Just put a deposit on this shed find. One owner, 22,000 miles and needs a lot of love. It will unfortunately be 2 owners when I get it as the first owner passed away and his cousin has had to register it in her name to get the log book. Thinking of a restomod approach to this one, with a bore out to 500cc and warmer cam, then a retro paint scheme, to make it a little different!
Spoke with Craig Ridgely from CMR Racing, who some of you will know is a single cylinder Ducati specialist, and says that the later 450 engines can take a decent rebore safely. He is likely to be the person I will take it to. Will need to strip the engine down as a matter of course, as it hasn't run for over 20 years, so while apart, this will give me the opportunity to explore a rebore with new piston/con rod, new cam, balance crank and port.
It looks like the shed was pretty warm & cosy cus it's doesn't look to be in that bad a condition to me. It's certainly not some horrid rust bucket and is an ideal winter project. Enjoy Lacey Ducati is also a fine source of information & parts for all things single - see https://laceyducati.com/ducati-parts/
Thanks Andy - she was under blankets and is a 10 footer for sure (any closer and she is rough). She seems to have been mid dismantling/rebuild for a while and not really touched for 15 to 20 years. 2 boxes of bits coming with her, plus missing the carb. Lacey Ducati is where Craig sends crank shafts for balancing, plus where he gets the rebuild bits from.
Single bevel, lovely, welcome to the club. I have a 350 bevel which I've been meaning to do something with for over a decade.
That's lovely, looks like there are still some genuine barn finds out there, and just in time for a restoration over winter!
Me too...they are before my time, but I've recently been drawn to them. If you could post a bit of the rebuild plz!
Based on @Steve Robins comments on another thread, it is more likely to be around 478cc. The original 450 engine actually being 436cc, means we like to talk in rounded numbers! Will be checking with Nigel and Craig. Will keep this thread updated.
Given that the four long bolts fixing the head and barrel to the crankcase are in fixed positions, the limit to increasing bore size is how far you can go without leaving insufficient metal around the barrel, and not enough head-to-barrel sealing surface. Go too far, and you will be left with a very unreliable engine for minimal gain.
For anyone else looking for one, this popped into my inbox this morning. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18677250...xnlHePdQXm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY I would, but duty & vat costs make a nonsense of it for me, I’m better off getting one in Europe.
