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Anyone have any idea how many miles per gallon (or liters per 100 kilometers) I should expect from a Ducati Single?

Doing a ride this weekend and there is a 90 mile (145km) stretch without a fill station

The bike is a Mach 1 with a SS1 29D carb, Silentium exhaust, stock cam, road piston, and no significant other mods. Carb is reasonably tuned for air/fuel ratio. Relatively new wheel bearings

The manual says it has a 4+ gallon tank and gets 60 miles/gallon so I should be set?

Could be hilly roads, but I'm thinking anything over 25mpg should get me through... there is no way I'm under that right?

Ya I know, I know... the elephant in the room is the likelihood of going 90 miles without some mechanical failure

Your consumption will depend on the road conditions and what gear you ride in. You should not plod along in a high gear as that will destroy your big end. You should aim to keep your revs above 3000 and you are likely to spend a lot of time in 3rd gear ,this is particularly relevant to the Mach 1 which often has very high ratios. A Mach1 driven in 5th gear at the lowest speed it will comfortably pull is capable of 100 mpg but the cost of replacing a big end makes this irrelevant . If you are riding in a group on country roads and avoiding traffic i would expect you to get approx 60 mpg. When on a country rideout with a group and staying close to speed limits my 600 Norton managed over 100mpg , admittedly with a too weak mixture. I am still astonished by that although a period road ecconomy test also did that. Reliability should not be a problem although points can close up . In 1967 a Mach1 /Mark3 did around 600 laps at race speed for 24 hours with no breakdown . My Mark 3 has done 50 speedy laps of a race circuit and 50 days riding round the IOM with no mechanical issues.

Not as many with your little US gallons!
I reckon I get about 90mpg from my 175TS, Imperial gallons.

Hi, like all my bikes… fill it with fuel and carry a gallon strapped to the back…. Ride till it runs out then you will know it’s rough range….. put the gallon in the tank and ride home for a well deserved beer!

But then most of my suggestions end in ride home for a well deserved beer!

Dave

In the technical portion of this site there are some vintage Ducati promotional flyers. I think one of them boasted 85 mpg for the Diana. Seems in line with the figures suggested here.

Good luck! Sounds like a fun ride.

Best,

David

Well this puts my mind at ease for the 90 mile stretch, and thanks for the reminder on the big end, Bob. Third gear sounds about right for these country roads. Total ride is +/- 300 miles so I'm hoping for the best mechanically. I've been through it completely... Just not sure I could ever use enough Loc-Tite

I only found 2 things that repeatedly loosend off. The points screw and a rear engine / frame bolt . If high revs are used for long periods the big heavy inlet valve can hammer the valve seat and close up the valve lash a little especially after a valve job. Footrests can unscrew and fall off.It pays to carry a spare non soldered clutch nipple ,or wire it so it cant be lost. Consider a sheepskin seat cover !!.Fit an end of bar mirror. Book a massage for the end of the day.

Aye blaat!

My '74 450 MKIII, with a 32mm Amal and running 17:42 final gearing, sits happily at 55-60mph in 5th gear and returns approximately 70 - 80mpg (Imperial Gallons).

Enjoy your run.

Good health, BillR

Well, I never made it to the 90 mile stretch.

Eight minutes before my start time I noticed a pin hole leak at the back of my tank This added to the mileage stress but I went for it anyway.

Not too many miles in I lost spark and couldn't get it back by the side of the road. After getting trailered back, I spent the rest of the day putting JB Weld on the pin hole and chasing down the spark issue in the rain

Had it sorted by evening and did most of the race on Sunday. 130 miles if you include the ride back after I figured out I was running (mostly?) off the battery all day and was down to 4.5v. Stalling and had to bump-start to get the RPMs high enough to get it going again. I rode the hour back to the start through some amazing back roads with the RPMs way up as fast as I could go.

All in all a fun weekend considering.

Thanks as always for the advice!

Well done!