Menus
- The absolute diva
- The Ducati 750 GT culminates in the hit parade of good taste. And for aesthetes (a little Italian-oriented!), This is the most beautiful motorcycle in the world ….
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- Start-up
- On the road
- On the highway
- In duet
- Braking
- Consumption
- Maintenance
- Production
- Chronology
- Coast side
- Conclusion
The absolute diva
The Ducati 750 GT culminates in the hit parade of good taste. And for aesthetes (a little Italian-oriented!), This is the most beautiful motorcycle in the world ….
The 750 GT is easily measured against all the toothed wheels in the world…
Discovery
When it came out, it was the lightest, fastest and cheapest motorcycle of its kind, despite the presence of the just born 750 Honda.. A guaranteed success…. But social movements at the factory blocked deliveries. Suddenly, the importer at the time, Jean Legrand, ended up going down to the manufacturer and begging the unions to leave him some (out of the few hundred ordered!), By sending them the following message: " you are going to put on the straw dealers, mechanics and their families, who nevertheless belong to the same category as you "…. His request granted, it was delivered, in 72, with Conti pots..
Ducati 750 GT test
Its approval is still a miracle. Then the matter got complicated. Perhaps in a climate fanned by competitors over public markets, to which Ducati had managed to sell some 250 Monzas. In any case, the Ducati France subsidiary had to be closed down altogether. So Mr. Legrand, head of the French subsidiary, created a new company, the SIMMO and succeeded in having the 750 and following approved with Lafranconi exhausts which unfortunately cast the voice of the Bolognese well. As these pots were quite ugly, their nickname was quickly found; "Lafrancheconnerie". And it was obviously extremely rare to come across GT or other SS in original pots ….
Nothing to change, absolute beauty…
Equipped with Conti, as is the case on Michel Augendre’s machine, tested here, the Ducati breathes deeply and regains its proud pace. Another vacuum cleaner with mirrors: its motor. A work of art. Perhaps a vague resemblance to the right side of the Norton Commando. Except that the GT is perfect on both sides. It’s clean, clean everywhere, without tubing polluting the view. Elegant, minimalist, compact, in short, simply perfect…
The heart of the beautiful: beautiful as a Rembrandt…
In the saddle
Soft, the controls fall naturally to the hand, a little less under the feet, the gear selector being on the right and the brake pedal on the left. In addition, there is no risk of missing the dashboard. He necessarily hypnotizes the pilot because he is so beautiful ….
Welcome aboard. How not to have the desire to cut miles when you have it in front of your eyes ?
Start-up
From the first kick, in a vacuum, just to see if everything is in place, it starts by becoming a living being. And when you kick for good (without difficulty, it sinks easily), no doubt, it’s a living being! In fact, she starts by speaking and quickly comes to singing ….
Be careful, the gear selector is on the right and the rear brake on the left. The art-loving observer will notice the sublime roundness of the housings…
On the road
On a trickle of gas, the Ducati 750 GT seems timid. Then comes the conquest of the road. Well it grows, but it’s average. And then by opening a little more frankly, intervenes a thrust of engine which sets in motion. As time goes by, a brilliant engine is expressed, which pulls and pushes to infinity…. Regarding handling, in a beautiful Italian from the early 70s equipped with Marzocchi forks and shock absorbers, it is safe and precise and in the sequences, between lightness and agility, guaranteed treat !
Michel Augendre, owner of this marvel, can have a smile, a 750 GT in this condition is trading around 12,000 euros !
On the highway
Even if putting the tires of a 750 GT Ducati on a draining asphalt roadway seems a heresy, the proud Italian still endures the ordeal without flinching. She even has fun swallowing the big curves at nearly 200 without fidgeting. The rest of the time, the counter needle set at 140, the pilot does not suffer too much from the wind and waits patiently for the next toll to finally reach the small roads that his mount is so fond of ….
Ideal for airing the mustaches of the 750 GT !
In duet
The wide, thick and well-padded saddle ensures royal comfort. On the other hand, the passenger has nothing to hold onto. In dynamics, solo or duo, the behavior of the Ducati does not change.
No danger of it getting dirty, the flies take a shower before crashing into such a beautiful tank…
Braking
The rear brake is placed on the left. On the first models, it was fitted with a double cam drum. Then the engineers decided, in 72, that a simple cam was more than enough. The front disc stops (with its two pistons), the crew with more goodwill than outrageous efficiency ….
Early GT models were fitted with a double cam rear drum brake. In 1972, Ducati saw fit to revert to the single cam system..
Consumption
Probably the result of a culpable love affair between a chick with both kidneys amputated and a camel escaped from the stud farm of alcoholics anonymous, the Ducat ’consumes very little. 6.5 l / 00 screwed handle from morning to night and barely more than 5 liters / 100 at reasonable speed ….
Ducati 750 GT test
Maintenance
The twin of the Ducati 750 GT is renowned for its complexity, especially in terms of the distribution by bevel pairs and requires rigorous maintenance if we want to limit wear and breakage of mechanical parts. The settings are so fine and precise that they require extreme care. They can only be made by mechanical goldsmiths.
A small window allows you to check the oil pressure. What a pleasure to see the oil spurting on the bevel gears of the distribution.
Some parts are very difficult to obtain, such as timing gears and shafts, but also Conti exhausts, Borrani rims, fork sleeves and master cylinders. We manage to find remanufactured parts but often at prohibitive prices. The cycle part, for its part, does not require any particular maintenance, apart from frequent checking of the tightening of the bolts..
Everything was planned to equip its mount with a double front brake disc. It was then imperative to replace the master cylinder by a 19.05 mm diameter.
Production
In 1972, the Ducati 750 GT was the cheapest in its class with a label of around 9,500 francs (in comparison, the Honda CB 750 was trading at 11,000). With worldwide production estimated at 4,100 units, it is difficult today to estimate the number of GTs remaining in France. Benoit Rumeau, active member of the Ducati club, has already identified 180 of them. The 750 GT was produced from the end of 1971 to 1975 under the name S 750 (mine type), not to be confused with the Ducati 750 Sport.
All in curves. Headlight, handles, housings, tank. And even the wheels !
Chronology
The first 400 engines, until March 1972, had sand cast housings. Then they were traditionally molded. The bodies (tanks and side covers) were manufactured in polyester until 1973, then in sheet metal until the end of the series, in 1975.
Slim as an anorexic model and drawn with a watercolor brush. Certainly one of the most beautiful Ducatis ever built…
Coast side
Rare are the 750 GT in the classifieds. Indeed, when fans of the Ducati brand own a GT, it is not to sell it. On the contrary, they tend to buy more to complete their collection. This type of motorcycle is bought mainly through "word of mouth".
The bike tried before its restoration. We better understand the scope of the job !
The model tested was valued at € 7,500. However, its owner would not let go below 12,000 €. A price justified by the beauty of this machine and the refinement of its mechanics. The 750 S are therefore traded more around € 15,000, while the 750 SS, much rarer, can sell for up to € 40,000..
Under restoration. The opportunity to notice the narrowness of the whole…
Conclusion
According to the purist ducatists (fundamentalist tendency!), The world is divided into three categories. Those who have one, those who have had one and all the others. And the latter are naturally much to be pitied !…
But yes, she can do it! The 750 GT has enough wind to tow a locomotive…
Strong points
- Refined mechanics
- Handling
- Racy aesthetics
- Living myth
Weak points
- Rigorous maintenance
- Expensive and rare parts
- Turning radius
- Dry suspensions
- Overvalued price
The technical sheet of the Ducati 750 GT
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