Saying hi

[steveroyall]

Hello all,
A quick introduction to you all before I start taxing your brains.
My name is Steve Royall, living in Surrey UK. I got the Ducati bug when I was a much younger man. I'd always coveted a Ducati since one of the bigger boys at the local watering hole used to rock up on his black 900ss. Conti's roaring. I can still hear the engine ticking as it cooled down now.
I honestly thought it was the coolest thing I had seen in my life. Still do really.

Many years later, a week before my first child was born a work colleague of my wife turned up at our place on a 1983 silver 900ss. Still having the idle dream that I would one day own a 900ss, I off the cuff remarked would he give me first refusal. He laughed and said OK but he would never sell it.

Fortunately his wife eventually made an offer on a house they could not afford and he called and offered me the bike for 4K. (1992 prices)
It was the week my first child was due, so without consulting the wife I said yes as this is a once in a lifetime moment.
I used to go out at night to the garage where it was hiding to look at it thinking I was a really lucky bugger.

I eventually owned up that we actually had two babies now. She was surprisingly forgiving.

But fairy tales often don't come true and I was FORCED to sell the bike back to the original owner (I'd given him first refusal, saying I'd never sell it) for pretty much what I'd paid for it after the tax man came a chasing. My own fault.
I didn't miss the back, neck, arm and clutch hand ache though.

A few years on I was round a seedy flat of a friend of a friend and in his kitchen was a pile of boxes filled with various bits of bike. Poking out the top was 'Ducati' written on the back of a seat. I immediately went to work and eventually I wangled it off him not even knowing what it really was, assuming most of it was there for a few hundred quid. I was lucky there as it mostly was.

On inspection it was a 1974 250 SCR (pretty sure Spanish). The bevel gears were shattered, bits everywhere and strangely painted beige.
This was in the mid 90's and strangely enough managed buy a set over the counter from a shop in Colliers Wood. It was an eye watering price but I was committed to owning a Duke again. The quick and dirty restoration began.

She was back on the road in a month. And back off the road 6 months later.
The oldham coupling was not a tight enough fit and I ended up with horrid cam slap as the bevel shafts wore themselves away. I tried to get replacements but it was an impossible task. People had them but did not want to let them go, there was also no internet to broaden the search.
At that point she was retired and sat at the back of various sheds as we moved from place to place.

20 years later I found some bevel gears online and slowly began to rebuild the engine, hopefully properly this time.

I've been trying to get her running for the last couple of weeks after the engine rebuild and tonight, after a replacement coil, she came back to life for the first time in 20 years. 1st kick, engine sounding sweet.
I know she's not a Desmo, probably not made in Italy and she's a tad tired, but she's more than the sum of her rusty parts and is staying in the family now.

Speak soon
Steve

[graeme]

Hello Steve,

Good story, sounds very familiar.

The Scramblers are a good thing, comfortable and go and handle very well.
Good luck with it

Regards
Graeme

[Bevel bob]

Hi Steve. I am on the Surrey border so if you need any help feel free to ask. BOB.

[themoudie]

Aye Steve,

Welcome, all the best with your "Tentadora"! The wee story rings bells about my Ducati single ownership too.

Good health, Bill