CALIFORNIA HOT ROD: The V-twin Ducati that made the brand in America in the 1970s

Comments · 83

• RS

  @rsquitieri4057 · 1 year ago

  If you really do have the Cycle Archives please print a special edition of all the articles in one place to buy again. Please Please. a truly great story.

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• RI

  @RichardCochran-t6t · 1 year ago

  After reading the articles in Cycle about Ducati twins I bought a 750GT in &nbsp;February 1975. I fell in love with Ducatis in general and my GT in particular putting over 75,000 miles on it. I followed the California Hot Rod articles with a passion. In 1981 when going to the TT races at the Isle of Man, I took a side trip to visit and tour the factory in Bologna. It was quite possibly the closest I’ve ever come to a religious experience. I too vote for making those articles available again perhaps as .pdfs we could download. <br>Thanks again for the great video.

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• TO

  @TomStratis · 1 year ago

  Wow, does this bring &nbsp;back memories! &nbsp;I read all the stories about the build, &nbsp;especially remembering the hand fit transmission gears. Then I watched Cook ride to the win watching from the stands with my brother in Daytona.

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• SN

  @snappers_antique_firearms · 1 year ago

  As a 20 year old kid right out of basic training i still remember the first time i saw a ducati in person. It was a 1098 just after Launch. I never have fallen in love with a bike so deeply. After the many years it took to get one. Its still one of my favorite things i own.

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• MO

  @mosesadk454 · 1 year ago

  I remember following the development of the bike &nbsp;in Cycle magazine as a teenager. I &nbsp;remember they received a factory racing gearset that had to be filed and shimed . They decided to have an indy car gear supplier custom make a new transmission. I had to have a Ducati and bought one in 1979 . 1968 Mark 3 , I still have it.

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• DE

  @Dee-xm4jb · 1 year ago

  I went to work for a Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Norton dealership &nbsp;in 1978 that was supported by their Volvo and Subaru franchises. Within six months I went from never owning a motorcycle to buying a used Ducati 860GT. What a way to learn to ride. After watching my first road race at Summit Point I was hooked, bought a competition license and as a novice with virtually no training learned to ride a motorcycle while racing open superbike. Since then I’ve always been a Ducati fan meeting Jimmy Adamo and Reno Leoni at the races. Thank you Mark and Kevin for this fantastic documentary as I met Kevin and Cook at the Simeone Museum and while speaking with Cook I asked him what was done with the Ducati to make it so competitive. His reply was “everything”. I was somewhat stunned by his answer, and my bad for not having read the published California Hot Rod articles back in the day. To his credit and Cycle World’s objective to tell it like it is, “everything” was the appropriate reply. Thank you Mark and Kevin for these awesome podcasts!

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• DU

  @dukecraig2402 · 1 year ago

  The story of Jerry Branch is unbelievable, all the way back to when he was the service manager back in the 50&apos;s at Memphis Harley Davidson, he always felt bad for a local kid with a little 2 stroke Harley that was always broken that he&apos;d fix for free to help him out in the alley behind the dealership, the kids name was Elvis.

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• RO

  @rosabaker7266 · 1 year ago

  Another vote for publishing the old Cycle stuff, especially the superbike shootout from 69 and the Suzuki TR750 story with engine details… and maybe an audio book version of The Duct Tapes.

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• DR

  @drgallup · 1 year ago

  Cycle was absolutely my favorite motorcycle magazine. &nbsp;I started reading it about 1968 as a young teenager. &nbsp;I bought one of those early &apos;83 VF750F. &nbsp;Rode it until &apos;06 when I got a 1050 Speed Triple.<br><br>Cobo Hall Detroit, I went to a number of SAE shows there. &nbsp;Why did they always hold them in January or February? <br><br>We should be able to award more than a thumbs up. &nbsp;I&apos;ve watched all these videos and this is absolutely one of the best.

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• MA

  @markwatkins5416 · 1 year ago

  I remember the California Hot Rod articles. The bike and its creators really embody the spirit motorcycling. I love reading more about the struggle than the triumph. Love the podcast!

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• MA

  @markbrown-us4xe · 1 year ago

  The way I fell in love with Ducati, was working on other brands first.<br>All the good things are on the inside.<br>These are the best stories from people who were there.<br>Thanks again.

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• JA

  @Jay-q2f9v · 1 year ago

  Great memories of those times - could not wait until the next issue arrived at my door - learned much from the staff at that magazine - great stuff and thank you

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