Ducati 750 Bible

Chapters ...

Introduction and acknowledgements 6

1 A brief history of ducati motorcycles until the 750 - Enter Dr T - The 1960s: a dark decade 
2 750 GT PROTOTYPES AND EARLY PRODUCTION (1970-71) 
3 REGULAR PRODUCTION COMMENCES: 1972 
4 THE 750 GT, 750 SPORT, AND 750 SUPER SPORT (1973) 
5 THE 750 GT, 750 SPORT, AND 750 SUPER SPORT (1974) 
6 750 Ducati racing history  - 500 V-twin Grand Prix Racer 
APPENDIX 148
INDEX 153

 

Features

First full account of the development of the Ducati 750
Year-by-year description of each model
Changes in specification listed by engine and frame number
Photos of all detail changes and development
Complete racing history
Full description of prototypes
Brief history of Ducati until the 750
Complete Appendix of specifications and data

Description

The Ducati 750 was a pivotal model in the history of Ducati. With the 750 Ducati moved into the world of Superbikes, and set the stage for their current strength.
Before the 750, Ducati was a minor manufacturer known for small capacity single cylinder motorcycles. They decided to enter the world of Superbikes in 1970. While there was initially some skepticism, their stunning victory in the 1972 Imola 200 race silenced the critics and created a legend.

Synopsis

When Ducati?s great engineer Fabio Taglioni designed the 750 Ducati in 1970 there was no way he could comprehend how important this model would be. His design was unlike any other before or since; a 90-degree V-twin with single overhead camshafts driven by a train of bevel gears. Taglioni soon developed his 750 into a Formula 750 racer, and in 1972 beat the rest of what the world had to offer at the Imola 200. With this victory, the desmodromic 750 became a legend. Ducati responded by producing a hand-built limited production desmodromic Super Sport. They also continued to produce the touring 750 GT and sporting 750 Sport until legislation killed them at the end of 1974. Today, this triumvirate of 750s represents the end of an era; the era before cost accounting and government design requirements. These were amongst the last pure, unadulterated sporting motorcycles built and it is not surprising they have inspired a new generation of retro classics, the Sport Classic of 2005 and 2006.

Independent Reviews

Review by Ian Kerr for www.inter-bike.co.uk, 2007

When you mention the words ?classic motorcycle? and people begin to debate which bikes the term should apply to, there is always total agreement that the Ducati 750 is one bike that is correctly described by this terminology. When Fabio Taglioni designed the 90 degree twin back in 1970, his design was unlike anything before and in fact since!

The bike soon evolved into a racer and in 1972 the bike took one of the great wins in the history of motorcycling ? the Imola 200 with Paul Smart on board. Unbelievably, the bike only continued another two years after this milestone, before legislation killed them off and consigned them to collector?s garages.

It was, and still is, one of the greatest bikes to leave any factory and they are the stuff of legends, even to the point of inspiring a whole range of modern Ducatis ? the Sport Classic range!

As the title suggests, this book, written by well-known motorcycle historian Ian Falloon, tells you everything you need to know about these Desmodromic 750 twins backed up with extensive and comprehensive specification panels that will enable you to identify and restore any machine.

As you might expect, this hardback is well illustrated with period black and white plates as well as modern colour shots of restored or original machines for reference purposes. Although a specialised work aimed at aficionados, it is also a good read from a historical basis and helps you understand what makes a bike a classic!

Review from Two Wheels magazine, August 2007

If you're lucky enough to own a bevel-drive 750, want to own a bevel-drive 750, or just dream about it, then Two Wheels contributor Ian Falloon's The Ducati 750 Bible is probably required ? and certainly recommended ? reading. Particularly if you're buying one.

During the '70s, Ducati's manufacturing processes left a lot to be desired in terms of consistency, so originality is an extremely vexed question. Falloon has done more than anyone else to sort through the evidence to come up with some answers.

This is now more valuable than ever, given the rising prices of bevel-drives and the surfacing of re-manufactured models that aren't quite what they to seem to be. Perhaps the most famous story concerns a fellow who bought Paul Smart's 1972 Imola-winning machine and, in an attempt to find out more, managed to get Smart's phone number. He asked Smart some technical questions about the machine and Smart answered in some depth. When asked how he could be so sure, Smart replied: "I'm looking at the bike now. It's in my loungeroom."

But then again, his teammate Bruno Spaggiari's bike did come to Australia and that's how legends start ...

Review by John Aley for The Motor Cycling Club Ltd newsletter (MCC), April 2007
UK

This excellently produced large format hardback book is very well illustrated with many photographs as well as reproductions of some original Ing. Taglioni sketches and drawings. Ian Falloon?s research has been meticulous and his undying enthusiasm for the marque shines through all his writing. Although a 'must' for the Ducati enthusiast it is also an invaluable reference work for anyone interested in that period of motor cycle racing and development.

Review from Motorcycle Trader & News, February 2007

This book focuses on the 750GT, 750 Sport and 750 Supersport of 1971-1978, starting with a short introduction and history of the whys and wherefores of the legendary V-Twin, moving onto the origins, dates design details. These are the bikes that put Ducati on the sporting map, then firmly entrenched them as artisans and engineers. The detailed last 30 pages review the glamorous racing history of the time.

Ian intends the bible "as a historical analysis and not a restoration guide...", but I'd say it will be an essential addition to the library for the latter. Seemingly, very tiny significant corner of the Ducati world, every file or microfiche and personality has been examined, checked behind the ears, dated and recorded here. Although far from a Ducati nerd, I enjoyed this book ? true, there were bits about the east-west battery mount in the 74 750 GT that I lightly skipped ? but it is beautifully illustrated and designed, with excellent photography.

Review from Moto-Euro magazine, Winter 2006

Ian Falloon is a noted motorcycle historian and has written 10 books on Ducatis alone. Mr Falloon has owned several Ducati 750s and is lovingly enthusiastic for this model. The Ducati 750 was introduced in 1971 with a V-twin engine unlike anything before. Taglioni continued to develop his desmodromic valve train for a Formula 750 racer which in the hands of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari, finished 1-2 at the inaugural Imola 200 in 1972. The victory immediately established the lmola 750 as the era's premier production racer.

Falloon traces the model from the non-desmo 750 GT and Sport, through the 1974 arrival of Taglioni's masterpiece, the Super Sport, and the ensuing transition to the 'square case' 900 and 750 SS models.