Ducati Paul Smart 1000 Classic Limited Edition

DUCATI PAUL SMART 1000 Limited Edition

The new Ducati Paul Smart 1000 L.E. is inspired by the 1974 Super Sport 750 and is a tribute to the 750 "Imola" bike that the English racer Paul Smart took to victory in the 1972 Imola 200.

On a cloudy day in April 1972, Paul Smart of Kent, England, tested the new Taglioni designed race bike. It was a momentous event in motorcycling history. On that day, Smart rode a new untested Ducati 750 twin to a historic surprise victory at the Imola 200, beating all comers. In the same race the Italian racer Bruno Spaggiari, also riding a Ducati 750, crossed the finish line in second place for a Ducati sweep of the event. Inspired by these results, engineer Taglioni decided to introduce production motorcycles with the styling and the latest technological solutions of the 750 "Imola".

It was the beginning of the modern Ducati racing era and the emergence of the big-bore twin, sport bike dynasty. Descendants of that historic race bike led the way to the production 750SS, Hailwood's Isle of Man winning 900SS, contemporary SuperSports and eventually the Superbikes of today.

The 1974 Super Sport 750 is clearly the crown jewel of any classic motorcycle collection.  Often referred to as the original Superbike, it was the first Ducati to combine all the performance of Smart's race bike with a new elegant and trend setting design. The bike boasted beautifully styled components like the "round case" Bevel Drive twin engine, equipped for the first time with Engineer Fabio Taglioni's Desmodromic valve actuation system. The development of the Ducati Desmodromic system started in the late 50's and continues to EVOlve to this day. Every street and racing engine Ducati produces still utilizes the Desmodtromic system; it remains a significant factor in Ducati's performance advantage. The SuperSport 750 boasted an elegantly styled fairing and bodywork painted in the now famous Metallic Silver colour, complimented by a frame painted in Sea Green. Viewed from any angle the bike always seems in harmony with itself and its street environment. In its day it was "the" ultimate sport bike.

After more than thirty years Ducati reintroduces the same essential lines that represent the very essence and pinnacle of beauty in the renaissance of sport motorcycles.

The new Ducati Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition features unmistakeable styling, accentuated by the rounded lines of the fairing and fuel tank. The new exhaust system, in black chromed and sanded stainless steel, has distinctive stacked twin silencers positioned on the right-hand side of the bike.

The unique steel tube swingarm is characterized by an elliptical "GP" style right leg, which accommodates the placement of the new exhaust system.
The advanced air-cooled Desmo 1000 DS engine delivers the perfect balance of torque and horsepower performance.

The exclusive character of the Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition, of which only 2000 will be produced, is underlined by the use of top-level fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension and by the Metallic Silver fairing and Sea Green frame colours, as on the 1974 Super Sport 750.

Ducati's first big sportbikes - the superbikes of their era - date back to the early 1970's. They raced and they won; they were the joy of the most sport-oriented and fanatical riders, and now they are sought-after collectors' items. Now, as then, they are seen as fine examples of style and performance, but above all, they are magnificent motorcycles to look at and to ride.
These bikes were made with the heart and the head, so they were minimalist machines with few frills but plenty of thrills to ride.

It was an era when every detail and each component was as important as the overall impression of the complete motorcycle. From the lustre of an engine case to the shape of a valve cover, from the elegant routing of a fuel line to the graphic treatment of the livery, every element was important in its individual form and in harmony with the total finished creation. These were motorcycles to race, motorcycles to ride, motorcycles to inspire. They were the awesome sport motorcycles that built the art and culture of Italian motorcycling.

The 1970's was a period when manufacturers were pouring-out a seemingly endless string of new models. One or two became classics; most went through life unnoticed, and then were forgotten; but no-one ever forgot the gorgeous Ducati big bore race bikes or their road-going counter parts which fuelled the fantasies of a whole generation.
 

