This superb 1972 Ducati 750 Sport is an icon from the golden era of factory café racers. This is an early model with Z-stripe orange and black paint scheme and the optional factory fairing, and it was tuned by Reno Leoni. The 750 Sport was an unapologetic street racer with a 125 MPH top speed, superb handling, vibration-free power, a glorious exhaust note from those Conti megaphones and simply gorgeous to boot. The Sport configuration meant this model came standard with clip-on handlebars, rearset footrests, a bump-stop saddle complementing the long, slim fuel tank over narrowed frame top rails, Borrani flanged alloy rims, twin Lockheed disc brakes up front, 34mm Dell’Orto “pumper” carbs, close-mounted speedo and tach, and a kicked-up exhaust. That’s a lot of difference between the sports-touring 750GT model, which was itself an extraordinary motorcycle, and the Sport has a rabid following among collectors. Fabio Taglioni sketched out his first 90-degree “L-engine” as an engineering student in 1948, a 250cc 4-cylinder, and although the design was never made into metal, it was a spooky herald of the engine that would be indelibly associated with the man, as well as his greatest success story. Taglioni was hired away from FB Mondial in 1954 and immediately laid down the simple shaft-and-bevel OHC system for which Ducatis became best known, right through their last bevel-drive Mike Hailwood Mille twin of 1986. The cam-drive system was similar to the Velocette OHC “K” of 1925, which was copied by Norton in 1927, proving that if you want success, study the best. Taglioni knew multicylinders and a larger engine capacity were the future, and Ducati experimented with parallel twins and even (in an echo of his thesis sketch) a V-4 with 90-degree cylinder banks. In 1969, he designed and built four prototype engines, all 90-degree “L twins,” with valve operation from pushrod to single-cam and even a three-cam Desmo. It was decided to double-up Ducati’s single-cylinder engine, with two shaft-and-bevel single-OHC cylinder heads atop a shapely unit construction crankcase. The resulting engine was a case of first time right, and within 6 months, the prototype was blasting through the Bolognese hills, vexing all other motorcyclists who tried to catch it, including the new Honda fours, which were simply left in the dust on the twisty local roads. This prototype, with very little mechanical development, was slightly restyled, given disc brakes up front, and sold as the 750GT starting in 1971. The 750GT was a sales hit and spawned the 750 Sport, a perfect café racer, both of which were adored for their good looks, unflappable handling, total smoothness and broad spread of power. The 750GT and 750 Sport were masterpieces, and their racing brother, the 750SS, was elevated to the realm of the gods. The 750 Sport especially, with its stunning yellow/black paintwork, clip-ons, and Conti “silencers,” was among the best factory-built café racers in history and was an instant classic with a genuine 125 MPH top speed and an engine which could take a thrashing without falling to pieces, as it didn’t vibrate at all. The handling of the Sport was like a freight train, and the faster one rode, the more stable it became. S177 1972 DUCATI 750 SPORT
