AS NEW: REVIVING A DUCATI MIKE HAILWOOD REPLICA

[DEADPOOL]

Catastrophically ugly machine. Thank goodness for Massimo Tamburini.

That’s possibly your most contentious post....

The 916 was/is undoubtedly one of the best looking bikes that has ever been made and possibly ever will.

The MHR is an ugly monstrosity and anyone who can't/won't see that, probably thinks the old slab sided gixxer is also a paragon of beauty.

I appreciate that Ducati thing did turn up late 70's so it was "ahead of the game". I am also still in awe of a chap ike Mike Hailwood, the likes of which we'll never see again. But that does not excuse this machine for being so hideous. Not then and not now.

[weeksy]

Catastrophically ugly machine. Thank goodness for Massimo Tamburini.

That’s possibly your most contentious post....

The 916 was/is undoubtedly one of the best looking bikes that has ever been made and possibly ever will.

The MHR is an ugly monstrosity and anyone who can't/won't see that, probably thinks the old slab sided gixxer is also a paragon of beauty.

I appreciate that Ducati thing did turn up late 70's so it was "ahead of the game". I am also still in awe of a chap ike Mike Hailwood, the likes of which we'll never see again. But that does not excuse this machine for being so hideous. Not then and not now.

You accept that makes you about 1-10000 motorbike fans?

[asmethurst99]

I remember seeing one in front of Zak's in Norwich one Sunday afternoon ....more an oddity than anything else (84 ish)

[Pirahna]

Thats a high value garage there. I've always thought of a MH replica to be a 900SS in a different froc and slightly more affodable.

It was affordable at the time. We became friends as apprentices in 1979. The 900SS was his dad's, bought when it was a couple of years old. The Le Mans was also bought by his dad in 1984, he loaned it to me for a day and 2 weeks later I had my own, you could pick them up for around a grand for a decent one. The Hailwood my friend bought a year or so later, I'm guessing 1985, he paid a couple of grand for it, so an expensive bike even then. The full fairing was irreplaceable so he had a 900SS half fairing sprayed to match.

Both the Ducati's have been fully restored and are mint. The Guzzi is tidy but usable. I was trying to talk his dad into selling it to me a couple of years ago but my mate gave his old man some money for it instead.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'm pretty non plussed by the looks of this Ducati too

I feel the same about most 70's and 80's bikes to be fair. Prior to that they were the classic "chrome and wire wheels" kind of thing, from the early 90's onwards they actually had some curves etc. In the middle they're just slab sided leaden blocks to my eyes

[DEADPOOL]

You accept that makes you about 1-10000 motorbike fans?

Hmm. 1:10 000. An interesting choice of number.

...and you're not wrong.

[demographic]

Must admit that I'm not a fan of the look of that Mike Hailwood Rep bike either.

The 851, hell yes.
The 916? Yeah but slightly less, mostly cos they got kind of common.
900 Superlight? Aye, nice.

Hailwood? Kind of before my time and doesnt really get me going.

Like I said, its the bikes we saw at an impressionable age that some of us still lust atter. That Hailwood bike was never on my radar so its kind of not now either.