This style of bike, a concept of essential purposeful design was an idea that never really died; it just lay dormant, biding its time until the moment was ripe to rise again. An essential, racing twin-cylinder, with lines designed more by the hand of a man than the click of a mouse; mechanical details boldly in view, harmonious shapes and only the best componentry: let's face it, they are things of beauty. An agile, lightweight bike as advanced as this is a joy to ride, especially if it has got a vibrant, pulsating engine like the twin-cylinder Ducati Desmo.

The recipe couldn't be simpler. Or could it? It takes a deep-rooted pedigree and the aptitude for designing bikes for people who really love them, but then that's all in the Ducati "DNA".

The unique new family of Ducati SportClassics is the premier example on the world stage of "vintage" styled motorcycles built with the best of modern technology and components. Bikes built in Italy, bikes built with soul, to be as seductive as their ancestors of the wild 70's, but to be as fun to ride quickly and reliable as a modern bike must.

Timeless beauty is the result, and obsessive attention to detail. But then what do you expect? Ducati SportClassics are real motorcycles for real bikers. But above all, they are real Ducati motorcycles!

DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC

If ever there was a motorcycle manufacturer capable of turning dreams into reality, it's Ducati. At the end of 2003, Ducati previewed three new concept bikes at the Tokyo Motor Show, which embodied the beauty, timeless style and sporting heritage of the Ducati motorcycles of the 1970's. Now, just two years later, the three bikes are coming off the production lines in Bologna; three unprecedented creations that make up a complete family of "classically styled" sport motorcycles, called the Ducati SportClassic family: the Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition, the Sport 1000 and the GT 1000 (due in Spring 2006).

The new Sport Classic family reflects the styling of the motorcycles built in Ducati's workshops in the 1970's, characterised by a minimalist, racing look, with exposed chassis and engines, complimented by bodywork with elegant rounded shapes.

To emphasis the unique style and performance origins of the three SportClassics, Ducati has used top-level components styled with original form and finishes, featuring chrome and polished aluminium that provide the final touch, personalise the range and EVOke the lines of the bikes from which they're inspired. New colours and new colour combinations emphasize the original lines of the design.

Even though they reflect the best of the past, they incorporate the latest Ducati technology and engineering, creating a thoroughly modern motorcycle that lives-up to today's standards of road-going performance.

The Paul Smart L.E., Sport and GT are all powered by the advanced 1000 DS Desmo engine. The torquey air-cooled 90° L-Twin is the perfect match to power these new sport bikes. Slim between the legs and exposed for all to see, the latest two valve Desmo system, fuel-injection and computer controlled engine management ensure that the 1000 DS engine is powerful, dependable and thrilling to ride. Of course, these bikes take advantage of the Ducati tubular Trellis frame that perfectly enhances the beauty of the SportClassics, while delivering confident handling and consistent road manners.

With bikes that are as capable as the SportClassics, great brakes are fundamental. High quality Brembo callipers with sintered pads are used, gripping huge 320mm discs up front for strong and consistent stopping power.

The Ducati SportClassics feature distinguishing exclusive components such as beautiful wire spoke wheels laced with alloy rims, black-finish race inspired exhaust systems, unique new swingarms, rear suspension featuring side-mounted shocks, and exposed engine parts with chromed or black painted finishes.

Review

Is this the best looking Ducati since the 916? Sound off! pretty useless. See, when straddling such a refined nostalgic distillate, a tool that seems to come straight out of a time tunnel, a moving monument to an event that happened some 30 years ago (Ducati's win in the Imola 200 race in '72), all objectiveness gets thrown out of the window and it's really hard not to be extra sentimental.

Ducati has not invented the nostalgic "retro" formula, of course. In the last few years we've seen the "new Beetle" and the "new Mini" cars, and in the two-wheeled world, Triumph is having a ball with their "new twins" success. Some would add Harley-Davidson or Vespa to the list, but considering the fact that both never gave up producing their retro stuff there's no real comeback to talk about here. So in many ways Ducati's move was kind of expected and upon seeing the first photos of the "Sport Classic" series from Tokyo's 2003 show I thought to myself: "Hmm. A bit predictable, ain't it?" It just felt easy to blame Ducati on jumping on to the comfy nostalgia bandwagon.

