Ciao bella! A chance meeting with a Ducati GTL
A few weeks ago while doing something completely unrelated to motorcycling I happened to spy this motorcycle sitting in a garage. Unfortunately, I was not able to get myself into a position to take a clean side photograph of it, this was the best I could do. After doing a quick search around the web it would seem that this is a Ducati GTL though whether it is a 350 or a 500, I do not know. With no one around to ask questions about the bike, I came away with nothing more than a few bad pictures and some very romantic daydreams of cruising along the Amalfi coast.
Any info would be appreciated!
Wow!…. I haven’t seen one of those in a while. I think that would be a 76 or 77 but it’s hard to tell the 350 from the 500…basically the same bike. They were an unloved detour in the Ducati story. Designed to be an inexpensive entry level machine, they never really sold that well. It had the classic Ducati look but mechanically, they were pretty unremarkable and not very reliable.
Substitute a classic Moto Guzzi for that day dream of yours )
Twin discs means it’s a 500 (only a single disc on the 350).
Designed under duress by Taglioni who really wanted nothing to do with it. Perceived wisdom is that the engine was pretty gutless, vibrated at lower revs (180 degeree pistons) and leaked oil (vertically split cases).
The later GTV was a much prettier bike thanks to a hasty restyle – but basically had the same problems.