MAY
What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday of your GT750 than to ride it back to the factory that built it? Will Suttie describes how he and brother Jim took their bevel and belt-driven Ducatis down to Bologna on the trip of a lifetime
Words & photography WILL & JIM SUTTIE
May ASI Moto show: May 3-5, Varano Racetrack , Italy
The problem with setting dates in the distant future is that suddenly they’re right on top of you. Or they are with me. My brother Jim and I had decided four years ago to mark the 50th birthday of his round-case Ducati 750GT by riding from Devon to the Bologna factory in 2024. Plenty of time to get his GT and my 1993 900SS ready for the trip – or so we thought.
Jim went the traditional route of a patient and painstaking restoration over the years, gradually ironing out gripes and improving finish. Electronic ignition was fitted (of course), an engine rebuild done (no surprise there), plus there was a wheel and spoke rebuild, multiple bits of re-chroming and even a bit of garage lathe work.
In theory, my 900SS should have required far less effort... but eight years working abroad and a leaking garage roof put paid to that. It went in taxed and MoT’d and came out a disaster. I changed the belts, oil, filters, fuel pump and brake fluid, flushed the tank and bodged the leaky clutch – but it was crying out for a proper rebuild.
Luckily, someone recommended Steve Hillary of Red Max Speedshop (and former Doctor Desmo) fame, who did an amazing job. He says it’s a refurbishment, not a full restoration – I didn’t want a show bike, but a reliable runner on a budget, with just enough to make it special (eg those gorgeous gold wheels).
Final preps: new pistons
It’s June 2024, a month before the Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Santander crossing, and we’re flapping. Jim’s decided that a last-minute piston change and rebore is in order and I’m worried that days hunched over the 900SS’s clip-ons will do for my dodgy neck, so I’m trying to raise them even further. A doctor once told me that beer is an excellent muscle relaxant, so maybe that’s the answer...
But I’m panicking unnecessarily, because Steve at Red Max has done a superb job. The 900SS has been fully stripped and the wiring loom removed. We decided to keep the original frame paint, treating any isolated rust encountered. The engine was bead-blasted, but the forks were corroded beyond repair and I eventually sourced the correct replacements on eBay, along with a seat and front wheel.
It was one of Steve’s back-burner projects, done while I was away working – but with his keen eye on the detail, a transformation gradually took place. The calipers were refurbished by Powerhouse in Chesterfield and completed with stainless hoses. Starter motor cables were upgraded and a nasty dent in the tank was filled, colour matched and painted to an amazing standard by Joeby’s Airbrush Art in Somerset. This probably doesn’t describe 10% of the work carried out, but hopefully illustrates the process.
The engine internals seemed fine. I’d only put 16,250 miles on it since new and the crankcases had never been split, so we peered into the cylinders with a boroscope and tested the compression. All was well.
Riding the SS for the first time after its refurbishment was a real treat. I’m always surprised by it, even when I’ve been riding more powerful bikes. It just feels fast, exciting, light and precise – plus, of course, there’s that soundtrack. Or, as Hunter S Thompson put it, in his 1995 Cycle World test ride: “It’s not just fast, it’s responsive and it will do amazing things,” further noting: “From 4000 to 6000 in third will take you from 75mph to 95 in two seconds – and after that, Bubba, you still have fourth, fifth and sixth. Ho, ho.” I’m not so sure about his numbers, but you get the idea.
Ducati DNA from two eras
As for the 750GT – celebrated on CB’s July 2020 cover, no less – it was Ducati’s first superbike and widely credited as ‘Taglioni’s game-changer that saved Ducati’. As the original ’70s owner’s manual says: ‘Dear Sir, we feel sure you will not fail to appreciate the magnificent performance of Ducati motorcycles.’
Jim bought this one for £500 in 1984 when he was at art school, so has known it for 40 of its 50 years. Like me, he was hooked on bikes by our much-loved late dad, whose enthusiasm for the TT and his Norton, Velocette, Guzzi and Francis-Barnett machines was – and is – an inspiration.
Comparing our two Ducatis is interesting. In fact, they’ve got a lot in common: design philosophy, air cooling and two-valve heads (albeit with different actuation mechanisms), for example. Plus they share a component – the rocker cover gasket (part number 0755.92.295). Personally, I’d like both – but definitely can’t afford a GT these days, so I must learn to prioritise.
Jim planned the route to put the bikes on the type of roads where they belong. We’d take the ferry to northern Spain, ride through the Pyrenees, then skirt the pricey Riviera for some national park scenery. The return from Bologna would take us over the alps to Zürich, then back across central France to the Atlantic coast and Brittany. We had six days outbound to the factory to make our appointment with the museum, who seemed keen to meet the 750GT (they even asked for its chassis numbers in preparation for our arrival).
The journey begins
And we’re off. It’s amusing riding behind the GT, watching the number of car drivers who check it out – because of what? The black and silver plate? Jim’s white open-face and leather jacket giving an old-school rocker vibe? Or, most likely, the noise? Whatever, it’s not as inconspicuous as Jim thinks.
