My New Ducati Restoration

[Russell K]

This is my recently finished restoration. It's a 1983 900cc Mike Hailwood Ducati Race Replica which took 12 months and many hours out in the garage and many, many bourbons... hope you like it as much as I do. Cheers.

[I @ M]

Well done on both the restoration and the photo.

Tragically I am of an age where I remember uncrating one of those brand new and this one of yours looks as though it came straight out of the box (apart from the indicators, I don't remember them looking like that? )

[Ian Brewster]

Great work! And it can be the subject for some really zany shots with close-ups and diffeent angles!

Ian

[lazzam]

Nice looking ride Russel. Funny how bourbon is an essential when working your bike.

[old dog]

very nice work Russell. I`ve done one bike up after I crashed it...ouch and I know how much work is involved. You have made a lovely machine shine and the pic is terrific, showing off the beauty.

[Russell K]

Andrew; thanks mate. Uncrating one eh.. that would have been pretty special back then. The front indicators are original on this model (they were varied from 79-85). The rear indicators are after market. I bought the bike from Japan & imported it. (where they were hugely popular and can still be readily found ). The previous owner put the rear indicators on it & I liked the look so kept them, although it's not original. Gave it a more slim-line look.

Ian; thanks again. Yeah I've actually already taken numerous photo's, but every time I go out & pull the covers off it I want to ride it somewhere & take more.

lazzam; Cheers buddy, many bottles of Wild Turkey were consumed over this. If I added the price of all the bourbon it would inflate the price immensely.

Graeme: feel your pain mate, know what it's like to drop one. The pain felt in the body doesn't even measure up against the pain felt when you see your pride and joy sliding down the road or track with sparks flying off it.

Thanks all for the comments and looking.

Russell K

[Russell K]

Here's another shot I couldn't resist when riding it home from the above location;

[jgknight]

I'm afraid I am old enough to remember watching Mike Hailwood race and at the stage he could corner at a lower angle to the ground than any of his competitors.
He was a bit of an inspiration to us young biker back in those days and he was absolutely the King of the Isle of Man track.

Some history of the hero of my youth........

One of the most successful TT riders of all time, Hailwood was regarded by many as the greatest rider ever to race on the Mountain Circuit. His fans worshipped him and he repaid them with an 18-year career which was nothing short of awe-inspiring. During his incredible reign ‘Mike-the-Bike’ scored no less than 14 TT victories and 9 World Championship titles. He was a natural rider and possessed a steely determination which was no better illustrated than in the 1965 Senior. He crashed at Sarah’s Cottage and amazingly restarted the engine. With a broken screen, and flattened exhaust megaphones - not to mention a bloody nose - he ran in for a pit stop to straighten his bent handlebars and then roared off to win the race. He was a fighter and the fans loved him for it. He first rode in 1958, winning four replicas. He gave Honda their first TT wins in 1961 with a Lightweight double and added the Senior on a Norton for the first TT hat-trick. In 1962 he won 4 races with MV Agusta before returning to Honda in 1966, winning the Lightweight and Senior. After winning the Junior, Lightweight and Senior in 1967 - his second hat-trick - he retired and turned to cars. Two of his most amazing TT victories were made during his comeback in 1978. After 11 years in retirement Hailwood crossed the finishing line on a Ducati victorious in the Formula One and in 1979 returned once more to win his last ever TT, the Senior Race.

[Russell K]

John your spot on mate. Mike Hailwood was one of the all time best racers, even given this status by current world champions, until his untimely death in a road accident back in March 1981.

Of all things after his many years of racing he was killed along with his 10 year old daughter Michelle in an accident by a truck doing an illegal U turn on their way to buy fish and chips for tea. He was even awarded the George Cross (the civilian Victoria Cross) for risking his life while dragging Clay Reggazoni from his burning car during the 1973 South African Formula One Grand Prix, pulling his own F1 over mid-race to do so. What a hero this guy was...

[Cage]

I only have one complaint about the bike.

