Darmah SD for sale

[hprice]

After much soul searching I am putting my Darmah up for sale which I've had for 26 years, I'll post some pictures directly but it's red with the 'platform' tail (to my mind better looking...chaque-un à son gôut). The machine is in very sound and original condition having covered something like 45,000mls. The reason for vagueness is due to speedometer gear failure some time ago although since then the annual mileage has been in the hundreds. Latterly the crankshaft has been overhauled eliminating any concerns over big-end life. The machine is unmodified with a choice of Lanfranconi silencers or stainless Conti look-alikes and many years ago I fitted adjustable Koni dampers which are great. The electric start is currently dismounted as the sprag clutch failed and frankly there didn't seem much point in buying expensive batteries when it starts pretty easily. I have all the parts (with the exception of the disintegrated sprag). I also have a fair-sized box of spares as well as manuals. Please feel free to ask any questions or come and view, we're in the UK Midlands.
I'm looking for offers in the region of £3,750.

[Osred]

What year was this Darmah manufactured?

[hprice]

Hi Osred, the bike was originally registered locally in '79 but I can't say whether its frame number (900794) belongs in '78 or '79. I'm sure the Ducatisti her know better than I. Best regards, Hugh Price

[Craig in France]

... the bike was originally registered locally in '79 but I can't say whether its frame number (900794) belongs in '78 or '79.

Well, according to Ian Falloon, with that frame number, it should be a 1977 bike, Hugh . But he has erred before, so:

1. What wheels and forks has it got? Campagnolas and Cerianis, or Speedlines and Marzocchis?
2. Has it got tiger head decals on the side panels?
3. What shape are the fuel tap bodies? Square or oblong?
4. What shape are the camshaft bearing holders? Rectangular or trapeziodal?

Ciao

Craig

[hprice]

Hi again,
Firstly a correction to my reply to Osred, hunting out the paperwork form the loft I find it was in fact first registered 30/5/1980. When it was built I still couldn't say. I'd originally thought that the square tail was the earlier shape but...

Craig,
That's a great post thanks. The forks are Ceriani and the wheels Campag. It has Tigers. If I understand right, the bearing housings are trapezoidal, rather irregular in fact but certainly not rectangular. According to what I now have regarding it's first reg that's even more curious. Did the square tail then come first? Or were there round and square tails concurrently?

Anyway the beast is now on Ebay :wah" , item 200811744399. Dang what am I doing?

[hprice]

... sorry, the fuel taps: These are/were square I'd say, with the clear, now practically orange cylindrical settling chambers which have sort or melted!

[Craig in France]

Hi Hugh,

Has to be a late '77/early '78 build. As well as what Ian F. says (and he's the only person to have actually gone thru the factory records), if you look on Robert Miller's list, you'll see a few of its siblings with the following dates:

900779: 1978
900893: 1978 build date of Nov 77
900978: 1978 build date of Nov 77.

P.s Send Robert your frame and engine numbers will you, please? Simply e-mail him at [email protected].

The Whale Tail, btw, was the original design. The SD got the considerably less distinctive ( = ugly ), but more practical, lift off cover in 1979 - along with Silentium silencers, so there's another coupla reasons why yours isn't a 1979 bike . But who knows why it sat around for so long before being registered ...

Anyway the beast is now on Ebay :wah" , item 200811744399. Dang what am I doing?

Sorry, can't help with why you're selling it, Hugh ... (45,000 miles on an Alpha bearing? I'm impressed ...)

[Craig in France]

... sorry, the fuel taps: These are/were square I'd say, with the clear, now practically orange cylindrical settling chambers which have sort or melted!

Well, you've done well with them! They're well known for cracking and leaking, leaving their owner stranded by the roadside. If you decide to keep the bike - - best to change 'em.

[hprice]

Hi, thanks for all that data. It sounds a long time to have been hanging around a dealers although no doubt the local one, Coopers of Langley near Stratford on Avon, probably didn't sell hundreds. I wouldn't have thought that everyone sat on their hands waiting for the later shape - I agree with you.
Yes, I should long ago have changed both taps. I had to replace one years ago, so long I've forgotten why but until now the other survived. No doubt a measure of how little it's been used in the last few years. The crank rebuild is recent by the way, prob not more than 2,500mls (I had it in pieces for literally years while doing that). I have to say that my enjoyment of it has been marred mostly by ignition woes and associated lower limb damage than anything else - that's after the one-way clutch damage. As you can tell it hasn't been getting and I can't see it in the near future getting the love it properly deserves, hence . . . By the way, how's Montpelier - warm?

[Craig in France]

It sounds a long time to have been hanging around a dealers ..

Maybe not necessarily at a dealer's, Hugh. Could have been loafing around at the importers (the rarely loved, Coburn and Hughes ); or even at the factory. It only needs something like a cancelled export order - I can't believe 1978 was a great time to be selling expensive non-essentials like Ducati Darmahs ...

I have to say that my enjoyment of it has been marred mostly by ignition woes and associated lower limb damage than anything else - that's after the one-way clutch damage.

My sympathies. So what was it? Insulation coming off the pick-up wires, as per normal? And that sprag clutch doesn't like being spun backwards, does it?

By the way, how's Montpelier - warm?

Just starting to cool down. Been too hot for riding during the day, but I did do an excellent 5 hour night run recently . (SSD, btw).

[hprice]

Craig,
Yes, I remember that era well as I ground through Polytechnic, which rather like Building Societies just couldn't to commit hairey-cairey where alas the windfall was almost universally too tempting. From today's perspective it does seem ludicrous that Britain had become so depressed that it could see nothing wrong, or no alternative, to producing Marinas for a living - I'm not talking sailing you will realise!
Back to the Darmah, I have tried my best to re-sheath the pick-up wires but I believe that early in my ownership, or soon after, the ignition on at least one cylinder decided it liked full-advance and nothing else would do. There was a time back in the mists when I swear I could start it with practically one tiny prod of the lever. I did once hear from a factory trained (so he said) mechanic that de-magnetising the crank was recommended. I'm not sure how oft one is supposed to perform such a thing in the back yard but certainly mine has never enjoyed it. So I have in more recent times bought up some Bosch CDI controllers (used) and tried swapping around to try to get smooth running and startability with feeble success. I ahem did let it blow up it's battery which spoiled not only my wifes shoes but both those particular ignition boxes and the regulator - tip: go easy with 'Battaid' tablets which at the time I'd developed a fettish for and remember to top it up. So then I bought some Boyer control units (a pattern Bransden did for Brit bikes) and tried to re-time the Bosch rotor to get something like smooth running. That was never satisfactory so I turned back to the original equipment still not certain that the units I had were in GWO. I cold have already posted some of this twaddle so sorry everyone.
Yes, the kick-back undoubtedly did for the sprag clutch - which I guess can be achieved quite easily by setting up the carbs badly, you probably don't need extra advance. I've replaced it once and it was fine until I took it apart, when for the second time all the shattered pieces of the cage fell out leaving an impossible jigsaw puzzle on the deck. I gather nowadays the thing gets a torque-limiting clutch or somesuch to protect it but there seems to still be a problem with some (I've read about Aprilias, since I quite fancy one).
After all this blood letting I'm quite hoping the reserve isn't met now. Maybe I'll just go to the tip and get a DT125 to commute on.