1974 Ducati 750SS

It was, without question, Paul Smart's famous victory at Imola in April 1972 that really put Ducati's new v-twin on the map. It was a particularly sweet occasion for hitherto un-fancied Ducati, as the Bologna factory defeated not only the race-proven Triumph Tridents of Percy Tait, John Cooper and Ray Pickrell, but also the works 750 MV Agusta of Giacomo Agostini. With such an outstanding pedigree, the 750SS was a natural choice for racing's Superbike category, and later on proved highly competitive in AMA 'Battle of the Twins' (BOTT) and club Super Street racing in the 1980s.

Smart's bike was based on the 750 Sport roadster introduced that same year. The racer's cycle parts remained close to stock - even the centre stand lugs were retained! - merely being up-rated with triple Lockheed disc brakes while the engine gained desmodromic cylinder heads, high-compression pistons and stronger con-rods. When the definitive production version - the 750SS - appeared in 1974 it differed little in overall conception from the Imola '72 bikes, among the most obvious external differences being the adoption of a centre-axle fork and Brembo front brakes. The big 'Imola' fuel tank and humped racing seat both featured on the road bike, which wore a cockpit faring rather than the racer's fuller streamlining.

The 750SS received rave reviews in the motorcycling press, being hailed by Cycle magazine as "a bike that stands at the farthest reaches of the sporting world - the definitive factory-built café racer". Only 401 'round-case' Ducati 750SS production models were manufactured by the Ducati factory between January and March 1974, and all were finished in the iconic colour scheme of a green frame with silver tank and bodywork. Today the 750SS - and particularly the original round-case version - is regarded as a true landmark model and is one of the most sought-after of all Ducatis.

This example's Danish private owner has been working for 40 years as a Exhibition Architect, Curator and Consultant in museums, mainly The National Museum and The Design Museum, both in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 1969 he has ridden Harley-Davidson, BMW, Triumph and Norton motorcycles. One evening in 1988 he was reading in the new Motorrad Classic (No. 1/1988) an article entitled Der Smaragd von Taglioni (Taglioni's emerald) and was smitten. He was lucky that a friend had bought the Ducati a few years earlier, and then suddenly it was his.

It appears that the Ducati was first registered in the UK in 1974 as 'LGF 730N' before being sold to our Danish private vendor and registered in Denmark. The machine was re-registered in the UK earlier this year with its original number. Marque authority Ian Falloon has this 750SS in his definitive register and has confirmed to Bonhams that he saw it at the Moto Vecchia dealership in Colliers Wood as early as 1986, remarking that it is "all in all a good, sound genuine green frame".

He rode the Ducati regularly from 1989 until 2006, only on long trips, often to meetings in relation to his work at museums across Denmark. The bike was well looked after with oil changes every 1,500 kilometres, etc. Trips with friends included some to Scandinavia and also a few in northern Italy, the bikes being shipped there in advance.

In 2005 the private owner decided to give the Ducati a makeover, during which it was stripped, painted and polished – but not excessively – to a level that suited it well. The chosen colour, British Racing Green, was a personal tribute to his late father, an Englishman who flew with the RAF during WW2 and was shot down over Dortmund in March 1945. He worked at Jaguar's design department just after the war.

The private vendor's good friend and colleague from the National Museum, Peter Henrichsen, an expert metallurgist working at the National Museum's metal conservation workshop, carried out all the mechanical work. Prior to rebuilding the Ducati he had been working with motorcycle engines for more than 40 years including Velocette Venom and LE; BSA Rocket III; Norton Dominator and Commando; Moto Guzzi V7, T3, Le Mans and Lodola GT; Ducati 250; Moto Morini 250, 350 and 500; various Montesas and many more. The 750SS engine showed only minor signs of wear but as a matter of course all bearings were renewed and electric cables, etc were replaced.

From 2006 until 2017 the private vendor kept the Ducati at home and in his office at the Design Museum, and from 2017 until 2024 in the premises of a professional storage company. Accompanying documentation consists of a current V5C and a copy old-style V5.
Offered with key