Small, but perfectly formed
My apologies to readers whose interest is only really piqued by articles about powerful four-strokes from famous factories, because this time they’ll have to make do with two out of three. The Ducati 65 Sport may not totally live up to its ‘Sport’ title, but – unusually for an ultra-lightweight – it’s a four stroke and it’s an important stepping stone on the Bologna factory’s route to events like Mike Hailwood’s astonishing comeback victory in the 1978 TT, and even today their world-class racing exploits continue unabated.
None of that could have been foreseen, though, when motorcycle production started in the late-1940s. The family firm of Ducati – run by father Antonio and three sons – had been successful makers of electrical and military equipment since the 1920s, before suffering during the Second World War.
