Re: diana mark 3 wiring
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:27 am
[quote= hobby ...
" I have one question after all this confusion about names, what in your opinion is the correct model name for the bike in the top picture? "
____ Rather than MY-opinion, I'd prefer for everyone to know it exactly as how Ducati-themselves had coined it ! _ And Ducati made no name-distinction between the various Mark-III versions prior to when they began using Mach-I parts for the Mark-three line, (at which point it became the 'Mark 3' for 1965).
So both of those versions of your posted-pix had the very-same official-name, which I believe is '250 Diana Mark III',, however I'm not absolutely positive of exactly where the "250" section goes, and-so the correct-name could possibly really rather be Diana 250 Mark III. ...
__ I wanted to be positively-sure about this, so I had just spent some (more*) time looking for my most-closely related early Mark-III owner's-manual, (but I've now given-up for this day). _ (* Earlier today, your two posted-pix [with their differing rear-fenders], had inspired me to bother myself to look-up that manual and see which version that IT had displayed on it's front-cover. _ But then I became pretty steamed-up & UPSET because it [and MUCH other stuff to-boot] was no-longer still to be found where I had once kept it back before I got taken into the hospital last October... As while I was gone from home, someone came into my house [without asking for permission !], and moved a great deal of my belongings to other rooms in my house & places where I now have little idea of exactly where to look for such missing-things which got moved-around & now lost ! _ [And I guess I wasn't completely over-with being rightfully-disappointed, when I then-next got back on-line & wrote my previous-post].)
" I just posted these two photos for interest sake and mainly to show the advertisement of the model that looks closest to the one I have being the top photo. "
____ Yes, THANKS for that ! _ As I don't think I've ever before been so-much aware that there was ever more than one rear-fender type for the pre-1964 Mark-III model-line.
" I do not mean to upset anyone. "
____ I-myself was really not upset with you-yourself anymore than a written-English teacher would be expected to be upset with some student who seemingly hasn't ever learned to dot his i's & cross his t's !
So NO actual big-concern !
" I assume the correct name/model of my bike as I understand your communications is Ducati Diana 4 speed 250 Mark III? "
____ Well no, not really,, as far as official Ducati model-names go.
And to rather distinctly determine your specific model-version, it would take someone who was closely following the Ducati model-line back in those-days,, (and I-myself was too young THEN -[before 1965] to care very-much about motorcycles and keep such minor-details all-straight).
However I believe it's certainly fair for your Mark-III to be considered as what's been commonly referred-to as an "early" Mark-III, (but of-course, that's not-really a 'name',, but rather, a kind of designation).
__ Concerning such early/pre-64 Mark-III model-versions,, I haven't adopted any related info claimed in published-books (because they were all published after I retired from DUCATIs), and-so only have just my-own rather relatively SPARSE information which I gathered during the years soon following that which I gained when the newer/updated Mark-three models came-out & replaced the early-versions. _ So since very-little of my-own knowledge is from firsthand-experience, I'd thus be inclined to rather believe the published-books on any points of which there may seem to be any disagreement on. ...
__ Starting from the beginning of what I have,, I've heard that the very-first Mark-IIIs to come-into the U.S., were of a very small batch, (like from 3 to 20 units, [no more than 50, would be my certain guess], and these examples would be the only ones suspected of not being equipped with kick-starters). _ This FIRST-batch may have been built in late-61, and may have looked like the pictured version with the shorter rear-fender, (although I heard that they also came with race-type full-body fairings). _ They definitely had just the 2-wire alt.mag & the 4-speed trans, and, (except for the fuel-tank), all the same body-parts as that of the first Motocross-model. _ The second (and/or perhaps third) batch of imported Mark-IIIs,, pretty-much just as such as the version pictured earlier in this thread, was most-certainly same as that.
For successive batches of updated-versions of the Mark-III line, (which replaced the line of 'early' Mark-III model-versions,, the first things to get replaced,
were the 2-wire alt.mag & rear-fender mounted taillight (and possibly the Motocross-headlamp along-with also then, as well), and-then getting a 3-wire alt.mag & taillight-bracket setup with twin-filament lamp. _ Then the next updated version-batch,, certainly by-then got a headlamp with speedo-hole (although perhaps without speedometer, but rather a hole-cover), and full-arc type fenders, rear, (& especially) front.
Then the last update-change before the specific '1964Mark-III' model-version came to-be, was the 5-speed motor, (sometime within 1963).
Other than the sure presents of a speedometer, (and possibly a slightly differently constructed seat), I can't think of anything else much different between this most-updated pre-64 Mk.III-version, and the '1964-model'.
__ I can't really be sure of exactly when all those various part-change updates occurred, but I am rather sure of the order in which they got updated. _ So but it could possibly be that ALL the other various updated-changes listed between the time-points of the elimination of the 2-wire alt.mag, and the elimination of the 4-speed trans,, all may've been done, possibly all-together at-once.
