The Odd Couple

By Keith May
(Originally appeared in Cycle World magazine)  


“Cycle World magazine says this DR200 is good for 68mpg.” I mentioned, casually pushing the diminutive play-bike out of the garage. “I doubt the Scrambler gets that,” my friend Barry Hathaway added, referring to the 1965 Ducati 250, he recently purchased at a Colorado bike auction for $1700 and now glistens pale-blue in the mid-morning light. “Amazing how far motorcycles have come. With similar displacement, this should be interesting.” Tentatively adding, “But let’s not stray too far from home.”

Barry was still getting acquainted with his little Ducky and we agreed a leisurely jaunt down Pacific Coast Highway would provide a good shakedown, hopefully finding some dirt for these two “dual-purpose” bikes along the way.

Throttles pinned, but unable to keep up with Hummers and Euro-sedans blasting down the coast, we pulled over to re-evaluate. Geared like RVs, but powered like MGs, we agreed both bikes were too under powered for public corridors and began searching for trails. Surrounded by sprawling coastal development, it was soon found. An unlocked gate revealed an empty lot of tractor-paths, craters and loose earth. Round and round, up and down, we played like children on a snow-day. Barry’s Scrambler jauntily going everywhere the DR could go. That’s actually not saying much. The DR struggles to pull a grown man over steep hills and lack of torque and a cramped riding position keep the rider much too honest. At (almost) six feet, straddling the tank is not an option and placing my ass far back in the saddle at least provided some leg room. And unless you’re Stretch Armstrong (or a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal), standing on the pegs is too far a reach to the handgrips. Nevertheless, getting dirty is a lot more fun than playing chicken on the highway.

Aside from briefly overheating, Barry’s Ducati performed surprisingly well, but was significantly slower than the bullet-proof DR200. With an optimistic top-speed of 60mph, that’s pretty slow. It’s the price you pay for 70 mpg. For those who enjoy speed limits, the DR is for you. Ditto the old Scrambler.

What the Ducati lacks in modern technology, however, it more than makes up for in simple character. At every stop, the little blue Scrambler received all the attention. From old men and young gals alike. Barry gleefully explaining the old Italian eccentricities. Rear brake and kick start on left, shifter on right, drum brakes front and rear, etc. The bright yellow DR was by comparison invisible and, aside from fuel-mileage, provides no talking points. Barry’s Scrambler even sounds more interesting. And purchased for half the price!

Like the DR, the Ducati is most comfortable on level, unpaved roads, side-streets and back-alleys. But the Ducati is also at home at biker swap-meets, vintage rallies and even honky-tonks. Pull up to a House of Blues on the DR? I don’t think so.

Like a proud Papa, Barry loves his new, old Ducati. Riding it and talking about it. (Don’t get him started) Proving, yet again, that the emotional connection a rider is rewarded with from a bike that needs more than gas is priceless.

But, then again, you can’t put a price on reliability, either.