I CAN'T HEAR IT !!!!!!

[Duane Pipe]

Speed kills.. only if you crash
It has come up a treat Russ, I know the time spent on such projects
in the end it is all worth

[mikew09]

Mate - very nice on both accounts. Great colours for a photo and I like the second shot - great.

[Art Vandelay]

Congrats on the resto, looks great.
A mate had one of these at the time & it was drool worthy then as well.

This also brings up another left field thought, I've often thrown this question out with friends over at dinner etc. What nationallity would you choose (and why) if you were born again and couldn't be your current one ?. Mine is always Italian, for various reasons, mainly the passion in which they throw themselves into things..

[Russell K]

"Hey trublu" : the sound it makes should be made copyright. These old bevel driven motors have a note of their own that is awesome to hear. Whenever I kick start her into life and warm her up, all the neighbours know I'm heading out on it and come out into their driveways to watch me ride off..it's pure bliss buddy. Thanks.

Duane; Thanks very much. I'm pretty stoked about the way it came up finished as well. To tell you the truth, I don't think that the photo's do it justice. It looks so much better in real life. But it was certainly worth the time spent. Cheers.

Mike; I was riding past this billboard on the way home and just had to stop and take one in front of it. The evening sun shining off it just happened to be a bonus. Actually moments after taking this a passing motorist did a U turn and approached me and offered me $30,000 for it. Naturally I refused.

Art: thanks very much. I recently rode it to meet some friends into a very well known cafe strip on the outskirts of Melbourne (Lygon St, Carlton) and when I returned to it I couldn't get near it. People were crowded right around it drooling, taking photo's and deep in conversation. It's a real crowd puller wherever you take it.. thanks for looking.

Russell K

[Boofhead]

Beautiful restoration Russell, they are certainly an exquisite bike. Certainly not wrong about their note, music to my ears! A mate of mine took me for a ride on his in the late 80's, going up to Kariong from Gosford. A steep and windy road, a beautiful sound and a wonderful handling bike, does a Sunday get any better?

[Russell K]

Beautiful restoration Russell, they are certainly an exquisite bike. Certainly not wrong about their note, music to my ears! A mate of mine took me for a ride on his in the late 80's, going up to Kariong from Gosford. A steep and windy road, a beautiful sound and a wonderful handling bike, does a Sunday get any better?

Thanks Andrew. Sunday morning's might get a little better soon when the Norton arrives mate.

[Boofhead]

Spoilt for choice then, it will be interesting to hear your views of the Norton compared to the Duke

[Russell K]

Spoilt for choice then, it will be interesting to hear your views of the Norton compared to the Duke

I'll keep you posted after I do a comparison Andrew.

[farmer_rob]

Excellent restoration - well done.

I had a mate in the 80's with a Hailwood replica. The engine sound was magic, but he also learned to like the sound of the fiberglass grinding round corners on the boulevard in Kew (back in the good old days) - the rest of us were horrified at what he was doing to a beautiful bike. (On a different bike, he failed to take the last corner leading up to the eastern freeway - which was where the bike ended up. He pleaded complete ignorance when interviewed in hospital afterwards!)

[Russell K]

Thanks very much for looking Rob.
It's great thinking back on memories and having friends that made you laugh in astonishment at what they would do to perfectly new vehicles.

I too had such a friend like yours who thrashed the living daylights out of every piece of transport he owned, both 2 wheels, 4 wheels and on water. He nearly killed four of us on lake Eildon when his mid-engined V8 Hallet he was flogging exploded and the hull and deck seperated. Two of us spent the night in hospital with concussion and lacerations.

On another ocassion he was trying to pull a mono taking off at the traffic lights (as he always did) on his brand new 1000cc Honda Fireblade when they were first released, and when he put the front wheel back down came off big time. I then ran over him trying to avoid his new bike sliding sideways in front of me, leaving my tyre mark right across his chest. And I was on a 240kg Yamaha XS1100. Fun times to laugh about now. Cheers.