Motorcycle Mojo – September 2019

(C. Jardin) #1

Story by: Greg Williams


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lmost 25 years ago while on holiday in


the town of Sidney, B.C., Steve Tayler


was walking down a street when he


noticed an old motorcycle at rest behind


a dusty, unwashed window in a small commercial


building.


Tayler opened the door and stepped inside what


appeared to be a custom paint shop. He spoke to the


proprietor about the bike, which turned out to be a


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looking for an old Ducati, the motorcycle was for sale.


“I was aware of what a Ducati single is, thanks to


having been a reader of vintage motorcycle maga-


zines,” Tayler explains. “While this one was together,


it wasn’t running and it was in really rough condition.


“In fact,” he adds, “I’d say it was a wreck.”


Bought on a Whim


But that didn’t stop Tayler – who lives on a rural


property west of Calgary – from buying the Ducati.


He bought it on the spot, shipped the bike home and


promptly dismantled it. That’s when the research


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 39

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