Hmm... Interesting food for thought. Do the workshop manuals for these exist online? Or can someone direct me toward somewhere to buy one? I see there are some manuals on the homepage of this site, but there doesn't seem to be anything I could re-build an engine to.
Chris, regarding the V5C, I have nothing. The only thing I have to go on is a reg. plate and the engine number. The frame number seems to be nowhere to be found. I'll email you shortly.
I spoke to Barry from Classic Ducati yesterday, and he emailed me in response to some pictures I sent. Based on the engine and frame, he estimates the bike to be from between 1959 and 1962 and that
the frame is of the Elite type. I guess this is backed by the fact that under the many layers of paint, the last is a lovely gold hue.
I've started to get some more bits together now too: rear wheel, brake assembly, half of one engine side case, generator, another part of the bevel drive... Still a very long way to go but it's all very exciting! I've been absorbing info like a parched sponge and have found
this site:
http://www.docc.ca/singles/images.htm
I
LOVE the style of this bike, so considering the small amount of parts I have, I think this is the sort of route I will take on the build. There's also some pretty good info on there regarding engines, I see.