Ducati ID Info Help - The Basics

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" I did some searches and could not find anything with this tank, but suspect that it was a product of the fiberglass happy 1970s. "

____ These one-piece bodies-of-work were fairly popular (& retailed for 250 to 600, as I recall), and I believe many were made to fit 650 BSAs & Triumphs (sold by J.C.Whitney & other mail-order houses in the late '60s & early '70s), also Cosmopolitan sold them for Benelli s & whatever else they were claimed they could be fitted to.
__ I've forgotten a lot of what I once knew about these glass-works but, I'm sure there are many others who still know all about them !


Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob

[machten]

Regarding this temporary (to be deleted) diversion...as a passing comment...(and nothing else)

I've never quite understood the "picture cut off" thing referred to on this forum. I certainly don't experience it using Windows 7 + IE8 or Windows XP + IE7. I'm in the IT industry, so have some background in the field (although my technical people have withdrawn my license to operate technically these days! ). The more common way of handling photos on web forums is to load them up to the picture server of your choice and just embed a link to them using the IMG function in the forum post. That way, no 256kb limits, no three pic restriction (which the forum hoster puts in place to limit disk space usage) and you can generally see the full picture in good detail without using slide bars. I've never seen the attachment method used before (because forum hosters don't usually want to end up continuously adding disk space for photos).

Re BMP file size...JPEG is a far more space efficient mode of storing picture information than BMP. With IE you can specify the format (I would have thought JPEG was default). You can test this on your own computer using Paint "Save As" BMP to see the difference.

Kev

[West Coast Mags]

Ok so tonight I set about checking all the things you fine folks recommended I check. I will admit first off that I have been a bit timid prowling around the bike. The night I brought it home, I found this vicious little critter posted up on one of the foot pegs waiting to zap me if given the chance. I'm sure he was not happy about me disloging his home from its 30 year slumber. So. Lets just say I've been cautious to say the least.

[West Coast Mags]

In response to some of the things people directed me to check out here is some information for the experts to interpret. The front wheel size is 18". There does not look to be any signs of an ignition switch on the headlight housing anywhere. It looks to be a 6v electrical system, or atleast some of the parts are labeled in Italian and say 6v. The carbureator is made by AMAL and says made in Brittan and it has the number R626 on it. The motor case numbers say DM350 on one half and the serial number 03573 on the other. I was not able to determine the number and color of the wires coming out of the case near the kick starter, they are bundled in their factory loom which snakes up under the seat to a big electrial junction box. The rear of top of the frame that runs underneath the seat towards the rear fender is pretty much flat all the way across. I have not taken the tank/seat off yet but was able to spot a tag embedded in the top layer of fiberglass that said "Bills Boats & Hardware, El Monte, CA" and below that had a potential part number of 3-4884.

So that is about what I have, does that firm it up for anyone on what the bike really is? I'll include a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Buggy 013 (2).jpg

Buggy 017.jpg

Buggy 027.jpg

[West Coast Mags]

More Pictures

Buggy 023.jpg

Buggy 033.jpg

Buggy 015.jpg

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" The front wheel size is 18". "

____ That's consistent with a Sebring.


" There does not look to be any signs of an ignition switch on the headlight housing anywhere. "

____ Not a stock Ducati headlamp for any year/model of Sebring then !
I've now had a closer-look at your latest pix, and that headlamp is definitely not from any Ducati ! _ I can't (yet) tell what motorcycle-brand it's from.


" The carbureator is made by AMAL and says made in Brittan and it has the number R626 on it. "

____ Not a stock-carb for ANY Ducati-model ! _ Probably from a Brit-bike (such as a 500-Triumph twin), and little doubt that it's been re-jetted properly. _ However it's 26mm-size is better suited than the stock-carb's 24mm-size !


" The motor case numbers say DM350 on one half and the serial number 03573 on the other. "

____ That motor-number indicates a 1965 or 1966 (340cc) 'Sebring' ! ...
The 035-- makes me think 1965, but the fact that you have other reason to be lead-to-believe that it's a "1969", leans me toward it being 'made' in 1966, cuz many n-c models which were actually built in 1966, were later sold (at least in the USA) & titled, in later years !


" I was not able to determine the number and color of the wires coming out of the case near the kick starter, "

____ The actual answer to that is no doubt 2-Yellow wire-leads, since that's what all n-c Sebring-models have !


" they are bundled in their factory loom which snakes up under the seat to a big electrial junction box. "

____ As normal, and that junction-box is no-doubt the common (for n-c) heavy black-box that's claimed to be a "6v-regulator".


" The rear of top of the frame that runs underneath the seat towards the rear fender is pretty much flat all the way across. "

____ That's consistent for a Sebring-frame !
__ I wonder if you can manage to get-down & see or feel up-under that body-work well enough to tell whether or not if there's a pair of 2-inch long fork-prongs (facing rearward), located just frontward of that "junction box" you were able to notice. _ If your Sebring is a 1966 version, then a pair of such prongs should be found (welded) on top of either side of that rear fender-support frame-loop, forward near the point where that horizontally-looped pipe-work connects to the frame's main back-bone.
If you indeed find such fork-prongs (atop of the pipe-work there), then we KNOW it's a 1966-version, (but if you don't, then we still can't be really sure that it's a 1965-version).


" does that firm it up for anyone on what the bike really is? "

____ Yes, it's definitely a narrow-case 350-Sebring (1965 or 66) !


" I'll include a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure. "

____ Thanks, it's always interesting to see pictures of a unique-Duke ! _ (Even though at this time, I can only see the brighter-lighted areas.)


DUKE-Cheers,
-Bob

[West Coast Mags]

Is it possible to take a measurement of the rear motor mount in inches to pin it to a narrow case / wide case? I will work on checking for the fork prongs under the seat. Thanks for the additional info.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" Is it possible to take a measurement of the rear motor mount in inches to pin it to a narrow case / wide case? "

____ Of course, as the w-c rear-mount is almost twice as long as that of your n-c !


" I will work on checking for the fork prongs under the seat. "

____ Here's a link to another newer thread with a perfect -(at least beyond excellent!) drawing of a 1965-type road-type n-c frame, (unfortunately without the pair of added 1966-type seat-retaining fork-prongs shown)... viewtopic.php?f=3&t=447


Hopeful-Cheers,
-Bob