great beautiful simple motorbike !

I remember riding one of these back when. Then I rode the 900ss and it felt the same, beautiful, but much faster.

What regiment was Don in? Great review. One of my favourite bikes. Thank you for sharing

I use to have one of these I bought from a friends father who had several of them including a 350 and 450 desmo. All the bikes were converted into off-road bikes. He made me promise that if I decided not to keep the bike I would sell it back to him and when I got a little older I did because kids are stupid and don't appreciate anything! I wanted a Yamaha YZ 250 like the "cooler kids" were riding ☹️. Knowing what I know now, I would love to have the Ducati back and return it to its factory state just like this bike in the video.

oh my God,, fantastico. nice to meet you,, let me introduce my bikes Ducati Classic Indrajaya

Oh God I want one. Should never have sold my 450 mk3

A little Italian stallion!!

l like it

Lucas likes this one.

How about a review of some triples? Maybe the XS850?

my mate used to have one of these in the 70s .same colour with drum brakes reckoned he got 106 out of it over Saddleworth moors

Having briefly had a Mark 3 Duke earlier, in early '72 I ordered a "silver shotgun" 250 through a local dealer. One Saturday while checking how the order was going, the dealer wheeled a new Bultaco Metralla onto the floor. I asked if it would be OK if I could buy the Bul instead of the Duke. It was OK, so lunch-time the following Tuesday I rode back to work on a new Bultaco. I never regretted it. My lasting memory of the Mark 3 is that it was a pig to start, although that's probably a reflection of my lack of sympatico and mechanical aptitude. Anyway, the Spanish & Italian 250s of the time were far more satisfying to ride than contemporary Japanese bikes.

I went to a party back in 75 and a mate of mine had one of these. He got hammered and asked me to ride his bike the 50 miles home to his place where coincidentally I had left my bike and got a lift to the party with my mates brother. I had a Yamaha DT250A so you can imagine my shock when I rode this bike. Fast forward and over 40 bikes later I still remember that ride .

is this for sale?

elegant machine, but when i had to choose, it was honda hawk. nearly as good looking, similar performance and quite a bit cheaper. no matter, duke rode that elegance and performance into the el twin, and prospered.

Beautiful little bike and a great review . What fell off at 3:09 ?

this channel is awesome can you guys do a review on a 81 gs450

My dad has one of these it's been sitting in storage since 1990

Where is Don?

It looks fast standing still.

So I gather you really didn't like it much. Damning with faint praise indeed. You should review the Honda Helix, now that's a proper motorcycle. LOL I have to admit I really enjoy your love for two wheels.

There certainly is a lot of information about how the desmodromic drive is now irrelevant but a name a production 250 that will do one hundred miles an hour

100mph from a production 250 Mk III Desmo as illustrated here is a fib, a stretch of his loquacious imagination.

3:10 - a bit dropped off it. : - /

I nearly bought one of these in 1976... In the end I went for the KH250, a wonderful screamer and the death knell to the single cylinder four stroke 250. If you listen to him wax lyrical, like the old man he is, you’ll realise he’s completely out of touch with the guys who were looking to purchase this in its 1970’s era. All I (and thousands of other teenagers) looked for was acceleration and top speed. This bloke is an old buffer before his time. And I’m writing this as a 61 year old and I feel so young listening to him warble on.....

What fell off at 3:11

According to racers non Desmo singles are just as fast.

Well, I must say that riding as you do on the wrong side of the road makes me wonder about your will to live. At least you wear a helmet. And, you sound funny. Are you from Maine?

'the noise..the sound is wonderous' well it would be if you would shuddup and let the bike speak!

English of Of Italien Bike 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

its a rubbish design

Best ever bild

I rode mine from FayetteVille, North Carolina to Georgetown, Texas at one long non-stop, mostly raining and carrying my skinny 160 lb ass plus a 75 lb rucksack. Very reliable and pretty fast. Headlight was a little dim. No battery. And it had a cool feature of ignition going through tail light, so if bulb blew, the engine quit. There was a switch to bypass the light and now you knew you needed to get a new.