1959 Ducati 200 Americano
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:38 pm
Greetings from Glendale, CA.
A recent purchase of what appears to be a rolling basketcase, 1959 Ducati 200 Americano has me now imagining the roads I’ll be taking it on around LA. Small steps; surface streets and alleyways to start - night rides especially. At first glance the tank revealed hard crackles of painted layers, a mysterious burgundy through a baby blue; cross sections of a time perhaps when this pony once proudly pranced. I imagine this bike has a tale to tell. Right now, it tells me that it wants to run free again. The engine turns over. Inside of the tank is not completely eaten by rust. Everything will be treated like an onion - peeling back the layers to find what bits need attention.
I had one Ducati before this - a 1997 900SS CR. Too much moto for me. I was diggin’ the 120 MPH easy rides but it was becoming a little dangerous especially coming from the realm of rebuilding 70’s Honda’s... Definitely have my heart set in the classics. I love the styling and respect the limitations of these old beasts. To me, less is generally more and I appreciate the cafe racer style of aesthetic. Form is to complement function and vice versa. With that, we shall see what will become of this 200 Americano. Smack it up, flip it, and rub it down. Oh no.
“Begin with the end in mind.”
~ The Habit #2 of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
A recent purchase of what appears to be a rolling basketcase, 1959 Ducati 200 Americano has me now imagining the roads I’ll be taking it on around LA. Small steps; surface streets and alleyways to start - night rides especially. At first glance the tank revealed hard crackles of painted layers, a mysterious burgundy through a baby blue; cross sections of a time perhaps when this pony once proudly pranced. I imagine this bike has a tale to tell. Right now, it tells me that it wants to run free again. The engine turns over. Inside of the tank is not completely eaten by rust. Everything will be treated like an onion - peeling back the layers to find what bits need attention.
I had one Ducati before this - a 1997 900SS CR. Too much moto for me. I was diggin’ the 120 MPH easy rides but it was becoming a little dangerous especially coming from the realm of rebuilding 70’s Honda’s... Definitely have my heart set in the classics. I love the styling and respect the limitations of these old beasts. To me, less is generally more and I appreciate the cafe racer style of aesthetic. Form is to complement function and vice versa. With that, we shall see what will become of this 200 Americano. Smack it up, flip it, and rub it down. Oh no.
“Begin with the end in mind.”
~ The Habit #2 of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People