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Riding Craig Hunley’s 1978 Ducati 900 Darmah Part 1
Written by: Neale Bayly   
06/01/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
“When God invented roads He painted an invisible line of perfection. Then He invented Ducati motorcycles to follow it.” (Photo: Neale Bayly) » More Photos

Stepping off my good friend’s 1978 Ducati 860 GTS shod with Pirelli Phantoms, Marzocchi shocks, and Conti pipes, after an idyllic thrash along one of my favorite English country roads, I exclaimed, “When God invented roads He painted an invisible line of perfection. Then He invented Ducati motorcycles to follow it.” The year was 1982, and it is still a statement we talk about when I am home in England reminiscing about the good old days with the boys.

Swooping along North Carolina’s unbelievable Highway 181 chasing a bright red Cagiva Gran Canyon, I have once more found this perfect line. It has taken me two days and nearly 500 miles in the saddle to adjust my mental database of riding techniques for the Italian machine beneath me. The bike has a long wheelbase, skinny touring tires, and stiffly sprung shocks, which appear to be working against the softly sprung front fork. The rake and trail feel more like a chopper than a sport bike, and the front brake lever requires the hand strength and span of a gorilla. It also rewards the user with very little braking power. But listening to the Conti pipes booming on full noise, accompanied by the sound of the barely filtered Delorttos inhaling gobs of mountain air on an open throttle, none of this matters. Sending shivers down my spine as it snorts and spits when I let the heavy throttle springs drop the slides, the sound of the unburned fuel backfiring
in the pipes is sending me into a euphoric state of bliss.

Running at the corners with a manic grin, the trick is to leave the front brake alone to eliminate any fork dive. Just roll off the gas, pull in the clutch, and give the throttle a quick blip before dropping a gear and getting hard on the rear. This combination of engine braking and rear brake pads is enough to lose the speed needed for most corners. It is best to stay on the rear brake to keep things settled, before using the bars to lever the lazy front end in the direction we are headed. It also takes a healthy amount of body English to get us turned, but as soon as the job is done, I recite my mantra, throttle, throttle, throttle, to remind myself to get back on the gas quickly while letting off the brake. Any delay here sees the bright red Cagiva pulling a larger gap. Running up to my self imposed 6K red line, it’s time to snatch a clutch less up-shift, before tucking in behind the clocks as we head for the next bend. Out on the near deserted mountain road, it is magical to have found the way to communicate with Craig Hunley’s immaculate 1978 Ducati Darmah and extremely gratifying to see how much he appreciates me riding his bike so hard.

See the Ducati Photos

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