1965 Ducati 250 Mark III - Diana?

[MrPink]

Hi my name is Anthony

I have a new project and have been finding this forum to be a great help.
Here are some photos of what I purchased.

Missing some things but I'm very happy. Its a 5 speed with a Dellorto SS1 27A came with a used title from 1968 marked as a 1965 model. Does the D on the frame tag suggest its a Diana?

Thanks for all the great info

IMG_3142 by pink.anto, on Flickr

IMG_2712 by pink.anto, on Flickr
DSCF8340 by pink.anto, on Flickr
DSCF8327 by pink.anto, on Flickr
DSCF8307 by pink.anto, on Flickr
Version 2 by pink.anto, on Flickr
IMG_3137 by pink.anto, on FlickrIMG_3127 by pink.anto, on Flickr
Screenshot 2017-07-13 09.34.22 by pink.anto, on Flickr
IMG_3032 by pink.anto, on Flickr
IMG_2744 by pink.anto, on Flickr

[a_kress]

Looks pretty good!


(one thing, though. I'd hide or remove the pic of the title. There's some info on there you really don't need in a public forum..)

[Ventodue]

Hi and welcome to the Forum, Anthony.

Nice bike! Congratulations. As to its official name:

According to Ian Falloon, your numbers make the bike a mid-series 1964 5-speed Mark 3. Again according to Falloon, this year's model was, "No longer officially termed a Diana". (Ref: pg 124, The book of the Ducati overhead camshaft singles).

Edit: but see my later posting ...

So given that, and the fact that it was originally titled as a Mark III, that's what I'd rest with . I don't know what the 'D' on the tinfoil may/may not signify.

Nice to see you've discovered the original blue. Will you be taking it back to that?

Craig

[KarstenH]

Hello Anthony,

Welcome!
Your Tank is a Diana-tank from the first series 4-speed with symmetric weldings at the underside.
Later models have an asymmetric shape.
The blue is very nice - lechler is producing the original colors.
The strange D on the headstock foil ist interisting - please open one valve cover and send us a photo.
"D" has two possibilitys "Diana" (see in the old parts lists) or "Desmo".



Regards Karsten

[Ventodue]

Again according to Falloon, this year's model was, "No longer officially termed a Diana". (Ref: pg 124, The book of the Ducati overhead camshaft singles).

A little clarification from Tom Bailey.* He maintains that, even if the factory didn't use the name 'Diana' for the 1964 5-speed Mark 3s, Berliner did! .

So yeah, Anthony: you call it a Diana, if you want!

More interesting is that Tom confirms that the first bikes to be imported did, indeed, come in Kingfisher Blue. The red color scheme only came in later in the year, to be continued into 1965.

* Ref: Tom Bailey, Ducati Singles First Person.

[ducwiz]

This can't be a Desmo head. It has the camshaft bearing cap of the spring heads, with the slight inward-arced lower edges (the Desmo cap is straight, and never had 250cc on it). These arcs would make the bores for the closing rocker axles visible, if it were a Desmo. You do not need to open any cover

cheers Hans

[Ventodue]

Your tank is a Diana tank from the first series 4-speed with symmetric weldings at the underside. Later models have an asymmetric shape.

From what I read, Karsten, the 1964 5-speeds still used the SSI carb - just as shown in Anthony's photo. So there was no reason for the underside of the tank to have been modified.

(P.s. The 'D' on the foil can't be for 'Desmo' because, as can be seen from the cam cover, the engine isn't a desmo . In fact, the first desmo road bikes didn't appear until 1968).

Edit
Woops! I see Hans got there first !

[KarstenH]

Hello Hans,

you are right - no desmo!
But with teh tanks
- the first series had symmetric undersides (very expensiv if you need one)
- later models have got the asymmetric undersides
- at last the Mach 1 got as extra the manual deformation.

Karsten

[Moto Chuck]

Welcome to the forum.

You have a good start there but still have a lot of parts collecting to do if all you have is what is in the pictures.

Interesting frame with the Mark 3 tool box mounting tabs but not the rearset mounts. Still for a 1965 that is probably correct.

[Ventodue]

Interesting frame with the Mark 3 tool box mounting tabs but not the rearset mounts. Still for a 1965 that is probably correct.

Hmmm...

I still lean towards early/mid-1964.

1. The numbers correspond with Ian Falloon's advice.
2. There is blue paint underneath the red over-coats. Blue wasn't used on 1965 Mark 3s. To quote Tom Bailey, talking about the 1965 Mark 3, "We never saw any with that paint scheme".
3. This bike has both a SSI 27 carb and the gas tank that goes with this carb. This is correct for 1964 Mark 3s. In 1965, the larger SSI 29 and its tank were fitted.
4. Even if Mach 1s weren't offically imported into the States, 1965 Mark 3s were fitted with Mach 1 engines. And these engines have Mach 1 engine numbers. This bike doesn't.

Plus:
5. This bike has the lugs for the passenger footrests. Apparently, these disappeared during 1964 - and did not feature on the 1965 bikes.

Thoughts?