Hey guys i am going to need major help

[amsterdam]

Hello all members of DUCATI.MS
I am new to motorcycles and forums so i am going to need some help. I have just inherited a 1967 Ducati motorcycle from my dad. The bike is not in good shape and i want to restore it back to its original state. So please help me achieve this by voicing your opinion on what i need to do to it. I hope i got the pics up. Can someone please tell me what model this bike is, any other information that applies to it. please help

[Eldert]

Hi

your bike is a 160 cc Monza junior

Eldert

[remery]

Nice bike, good luck, lots of replica parts available these days at places like Classic Ducati, Guzzino and Bevel Heaven. My 350 [posted somewhere] was in similar condition when I purchased it and it came out real nice.

[shat]

Originally Posted by amsterdam

Hello all members of DUCATI.MS
I am new to motorcycles and forums so i am going to need some help. I have just inherited a 1967 Ducati motorcycle from my dad. The bike is not in good shape and i want to restore it back to its original state. So please help me achieve this by voicing your opinion on what i need to do to it. I hope i got the pics up. Can someone please tell me what model this bike is, any other information that applies to it. please help

You are in a tough situation. Because this bike was your dad's, you are understandably motivated to do it justice (and be proud of your work in the end).

However, as you say, you are new to motorcycles and are therefore presently disadvantaged by a lack of knowledge/experience in an effort to do your best.

As has been stated, spares and reproduction parts are available for the 160 (as it shares both 250 and Bronco bits) but when it's all said and done, you will have spent time and money on a project that has a high probability of turning out as a disappointment for two reasons:

1. As you have admitted, you are not familiar with bikes and therefore may or may not be familiar with general mechanical/cosmetic refurbishment at large. and

2. The model and year you have inherited is probably the least collectable Ducati bevel-drive twin ever produced and therefore must be restricted from any rational trade off economically. But, as this is a project who's roots are based on respect and honor of your dad, this is not an improtant factor.

Having said all this, my recommendation to you is to hone your skills and improve you knowledge base on another bike, i.e. a Ducati 250 which you'll find are plentiful, shares much with your primary undertaking and will probably yield a greater ROI (Return On Investment - of both time and money) and then take up your father's momento. Once this warm-up project is finished, you will have benefited from what you will have learned and, if you decide to sell it, you'll have contributed to your dad's Monza Jr. war chest.

I offer this based on my own experience with bikes and also cars I've taken on in my life. While some here may not agree, believe me, to make this project a meaningful one, one that you'll be proud of, some prior planning/experience will prove most valuable in the end.

Steve

[DesmoDog]

I'd agree with most of what Steve said, though I don't think ANY bevel Ducati is a good way to learn mechanical skills... buy an old Honda CBwhatever and screw that up, it'll be cheaper. And do not think of it as an investment. Project bikes are HORRIBLE investments. There is no return on investment to speak of, other than experience.

Before I forget, DO NOT take ANY of it apart before you have a shop manual. If you think a manual is too expensive, do not attempt to rebuild this bike. You will also need a parts manual, you can find that online though I think having a hard copy works better.

Now you need to do is take a very realistic look at the resources you have. That includes time, money, space, tools, skills, and local help available.

Some things to consider;
Do you have any mechanical experience/skills?
What tools are available to you?
How much are you willing to spend on this?
Do you have the time to spend on the project?
Do you have the space to work on it?

Someone with zero mechanical skills is going to be incredibly frustrated trying to learn on that bike. Unless you have a skilled friend with the patience of Job this project does not have a high probability of success if it's your first exposure to things mechanical.

You will not able able to rebuild this with a crescent wrench and a set of allen wrenches. What sort of access do you have to tools? Looking at the service manual will give you an idea of what sort of tools you will need.

How much money are you willing to spend on this? The pictures aren't much to go by but off the top of my head I'd say you will EASILY have $3000 into that bike and that's if you do most of the work yourself. Now, some people will likely jump and and say you can do it for much less than that. Maybe it can be done, but I doubt it, and not in a any way that I would consider to be a "restoration". I'm guessing the engine needs a complete rebuild. There goes what, $1000? New bearings, crank rebuild, new piston and rings if the current one is stuck, boring for the new piston. Are the valves and guides shot? It all adds up.

What kind of time frame are you envisioning for it? First project, that far gone, wanting to do a decent job, not knowing anything about bikes in general or Ducatis specifically... easily three years of work. My first bevel (A 750 twin) took over three years and I've got a ton of mechanical experience. (Plus a real job and a life outside of bikes) I've been working on my 160 for over 5 years now but it's just one of many irons I have in the fire.

What sort of workspace do you have? You'll be surprised how much space the bike will take up when you start pulling it apart and working on the various bits.

Finally, rebuilding this bike will NEVER make sense financially. You WILL lose a money on it if you restore it and then try to sell it. Same holds for a 250 or most any other Ducati single you might find for sale.

There are a lot of reasons to restore a bike like that. Making money or getting into a bike cheaply are NOT good reasons to buy a project. I have to disagree with Steve here, a warm up project will not contribute money to anything, it will cost you even more money (and time!) but it would provide an education, so I'm not saying it would be a waste.

EDIT: I don't mean to completely rain on your parade, the bike can be rebuilt. A TRUE restoration wouldn't be easy - some parts for that bike are no longer available. You'd need to go into the project with your eyes wide open. I'm thinking that maybe this doesn't really answer your question... you never said if you wanted to do the work yourself or farm some/most/all of it out. Without knowing anything about your resources it's hard to say what you should do . The answer could range anywhere from "send the bike and about $10,000 to Rich Lambrechts and wait a year" to "Buy a shop manual, a decent digital camera, and a can of Kroil. Put Kroil on every bolt you can see, Take a bunch of pictures, re-apply Kroil to every bolt you can see, put the pictures on a Picassa account, and get back to us..."

[shat]

Well said Craig.

[TheDucnutOfBevelville]

Very well said Craig. good advice.