Ducati 750 Imola Desmo
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| Manufacturer | Ducati |
|---|---|
| Production | 1972 |
| Class | Racing |
| Engine | 748 cc (45.6 cu in) 2-valve per cylinder desmodromic air cooled 90° V-twin |
| Bore / stroke | 88.0 mm × 74.7 mm (3.46 in × 2.94 in) |
| Compression ratio | 10.8:1 |
| Top speed | 249 km/h (155 mph) |
| Power | 84 hp (63 kW) @ 8800 rpm |
| Transmission | 5-speed |
| Suspension | Front: Marzocchi telescopic fork Rear: pivoting fork with Ceriani suspension units |
| Brakes | Front: dual 270 mm disc Rear: single 230 mm disc |
| Tires | Front: 100/90 V18 Rear: 120/90 V18 |
| Wheelbase | 1,540 mm (61 in) |
The Ducati 750 Imola Desmo is a racing motorcycle built by Ducati that won the 1972 Imola 200 miles (320 km) race in the hands of Paul Smart. This win helped define Ducati's approach to racing.
On March 20th, 1970, Fabio Taglioni (September 10, 1920–July 18, 2001) made the first sketches for the layout of a new Ducati V-twin engine. By April his drawings were completed, and by July, there was a running motor. By August 1970, there was a complete prototype motorcycle. Taglioni engaged Leopoldo Tartarini, the founder of Italjet, to refine the styling aspects of the new Ducati.
In October 1970, the decision was made by Ducati to re enter motorcycle competition. Director Arnaldo Milvio and General Manager Fredmano Spairani, were enthusiastic about racing, and had encouraged Fabio Taglioni to develop the 750 V twin.
In 1971 five 500 cc V-twins were built to compete in Italian championship and Grand Prix events. Ducati felt that this would demonstrate the bike before a large audience and gain publicity. If they won, that was a bonus.
Even before this, in late 1970, and despite Taglioni's opposition to the idea, Spairani wanted the frame for Ducati's racer to be built by Colin Seeley, a well-known British specialist frame builder of the time. Seeley was asked to develop a racing frame similar to those he had built for Matchless G50 engines. Ducati sent some prototype crankcases for Seeley to work from and the new Seeley frame was ready in February 1971. Meanwhile, in less than six months, Fabio Taglioni and his team had designed and built their own complete bike.
While the 750 cc and 500 cc racers were very similar, the 500 had a much shorter 58 mm stroke, with the same 74 mm bore as the 750. The 500 had the same bore and stroke as the later 500 Pantah. It had 10.5:1 compression and initially produced 61.2 bhp at 11,000 rpm. All Ducati's 500 cc GP engines used desmodromic two-valve heads with an 80 degree included valve angle. They used remote float bowl Dell'Orto 40 mm carburettors, and had a six-speed gearbox with a dry, multiplate clutch. Ignition was electronic, provided by nearby Ducati Elettrotecnica, but was initially unreliable. Dual spark plugs were used, and the final ignition system used four coils, two on each side of the frame.
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