2020-01-01_Motorcycle_Trader

100 MOTORCYCLETRADER

MACH TO MARK
Even with a more powerful alternator
(from 40 Watts to 60), the electrics
remained a cause for concern, with
the six-volt 25W headlight providing
illumination little better than a candle.
But with quality Marzocchi suspension
front and rear, a modest 116kg dry weight,
and a short 1350mm wheelbase, the Mach
1 could more than hold its own in the
handling department.
The brakes were generously
proportioned drums, a 180x35mm on the
front and 160x30mm on the rear, and the
wheels 18-inch with steel rims. These
components were shared with other 250cc
Ducati singles, but the Mach 1 was the
only one with a red frame and a wildly
optimistic 240km/h Veglia speedometer.
The 250 Mach 1 was fast and handled
well, but the big 29mm carb and high
compression contributed to difficult
starting and troublesome low-speed
running. This was ultimately the Mach 1’s
downfall as by the mid-1960s the Japanese
were beginning to produce 250s that were
equally fast, but were easier to start and
more user-friendly.
The Mach 1 continued through 1966
before another Mark 3 replaced it. It
shared the same highly tuned engine but

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Get this book:

The book of the Ducati overhead

camshaft singles

Ellery.com.au/shop/the-

book-of-the-ducati-overhead-

camshaft-singles

A good Facebook group:

Facebook.com/groups/

ducatisingles

One of the best sites

for Ducati singles:

LaceyDucati.co.uk/ducati-parts

Another site devoted

to Ducati singles:

ClassicDucati.com

A forum with technical

information:

MotoScrubs.com

this new Mark 3 was now less of a café

racer and more mainstream in style.

Ducati was already looking towards

its new wide-case singles, some with

desmodromic valve gear, and time was up

for the fragile and delicate narrow-case

singles. Now, more than 50 years later,

the 250 Mach 1 has garnered cult status.

Rare and beautiful, this was Ducati’s most

outstanding production bike of the 1960s

and it epitomises the best of the overhead

camshaftDucatisportingsingle.

Collectables

The Mach 1 could more

than hold its own in the

handling department

ABOVE The touring version

featured a dual seat,

semi-ape-hanger

handlebars and a black

frame. Pillion ’pegs

must’ve run off the

shock-absorber bolts.

MACH 1

DUC

ATI (^250)