As someone who drove or rode the above three examples in their original guise as well as the new cover versions, I was always left with the feeling of, "what the heck do these things have to do with the originals, for God's sake?" For instance, take the new Mini. As a past owner of three first-series cars ('62, '67 and '69) I know these road-legal go-karts all too well. They had a start button on the floor, sliding driver windows, and a steel cable to open the door. To call the new, fat and luxurious Mini a proper successor to Alec Issignosis's genial minimalist creation is a bad joke in my book. And the "new Beetle"! How could anybody dare change from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive and still call it a Beetle? How could you ever throw the tail around in the rain with the new model? That's plain chutzpa! The new Triumph twins fare only slightly better. Yes, they are much truer to the originals but where's the vibrating heart and soul of the old twins? Yes, said vibrations made the things leave a trail of nuts, bolts and washers in their wake but did the new models have to feel so damn castrated?

Here I stand, in front of this new Duc, my first face-to-face encounter and the thing simply punches you straight in your stomach with its no-holds-barred directness. Wham! This is no synthetic product concocted by some smooth operators in a chic marketing office. The Paul Smart 1000 L.E. feels so genuine and so much like the real thing. This is not a tool for Italio-posers with a white/green/red leather jacket full of the "right'n cool" sewn-on badges. One look at the position of both handlebars and footpegs and you understand immediately that you are about to begin a hard-core S&M session meant only for true mechano-slaves. I kneel next to the PS 1000 and this thing is transparent. If you are a bit like Jay Leno -- who claims to love scoots that you can see

Gabe wishes he looked this good naked.through -- you are going to find plenty to like in the PS 1000's spindly lines and sweet emptiness.

As someone who works in design, I can only guess that when the boss opens your office door and yells, "do a replica of a 30 year old bike, and make it snappy!" it might not sound like the most interesting project to work on. Where's the room to create something really new? Only in the PS 1000's case, Signore Terblanche, someone who has already established a controversial reputation, and that has to leave his mark at all costs, managed to keep his over-creative tendencies in check and produce shapes that honor the original. It all goes to show that the guy understood the spirit of things without falling into the trap of anal retentive restoration.

For instance, it would have been all too easy to put dual shocks in the back of the PS1000, just like in them good old days, yet the single "conventional mount" shock coupled to a double sided swing arm is a brilliant reinterpretation of the old testament. Life for Ducati would have been much simpler if they would have used the complete front end of the SS1000. But in the PS 1000 you'll find a narrowed-down triple clamp that pulls the fork tubes closer and flattened, one-off brake disc carriers all in order to achieve that narrow, tall and lean look for the bike's front end. The end result is convincing. Wherever the eye rests you can see that Ducati, with an almost fundamentalist zeal, did not cut any corners or recycle stuff from the parts bin with this one. Need a last example of their dedication? Look at the tire's tread. No, those aren't

New triple clamps give the front end a svelte appearance.30-year-old Pirelli Phantoms (the must have rubber of the seventies), these are current Pirelli Diablos that at Ducati's special request have been manufactured with the older tread design but are third millennium stuff on the inside just for the Sport Classic series.

That's enough with the philosophy. I drag the bike out of the downtown dealership, swing a leg over and before I even get to squeeze the clutch lever, I can hear myself cursing compulsively inside my helmet. I'll spare you the list of exotic locations to which I sent the mothers of various high-ranking people in Ducati in my cursing. I mean, you try to reach for the handlebar, bend, then bend some more all the while thinking, "Where's the Candid Camera? This is a joke, right?" The bar height is just the beginning; I haven't mentioned yet the fuel tank's length that simply stretches you inquisition-style over the whole bike. The combination of these two demonic dimensions means that the first few minutes of city riding it feels like hell has come down on earth. So you wanted to know what a real 1970's racer-on-the-road felt like? You don't need a PhD in bikeology to know that this thing doesn't mix with city dwelling. No, sir. After a short show-off spin in the city I park the Duc at home. I have it for the whole week, and it's better to wait for a proper outing in the fast lanes.

SourceMotorcycle.com