Two Ducatis lead the charge this weekend; an iconic 1974 Ducati 750SS, and a neo-retro café racer based on the Ducati 996. We also take a look at Harley-Davidson’s stonking new 2,212 cc crate motor, and the new Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition.
Adam Lindemann’s 1974 Ducati 750SS Picture the scene: It’s Italy in 1972, and you’re sitting in the stands at Imola, waiting for the start of the inaugural Imola 200 road race. Earlier, you saw Fabio Taglioni arrive at the track with a strange bus with glass sides. Inside, behind hand-painted lettering, were seven fully-faired, silver Ducati racing bikes.
Little did you know that this would become one of the most important races in the history of Ducati. Furthermore, those brand new 750cc bevel gear-driven V-Twin desmodromic motorcycles you saw getting unloaded, would go on to become some of the most iconic motorcycles in history.…