Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Table of contents

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Alan Cathcart

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

40 pictures

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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The frame of a 1978 900 SS is unchanged. Thanks to longer struts, a forked fork and other fork bridges, the chassis geometry has modern values.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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The tank of the Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo is 110 millimeters shorter than the original.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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The finished Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo costs from 79,000 AUD.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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Ohlins Piggyback shock absorbers. The creepy welds are classic and original Ducati.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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Tidy cockpit behind classic fairing, analog round instrument from Motogadget.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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“Ox eyes” and tire sizes from 2017. Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp with traditional tread.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report
Phil Hawkins

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The ultra-rare “Green frame”-The vertical shaft served as a model for the Imola Evo. Here you can see Alan Cathcart’s own.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo with bevel motor in the driving report.

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Phil Hawkins

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Vee Two’s bevel motor starts at $ 38,000.

motorcycles

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo in the driving report
Ducati bevel motor

Almost exactly 30 years ago, Ducati ceased production of the bevel motor. Now he’s back. Not directly from Bologna, but with the support and blessing of the company.

Alan Cathcart, Stefan Gluck

05/01/2017

One of the most sought-after and undoubtedly also the most beautiful motorcycles on the planet is the one built in 1973 and 1974 in just 401 copies Ducati 750 SS, which is also called “Green Frame” because of its color. In principle, it is a replica of the factory racer with a light and a horn, with which Paul Smart won the 200 miles of Imola in 1972. Six-digit prices are sometimes being demanded and paid for these motorcycles today, whereby the currency does not play a role as long as it is strong. And where the demand is significantly higher than the supply, a business idea is not far away.

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Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo driving report

Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo in the driving report
Ducati bevel motor

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Motor is only an exact copy from the outside

In this case, the bevel shaft specialists from Vee Two (www.veetwo.com) the coup par excellence. Thanks to excellent contacts with the factory in Bologna, the Aussies not only succeeded in officially receiving all the technical drawings of the legendary vertical shaft twin, but also the original molds and molds rediscovered by a retired Ducati engineer in 1990. They set themselves the goal of building an L-Twin that is true to the original, but refined with modern materials and the latest findings in engine construction.

At the same time, some constructive inadequacies of the original were eliminated. The modern reincarnation has an external oil filter cartridge instead of the simple oil strainer hidden inside the crankcase. In addition, the engine housing, which is manufactured using the sand casting process, was designed to be much more rigid. Outwardly, the engine is an exact copy of the drive with which Mike Hailwood won the TT in 1978. Thanks to modern innards and materials, however, with 122 hp measured on the rear wheel at 8,500 rpm, it should be significantly stronger than the historical model. As the pictures show, the ambitious goal can be regarded as having been achieved. This work of art of mechanics is available from 38,000 Australian dollars (net), currently equivalent to just under 27,000 euros. And because the child needs a name, the new, old engine is simply called Ritorno. That is Italian and means return. Seldom has a name been better.

Ohlins chassis components and 900 SS frames

Driving with the drive alone is bad, but the guys from Down Under also have a solution for this: They simply hang the engine in an old, original Ducati frame. In this case that of a 1978 Ducati 900 SS. On the one hand, this is authentic, and on the other hand, almost all conversions for road use can be legalized with old construction years. The disadvantage is that you have to live with the sometimes very coarse weld seams in the frame used here.

On top of that, Ducati chassis don’t exactly have a reputation for being overly manageable. Alan Cathcart, himself the owner and racer of an original Green Frame SS, says that if you want to give in with her, you have to send a telegram. And as soon as the bike received this, it would look into the matter. The Imola Evo, on the other hand, has arrived in the Internet age despite the unchanged original pipe mill. As with an SMS, the steering impulse is implemented as soon as it has been sent. This striking change in driving behavior is made possible by longer struts at the rear and newly designed triple clamps that accommodate an upside-down fork. As a result, the fork is five degrees steeper than before, and the wheelbase has also decreased by 40 millimeters to its 1460. The steering head angle and caster are 65 degrees and 99 millimeters at the level of today’s bikes. The fully adjustable chassis components come from Ohlins.

Exhaust is a historic piece

Another reason for the significantly better drivability is the adaptation of the ergonomics. The long tank on the original has been shortened by a whopping 110 millimeters, and the handlebar stubs have moved up a bit. This means that the pilot sits much further forward, which on the one hand increases freedom of movement and on the other hand ensures an almost balanced weight distribution. Classic-looking 17-inch Akront aluminum rims, which are soled with equally classic-looking but cutting-edge Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp rubbers in the current standard 120/180 format, round off the look. Noble monoblock goods from Brembo ensure a decent delay. A complete bike is available from 79,000 Australian dollars, which corresponds to just under 60,000 euros, depending on the configuration.

However, this will differ in at least one point from the first work presented here. The exhaust, which not only stands out due to its shape but also due to its rather rough welded seams, is a historical piece that comes from Sir Alan Cathcart’s personal stock of spare parts and was originally intended for use on his own original 750 model shown here in the small picture. Editing the rare piece should not have been difficult for Alan, as there are personal connections between him and Vee Two. His eldest son Andrew is the manager there.

technical level

The Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo had its first public appearance at the not exactly small 2016 Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, with 70,000 visitors, where it was able to chase Sir Alan a few laps around the race track there. Apart from a few small things such as the too soft tuning of the fork and a too toxic hydraulic translation of the front brake, Cathcart attests to a remarkable technical level.

Not only the high, albeit justified, price, but also the limited production capacities mean that the probability of ever seeing a Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo in person drops to zero. But that’s no different with the original.

Data Vee Two Ducati Imola Evo

engine

Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, one overhead camshaft driven by a king-shaft, two valves per cylinder, desmodromic, wet sump lubrication, Keihin FCR flat slide carburetor, Ø 41 mm, mechanically operated multi-plate dry clutch, five-speed gearbox, chain.

Bore x stroke 94.0 x 71.5 mm
Displacement 992 cc
Compression ratio    13.5: 1
rated capacity 90 kW (122 PS) at 8500 rpm
Max. Torque    129 Nm from 5000 rpm

landing gear

Steel tubular frame, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm made of tubular steel, two spring struts, directly articulated, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, four-piston fixed calipers , radially hinged, rear disc brake, Ø 230 mm, two-piston fixed caliper.

Spoked wheels with aluminum rims 3.50 x 17; 5.00 x 17
tire 120/70 ZR 17; 180/70 ZR 17

Dimensions + weight

Wheelbase 1460 mm, steering head angle 65.0 degrees, caster 99 mm, spring travel k. A., seat height k. A., empty weight without petrol 168 kg, tank capacity 17 l.

Price engine from 38000 AUD
Price motorcycle    from 79000 AUD

each plus VAT.

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