After a smooth sailing, some IPA and whale spotting, we arrive in Spain at lunchtime with 175 miles to our first stop at the amazing Hostal Rural in Lorca, Navarra. So far, so good. The next day, up in the Pyrenees on the N260 the ride really begins, with blue skies, corners and tunnels tracking the steep-sided river valleys.
I savour the GT’s booming Contis in the tunnels as we climb through the tree line and up into the snow pole zone. It’s a magnificent road, winding its way through Catalunya towards Andorra and ultimately on to Figueres and the Mediterranean coast. We spend the night in a sleepy village, Serroca de Bellera, and continue the N260 fun the next morning, eventually leaving it to cross into France.
As with any longer trip, it takes a few days to find your rhythm, sort the luggage and, in our case, let the bikes prove they’re not about to explode. They start easily, run faultlessly all day and just require the occasional chain lube and top-up of oil. Jim starts each day with a plug check, but it proves unnecessary. We wonder – is this the only bevel-drive Ducati touring Europe in the summer of 2024?
I try to remind myself each day that this is it. After all the imagining, this is the reality and I need to drink it all in. I get accustomed to following that black-and silver plate or seeing his familiar silhouette in my vibey mirrors. It’s heavenly.
Into France and on to Italy
Our cruising speeds aren’t quite compatible, though. At 5000rpm, the 750GT is doing about 65mph, which is just short of what I need to be at the low end of sixth gear on the SS. If we’re cruising, I’m bouncing from fourth to fifth to sixth. Jim says the GT feels like it would easily handle one less tooth on the rear sprocket for future trips.
We push on through France. There’s a heatwave and it’s rammed with tourist traffic, so we re-route to some toll roads to get in some miles and head for higher ground. At the last stop in France, we meet an Italian couple on a KTM who quiz us about the bikes and destination. We explain the factory pilgrimage and suddenly the woman’s eyes light up and she says: “I understand – they’re returning to mother”. She’s spot on.
We ride on, taking the D900 through the low Alps to the Italian border. With a fading summer evening sun lighting our way and the sound of the Dukes bouncing off the hillsides as we carve round corner after corner, it feels like all the effort is worthwhile. This is what we came for. What a road! Even the pain in my neck and shoulders doesn’t feel too bad.
We cross the border into Italy for the descent to Boves and Jim later claims the GT runs better the instant it’s on Italian soil. We eventually stop at a small family-run hotel where we’re presented with the largest ice-cold bottles of Moretti I’ve ever experienced, and one of the best dinners of the trip. Everything this afternoon and evening is falling seamlessly into place. Plus there’s only one more day’s riding to Bologna. There’s a good chance we’re actually going to make it. We’re on a high.
Another blisteringly hot day greets us – we stop every 120 miles for fuel, but every 60 for water, eventually rolling into Piazza Maggiore in Bologna at about 4pm. It’s a pedestrian zone, but our hotel assures us we can ride in – a few locals look up from their café terrace drinks, but there’s no comment at a couple of old Ducatis burbling by. Nobody minds. We have 1231 faultless miles under our belts and an appointment at the factory the next morning. Time for another Moretti...
Triumphant welcome
Arriving at the Ducati factory the next morning, we’re shown into the car park and discover we’re the only 20th century bikes in there. We meet the museum’s curator, Livio Lodi, who gives us a fascinating private tour of the museum. He proudly shows us a Paso that’s the actual one he assembled when he started working at the factory in the ’80s. It’s an amazing story and a fitting end to the journey.
We chat to more Ducati staff who come to look at the bikes – and we even get invited back for the 2026 100th anniversary celebrations. Now there’s a thought – but in the meantime, we need to ride home...
How the bikes fared
On pottering days, the 900SS used virtually no oil. Thrashing through mountains in the 5000-8000rpm fun zone required a daily check. In total, it used 1.5 litres of 10W-40 semi synthetic ( just over half a litre per 1000 miles). Perhaps it’s time to check the oil control rings, but no desperate hurry. The 750GT’s new 81mm Ross Racing pistons and 1mm oversize rebore (bringing it to 766cc) only used half a litre of Motul Classic 20W-50 – a testament to the fine work of Exeter Engineering.
There were only a few minor problems with the bikes. The GT750’s numberplate came loose, and its headlight bulb failed and was replaced. One of the 900SS’s fairing bolts was lost (and fixed with a cable tie). Its front brake light switch failed and blew a fuse, so I disconnected the switch and changed the fuse and rear bulb. That’s it.
ASI Moto show May 3-5
This track-based event is a bit of an overlooked treasure. It’s organised by the Automotoclub Storica Italiano at the Verano circuit, near Parma, between Bologna and Milan. This will be its 25th running, with bikes from 1918 all the way through to those from the 2000s on display in the paddock, as well as being demonstrated on track. Expect celebrity ex-racers to be riding, too. Obviously, this being Italy, the catering is decent and the best bit is that its free for spectators. Ride down, or fly to Milan or Bologna and rent a car. Or a bike. You can book track sessions, too. asifed.it