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What do I have?

Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 3:41 pm
by DuckDuckGoose
HI all! Really great to find this forum about older ducs. finally realised a dream and got an old bevel. currently have a 92 SS since its birth. now to see if yall can help. i bought this beauty from a crackhead, literally, and dunno what is lies and what is truth. he claims it is a 64 diana 250. however, the jelly mold tank says ducati elite. but the elite was/is a 200. the cam cover says 250 on it. he also said is an ex TT bike. there are no brake lights or any other details for street riding. OEM rear solo cowling. right hand shift, one direction, not the toe/heel shift, and no kick start either. another thing...cant find any VIN or frame number, just the mtr number. that cannot be found on the motor numbers list. based on pix, is this an original factory racer, or a rat bike elite 200 w/ a diana paint job and a 250 motor? of course thx for your help and i look forward to talking with everyone.

eric
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Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 5:05 pm
by DuckDuckGoose
OK...here is what i learned in the last week reading about this and other bikes. corfrect me if i am wrong, by all means, or hopefully use what i learned fer yourself.

1. the head light is post 65 due to the key ignition being on the BOTTOM. pre 65 were on TOP.

2. 64 (US) Diana was the first year of 5 speed tranny. AKA mach 1 diana. from 65 on, all had 5 speed. this one is 4

3. fork coverings can be removed for "Diana" look, inlcuding rear.

4. tank is from 62 Elite, by previous owners admission.

5. Diana had 19" wheels, this one has 18s.

6. since the bike was racebike, it is feasible tool kits were removed, also to resemble Diana.

7. front number plate could be aftermarket, again, to mimmick Diana. there are no OEM markings on it I can locate, althought it does seem old and brittle.

So i have concluded that it probably is a 64 model 250, with some various bits from other bikes. I did talk to the mechanic and builder in california the other day though. he said the same thing as the guy i bought from, that they got it from the original owner in 93, an ex racer, in boxes, along with a Mallagutti or soemthing weird and unique. the owner passed from leukemia. and the guy in cali hates the guy here, so why would he BS? whatever......

so thats where i am at. any clue the value of this bike? anyone?

thx

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:04 am
by chimera
Interesting bike you’ve found. It’s a great example of a period racer. If it’s a four speed, it’s probably a ’62 - ’64 Diana. The 5 speed was introduced in 1965. Cycle World did a test on the 4 speed Diana and it looks similar. Those rearset footpegs were obviously welded on, the frame was probably painted after welding (also looks like the original footpeg mounts were removed as well as the original muffler/passenger peg mounts, battery mount, rear frame loop and some fender mounts added). Anyway, the 4 speed Dianas had a blue frame, same color as your chain guard. Dianas didn’t have tool boxes. Also doesn’t have a horn mount on the frame, which indicates a later four speed Diana. The seat and front fender are not the original items, the fork spring shrouds were removed, the rear fender shortened and taillight is gone. Holes were machined in the right side of the front brake hub (are the air scoops on the brake plate opened up?), and a spacer installed in place of the speedo drive plate. The headlight ears have been shortened. Those alloy rims (Borrani or Akront?) aren’t original (actually, Dianas had 18” steel rims, the early scramblers had 19” rims) and the kickstarter mechanism has been removed. Many, if not all Dianas were converted to racers and this one is a representative and rather well turned out example. Many of the unique original components are still there: smooth fork crown, original clip-ons, the headlight looks original to me as well as the rear shocks. It has correct Campagnolo 7 fin hubs, that carb is probably a Del’Lorto SS127A “green tag” with the original bellmouth, the fasteners on the engine look like they’re original black oxide finish, the engine hasn’t been “extensively modified” i.e. oil drains drilled in the engine case, cut away shift selector cover, twin plug head, etc. (but what is that pink tube on the right side?). The veglia tach and drive, front number plate and megaphone are original race kit parts.

Who is the builder in California you make reference to? What is the engine number? The cases should be stamped “DM250” on one side and a 5 digit number on the other side. Is the 5 digit number stamped on the left case or the right? The location and the size of the numbers can give some indication of the year of the bike as well as some clues to the specification of the engine. Ducati put foil tags on the steering head for frame I.D. numbers on bikes imported to the US, but since this frame has been painted, the tag is obviously gone. ROW models had the frame number stamped on the frame tube right behind the carb.

You could get an idea of what it’s worth by adding up the value of the component parts, but since it’s been changed so much from original specification, it’s difficult to assign a value to the complete bike.