Odds & Sods GT750

The bike in the photo (left) is based on a 1974 GT 750 Ducati. The Imola Replica I built in the late 1980’s for Post Classic racing had sat unused in the shed since 1993 when the Victorian Honda mafia had protested “key performance improvements” like the fuel taps and the number of ribs on the front calipers! In 2007 I decided the easiest way to return it to registerable condition was to buy a complete bike minus motor so I could use the donor instruments, electrics and all the other bits. Having convinced Brook Henry to sell me a rolling chassis I then made the inevitable observation that if I found another motor I could end up with two bikes - an original early sandcast GT750 plus a hot “bitsa” for daily riding using the left over bits and a few odds and ends I happened to have. So I found a basket case motor and the project commenced. The bike consists of a roundcase motor built by Ron Young which has been bored and stroked to 908cc with desmo heads, Imola cams, bigger valves, new Darmah clutch, new V2 gearbox, 40mm pumpers, Dyna ignition and uprated alternator. Ron did a fabulous job refurbishing the basket case of worn out bits into an engine that never fails to put a smile on my face every time I ride it. The forks have been reworked but will be returned to the sandcast bike when Ron re-engineers some later model centre pull forks to fit to this bike. The shocks are from Maxton in the UK. After a bad experience with an alloy tank also made in the UK, Bernie Willett made the magnificent sculptured tank which is now fitted. The seat is from Tony O’Connor at Eldorado. The final piece in the puzzle is the impressive double sided twin leading shoe TZ Yamaha brake which a friend had previously used in the Ducati 450 single that he raced!