Duke-Cheers,
DCT-Bob
" I have one question after all this confusion about names, what in your opinion is the correct model name for the bike in the top picture? "
____ Rather than MY-opinion, I'd prefer for everyone to know it exactly as how Ducati-themselves had coined it ! _ And Ducati made no name-distinction between the various Mark-III versions prior to when they began using Mach-I parts for the Mark-three line, (at which point it became the 'Mark 3' for 1965).
So both of those versions of your posted-pix had the very-same official-name, which I believe is '250 Diana Mark III',, however I'm not absolutely positive of exactly where the "250" section goes, and-so the correct-name could possibly really rather be Diana 250 Mark III. ...
__ I wanted to be positively-sure about this, so I had just spent some (more*) time looking for my most-closely related early Mark-III owner's-manual, (but I've now given-up for this day). _ (* Earlier today, your two posted-pix [with their differing rear-fenders], had inspired me to bother myself to look-up that manual and see which version that IT had displayed on it's front-cover. _ But then I became pretty steamed-up & UPSET because it [and MUCH other stuff to-boot] was no-longer still to be found where I had once kept it back before I got taken into the hospital last October... As while I was gone from home, someone came into my house [without asking for permission !], and moved a great deal of my belongings to other rooms in my house & places where I now have little idea of exactly where to look for such missing-things which got moved-around & now lost ! _ [And I guess I wasn't completely over-with being rightfully-disappointed, when I then-next got back on-line & wrote my previous-post].)
" I just posted these two photos for interest sake and mainly to show the advertisement of the model that looks closest to the one I have being the top photo. "
____ Yes, THANKS for that ! _ As I don't think I've ever before been so-much aware that there was ever more than one rear-fender type for the pre-1964 Mark-III model-line.
" I do not mean to upset anyone. "
____ I-myself was really not upset with you-yourself anymore than a written-English teacher would be expected to be upset with some student who seemingly hasn't ever learned to dot his i's & cross his t's !
So NO actual big-concern !
" I assume the correct name/model of my bike as I understand your communications is Ducati Diana 4 speed 250 Mark III? "
____ Well no, not really,, as far as official Ducati model-names go.
And to rather distinctly determine your specific model-version, it would take someone who was closely following the Ducati model-line back in those-days,, (and I-myself was too young THEN -[before 1965] to care very-much about motorcycles and keep such minor-details all-straight).
However I believe it's certainly fair for your Mark-III to be considered as what's been commonly referred-to as an "early" Mark-III, (but of-course, that's not-really a 'name',, but rather, a kind of designation).
__ Concerning such early/pre-64 Mark-III model-versions,, I haven't adopted any related info claimed in published-books (because they were all published after I retired from DUCATIs), and-so only have just my-own rather relatively SPARSE information which I gathered during the years soon following that which I gained when the newer/updated Mark-three models came-out & replaced the early-versions. _ So since very-little of my-own knowledge is from firsthand-experience, I'd thus be inclined to rather believe the published-books on any points of which there may seem to be any disagreement on. ...
__ Starting from the beginning of what I have,, I've heard that the very-first Mark-IIIs to come-into the U.S., were of a very small batch, (like from 3 to 20 units, [no more than 50, would be my certain guess], and these examples would be the only ones suspected of not being equipped with kick-starters). _ This FIRST-batch may have been built in late-61, and may have looked like the pictured version with the shorter rear-fender, (although I heard that they also came with race-type full-body fairings). _ They definitely had just the 2-wire alt.mag & the 4-speed trans, and, (except for the fuel-tank), all the same body-parts as that of the first Motocross-model. _ The second (and/or perhaps third) batch of imported Mark-IIIs,, pretty-much just as such as the version pictured earlier in this thread, was most-certainly same as that.
For successive batches of updated-versions of the Mark-III line, (which replaced the line of 'early' Mark-III model-versions,, the first things to get replaced,
were the 2-wire alt.mag & rear-fender mounted taillight (and possibly the Motocross-headlamp along-with also then, as well), and-then getting a 3-wire alt.mag & taillight-bracket setup with twin-filament lamp. _ Then the next updated version-batch,, certainly by-then got a headlamp with speedo-hole (although perhaps without speedometer, but rather a hole-cover), and full-arc type fenders, rear, (& especially) front.
Then the last update-change before the specific '1964Mark-III' model-version came to-be, was the 5-speed motor, (sometime within 1963).
Other than the sure presents of a speedometer, (and possibly a slightly differently constructed seat), I can't think of anything else much different between this most-updated pre-64 Mk.III-version, and the '1964-model'.
__ I can't really be sure of exactly when all those various part-change updates occurred, but I am rather sure of the order in which they got updated. _ So but it could possibly be that ALL the other various updated-changes listed between the time-points of the elimination of the 2-wire alt.mag, and the elimination of the 4-speed trans,, all may've been done, possibly all-together at-once.
Duke-Cheers,
DCT-Bob
