Ducati desert dream
YET, DESPITE GEOGRAPHICAL AND chronological incongruity, one man, an IT consultant from North Yorkshire, has made it his life’s ambition to restore three Ducati scramblers to ride on the foggy, narrow lanes of God’s Own County. The machines include a standard RT desert racer and an RT ‘mongrel’ – a burnt-out, curious shell of a bike caked in dirt and heavily corroded.
But it’s the latter that really grabbed his attention and led Ray Dudding – a lifelong Ducati collector – on an epic investigative journey, one that takes in Cold War technology, political crises and arachnid-reptilian invaders.
Rachel Clegg tells the story...
One wonders how many of history’s baffling, bonkers endeavours are owing to that simple, fateful phrase, ‘what the hell!’ Certainly for Ray, ‘what the hell!’ sparked his monumental investigative mission into one of the most mysterious machines CBG has seen in years.
But that’s what restoration is. Yes, there’s the practical aspect: the plating, the cleaning, the upholstery; but to those who really care about staying true to a machine, restoration can be a paper-trail, a manhunt and a detective game.
At least, that’s the story of this machine, the 1974 (circa) Ducati Desmo Scrambler RT ‘mongrel’ – and it makes Watergate look like a walk in the park!
Ray recalls how it all began: “As a lifelong Ducati singles owner I have always been curious about the Ducati RT. Having enjoyed most of the other singles, once I saw one in the flesh I just had to have one.
As they are thin on the ground in the UK,
