Engine Number DM450461275
Registration Number NP-869
I bought this one new in 1973. It was a beautiful machine. As small as a 250 but with a bigger motor.
It used to average about 90mpg, so was really cheap to run. My mate(500 Suzuki) and I would often skip Uni lectures and visit our girlfriends up the north coast. If we didn't have any money for petrol, we'd pour the petrol out of his tank into mine and ride two-up. His used to cost twice as much to run. We both rode down to the Murray River, and every petrol stop he'd pay double.
The bike had one of Ducati's first attempts at electronic ignition, but after about 2000km I replaced it with the older points & coil. It was a much more docile machine to start after that. On the Murray trip, we rode back to Brisbane overnight, and not far out of Sydney, I noticed that the dip switch was getting "spongy". Suddenly I am riding around a curve without lights. The switch had melted! I had to ride the next 200k's on the tail of my mate, until dawn. I rewired the bike completely after that, using Japanese switches. Since then, no worries!
The bike had brake drums (single leading shoe) on both sides of the hub. They would have to be the best brakes I have ever used. One time I wasn't paying attention and a car stopped suddenly in front. When I stood on the brakes, I had the full weight of my girlfriend behind me because she couldn't hold on. Another friend who owned a Kawasaki 900 also had one time when he was on my bike and had to brake hard. He reckons that if he'd been on the Kwaka he'd have hit the car.
The bike had the gearshift on the right (1up & 4down) & rear brakes on the left. This was the opposite pattern to Japanes bikes. One time another friend was riding my bike down a steep hill onto Moggill Rd (a major road in Brisbane). When he went to brake, he pressed the right pedal down, which shifted up a gear instead of slowing down. My recollections are of him hitting the traffic island, being thrown into the air (luckily still holding the handlebars), and eventually coming to a stop in a park on the other side of the road. We can both laugh about it now. Could have easily been fatal!
I sold the bike when I bought the 750 Ducati. It went through one owner quickly. It now lives with its third owner in Melbourne (in pieces).