Anyone on here have / knowledgeable about Desmo 250s? I basically need to know everything about them... from weak spots to why they're so revered. I'm in sponge-mode...
I don't have a desmo single, so I am no expert. My two singles, narrowcase and widecase, are valve-spring. However the desmo single engines are virtually identical to the valve-spring widecase singles except for the cylinder heads. Obviously the cams, rockers and valves are different, but not much more. The cycle parts are also similar, but with sportier bodywork. The last of the desmo singles had a front disc brake, which the valve-spring models never had. There are books about this sort of thing @Fire3500 . May I suggest you buy one and study it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Book...160470&hash=item4d83bb36ab:g:cuEAAOSwMhVcMniM
I've never owned a 250 Desmo but have worked on a few as well as the 450s. There was also a 239cc version for the French market, as in this pic. Identical but 1.5mm smaller bore. I suggest that you do what Pete1950 says and read up on them. Mick Walker's "Ducati Singles" is probably a good place to start although it seems some of my old books are getting a bit pricey so Pete's suggestion of the Ian Falloon book is probably more affordable and will certainly give you all the info.
Phone Howard at disco volante based in Wales. He’s a really nice and helpful guy and extremely knowledgable on Ducati singles.
Nice! Where did you acquire that? I'm no expert but have rebuilt a number of 50's vintage MV's, Gileras etc. What little I know about those engines can probably be gleaned on line. Apparently the narrowcases were more prone to kick start issues than the widecase. If you split it, be meticulous about retaining shims in their correct positions or its a major measuring job to work out the correct tolerances.
