Introduction and question about Diana Sprocket Flange (Carrier)

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Rob5000
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Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Introduction and question about Diana Sprocket Flange (Carrier)

Postby Rob5000 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:46 pm

double diamond wrote:Robert,

The engine number should be only 5 digits. Maybe you got an extra "0" in there? At any rate, if it's 80619, that's a very early engine number. Curious that the full year number is stamped. Usually the last digit of the year was left for the dealer to stamp, which they usually didn't do. So the foil tags would show "196" as the year.

Harry's Motorcycles in Denver was a well established dealership when they took on the Ducati line. They must have been successful with Ducati, seems like many bevel singles show up in the area. Unfortunately, Harry's closed several years ago when the neighborhood where the shop was located gentrified. Don't feel too bad, the parts you need were long gone by then.

Additional pictures before you start to disassemble would be welcome!

Matt


Opps! My mistake.

Indeed, the number is "80619"

Guess the dealer stamped this one, as it definitely has the full year.

Please see pics attached.

Robert

PS - RE: gentrification...yeah - lots of Denver is going that way. Not that I can complain too much, sold a house last year for quite a bit more than I payed for it 10 years earlier.
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Rob5000
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Introduction and question about Diana Sprocket Flange (Carrier)

Postby Rob5000 » Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:47 pm

...oh will certainly be taking more pics as I go along. Took a few bits off when I got it home, but mostly together at this stage.

ajleone
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Location: Pittsford, NY
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Re: Introduction and question about Diana Sprocket Flange (Carrier)

Postby ajleone » Tue Jan 09, 2018 2:01 am

Hey Robert,
Wow, what a great find. Good for you as you have a very early, very rare Diana. I might suggest you buy Tom Bailey’s books as he has some great insight into different approaches for restoration. There are links to his site from mine (coolitalianbikes). I did a frame-up Reston on my early Diana and regret it. I think a more conservative “preservation” restoration would have been a better choice. But to each his own. The rims, spokes, hubs, tank, seat are all difficult to find these days. Laos, your head should have the shimmed rocker arms, again very rare.
Tony

Rob5000
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Introduction and question about Diana Sprocket Flange (Carrier)

Postby Rob5000 » Tue Jan 09, 2018 3:23 am

ajleone wrote:Hey Robert,
Wow, what a great find. Good for you as you have a very early, very rare Diana. I might suggest you buy Tom Bailey’s books as he has some great insight into different approaches for restoration. There are links to his site from mine (coolitalianbikes). I did a frame-up Reston on my early Diana and regret it. I think a more conservative “preservation” restoration would have been a better choice. But to each his own. The rims, spokes, hubs, tank, seat are all difficult to find these days. Laos, your head should have the shimmed rocker arms, again very rare.
Tony


Thank you for responding, Tony.

At Matt's suggestion, I searched around and found you site. Looks like you have a pair of Dianas. I might suggest that we are all our own worst critics, as the bikes you restored look to have been completed with care and attention. I know whenever I look at (or think about) any bike I've restored I focus, laser-like, on what I felt were the weakest parts of the project.

As this is my first Ducati, and I purchased it with almost no knowledge of the brand, having done mostly Japanese machines in the past, I mis-judged what this machine was. Non-Desmo. Not a Mark III. I really had no idea what I bought.

So I figured, oh well, nothing special here...lets do a little cafe racer. Should have dug deeper, earlier, as I've had and have a other first year, or otherwise rare bikes ('73 Kawi Z1, '67 Honda SL175, '80 Kawi' Z1R...).

Having realized my mistake, your suggestion of a "preservation" technique is a good one, I reckon. Will check out Tom Bailey's book, and will be proceeding on the idea of keeping this as close to original as I can.

Got some work ahead. As mentioned in a previous post, this machine looks like it was a farm bike, and treated as such. Have most of the original parts, but missing quite a few bits and some, like the speedo, rims and muffler are DOA.

Robert


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