Designed by one of the most celebrated motorcycle engineers of all time, Fabio
Taglioni, Ducati's first overhead-camshaft single appeared in 1955. Desmodromic
valve operation, whereby closure as well as opening was effected by cams, was a
feature of the racing versions and would later be applied to the sportier
roadsters. A new range of Desmo roadsters was introduced in 1971, and these new
250/350/450 Desmos soon acquired the sobriquet 'Silver Shotgun', a reference to
their eye-catching silver metallic paintwork. Standard equipment included
Marzocchi 35mm front forks, Borrani 18" alloy wheel rims, a Grimeca 180mm 4LS
front brake, rear-set footrests, clip-on handlebars, and a white-faced Veglia
rev counter, while the fuel tank, seat base, side panels, and front mudguard
were made of a lightweight glassfibre. For 1973, the Desmo range was mildly
restyled by Italjet's Leopoldo Tartarini, also responsible for the Ducati 750
Sport, the colour scheme switching to yellow/black at the same time. Production
effectively ended in 1974, though a tiny handful was produced in 1978.
It is often the case that the best example of a bike is found at the very end
of the model's life. This is certainly true of the 450 Desmo Ducati of 1973
which can trace some elements of its bloodline all the way back to Ducati's
125cc GP racer which made its debut in 1956.
That a 436cc road bike and a tiny Grand Prix racer should be so closely linked
is easily explained. Both bikes were the products of Ing. Fablio Taglioni who
joined Ducati in 1954. Taglioni's big idea was to control valve float by
having the valves positively opened and closed without using conventional
springs. In the case of the 125 GP bikes, two camshafts were employed - one to
open the valve and the other to close it. This allowed the little racer to run
reliably to over 14,000 rpm. In various forms, this is the immortal
desmodromic system still in use by Ducati even in the present day.
Desmo engines were capable of sustained high rpm and thus could be made with a
very short stroke. The camshafts were opened and closed by means of a bevel
drive - the same as a Manx Norton - which required extremely accurate
engineering on the part of the manufacturer and meticulous oil changes by the
owner. Extensively re-equipped by the Italian government after the Second
World War, Ducati were probably the only European factory capable of mass
producing a bevel gear engine.
The 450's early ancestors appeared as 175cc models in 1957 and the desmos
eleven years later. By the time the 450 was launched in 1969 the Ducati
singles had their reputations firmly established. On the positive side, the
bikes handled beautifully thanks to the work of Ducati development rider,
mechanic and racer, Franco Farne. Legend has it that Farne would take the
Ducatis into the Marche mountains to the west of Ducati's Bologna factory and
ensure that they handled and steered as well as any road bike in the world.
The downside was that the finish on the Ducatis was truly grim. Paintwork was
shoddy, chrome dire and the electrics much worse than the Japanese opposition.
Even so, with the magnificent desmo engine dominating the lithe, athletic
chassis the 450 was a delight to any motorcyclist with red blood in his veins.
That blood certainly needed to be red because starting a 450 was an acquired
knack. The kickstart - forget effete sops to modernity like the electric start
offered by Japanese contemporaries - is on the left hand side of the engine
and requires advanced yoga skills to operate easily. Of course, like all
sporting singles, the initiated can fire up a 450 with one half-hearted kick,
whilst blindfolded and juggling flaming torches. For the rest of the biking
world, the task is considerably harder.
Earlier Ducati singles had a reputation for fragility, particularly in terms
of the big-end which did not take kindly to being plonked around in high gears
under load. However, by the time 450 had arrived, with its wider and stronger
crankcases and much increased big-end bearing size, the biggest of the desmos
was more user friendly.
In fact, the challenges the bike poses in terms of starting only adds to the
charisma of what is truly one of the great sporting singles of all time - a
worthy companion to such icons as the BSA Gold Star and Velocette Venom. And,
like its British cousins, the 450 has become an established star in classic
racing - especially in Spain where Mototrans manufactured, Ducati-powered
machines are particularly plentiful.
The crackle of the lightly silenced desmo engine bouncing off the hedgerows as
the 450 slices through bends with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel is
still one of the great experiences of motorcycling. With stunning good looks,
and much improved reliability due to modern oils, the Ducati ought to be more
highly rated in terms of price. That the 450 isn't expensive makes it one of
the great bargains in the classic bike world.