New Guy with Scrambler

[Cam3512]

Greetings,

I just bought a '67 narrow case Scrambler from the original owner who lives 5 miles from me. It sat in his garage with a dry tank and carb for the last 40 years (garage find?). The sucker even started after a squirt of starter fluid. I'm doing a cosmetic restoration to bring it back to what it looked like when the PO raced it in scrambles after returning from Viet Nam. He bought and paid for it in Feb of '67 (I have the original sales receipt) so he'd have it when he got home in April of '67. This is my first Ducati ( I have 4 Guzzis, 3 of them vintage and an old airhead). It also has an original whiteface Veglia Tach which I suspect is worth more than I paid for the bike. My first question...

The wheels are 19" in front (3.50 x 19 Pirelli), and 18" rear (4.00 x 18 Pirelli). I see the book calls for 19" front and back on the Scrambler. Could he have bought the bike to race with the 18" rear, and should I keep this configuration or go with 19" front and rear?

Thanks,

Cam in NJ

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= Cam3512 ...
" The wheels are 19" in front (3.50 x 19 Pirelli), and 18" rear (4.00 x 18 Pirelli). "

____ Those tires may very-well be the originals, as those sizes are stock for a 1966 n-c.Scrambler-model !



" I see the book calls for 19" front and back on the Scrambler. Could he have bought the bike to race with the 18" rear, and should I keep this configuration or go with 19" front and rear? "

____ What makes you think that "the book" -(whatever THAT source actually is), "calls for" 19-inch wheels front AND rear ? ...
Your (very fortunate !)- Duke-find -(" '67 narrow case Scrambler"), ought really be a 1966-model,
which came stock with a 18-inch rear-wheel !
However if you have better reason to suspect that your "Scrambler" may really be a 1965-model, THEN it would be quite reasonable to expect it to have a 19-inch real-wheel ! _ As the pre-1966 Scrambler/Motocross-models only came stock with just 19-inch wheels (with 3.00 & 3.50 tire-sizes) !


Duke-Cheers,
DCT-Bob

[Cam3512]

The Ducati 250 OHC "Use and Maintenance" book that is original to the bike. Lists several models including the "Motocross" .

I do suspect it was built in '66 then sold and titled in early '67. I have the original sales receipt from a dealer in Florida dated Feb. 1967.

Cam

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= Cam3512 ...
" The Ducati 250 OHC "Use and Maintenance" book that is original to the bike. Lists several models including the "Motocross" . "

____ The Motocross-model -(basically an off-road 'dirt-bike') came stock with 19-inch wheels front & back, and remained pretty-much the same until it was replaced with the 1966 'Scrambler' (which was the FIRST actual Scrambler-type Duke-model). ...
What leads to some confusion, is that Berliner -(the USA.importer) wished to tap-into a larger piece-of-the-pie of the then popular 'scrambler-market' (ASAP),, and-so had Ducati's already established Motocross-model renamed as a 'Scrambler' -(basically a road-bike better designed for off-road riding, as well), through 1965 when thereafter Ducati finally came-up with a real scrambler-type model (starting for 1966).



" I do suspect it was built in '66 then sold and titled in early '67. "

____ I quite agree that's very likely, (as it was a common-practice to 'title' DUCATIs by the year when they finally sold), and no-doubt the actual-case with yours,, as 'wide-deck'/w-c.Scrambler-models were next produced for 1967.
__ Does your Scrambler have a motor-number somewhere between 96000 & 98000 ?


Duke-Cheers,
DCT-Bob

[Cam3512]

Thanks for the info Bob, I'm still learning. Pretty confident I have a '66 model titled as a '67.

Cam

[Nick]

Photos!

[Cam3512]

Engine and frame numbers match - 98xxx. Probably a very late production '66. I tried posting photos, but site said they were prohibited. I'll figure it out.

Cam

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= Cam3512 ...
" Engine and frame numbers match - 98xxx. Probably a very late production '66. "

____ I know that 250 motor-numbers made between 96000 & 98000 were no-doubt made in 1966, and also somewhat outside of that range as well,, but outside of that 2000-unit range, I'm then not so sure of the 1966-boundries.
Yours was quite likely still made in 1966, however certainly later in the year.



" I tried posting photos, but site said they were prohibited. "

____ That is something which can happen when trying to post pic.files that are TOO-large or are of a pic.file-format that's not compressed enough to be an acceptable-format.
So either significantly reduce the file-size of your chosen pics (down-to between 100kb & 1mb, each), or make-sure that they're converted to the 'jpeg' pic.format,, and then try posting them again.


Duke-Cheers,
-Bob

[JimF]

Welcome!

For pictures: At the bottom of the screen you see two blue tabs and the default tab is "Options." Select the next tab over called "Upload attachment" and that's how you post pictures.


What was the purchase price when the bike was new? 'Enquiring' minds want to know!


Jim

[Cam3512]

Here's a photo of the bike the day I brought it home last month. It's in pieces now going through a cosmetic resto. Check out the funky paint and toasted seat (anybody have a cover?). But it runs!

Cam