Ducati 750 Paso
With Phil Aynsley
I briefly mentioned a few columns before – DB1 ‘base’ by Bimota – Massimo Tamburini was rushed to be recruited by Cagiva after they scrapped the design of Bimota that became DB1.
Thus, Tamburini was challenged not only with Cagiva’s first big new Ducati after they took over the company, but also to do it in the minimum time possible! The result was the Ducati 750 Paso, named after the late Renzo Pasolini, who was killed along with Jarno Saarinen, during the 250cc GP at Monza in 1973.
The design brief for a sophisticated bike continues Ducati’s sporting heritage while being more comfortable and practical than the Pantah. In addition, it must be cheaper to manufacture. He came up with a completely enclosed design that debuted in 1985, two years before Honda’s CBR600 Hurricane. The DB1 has passed several months to become the first full production bike since Vincent’s 1954 Black Knight.
The power plant is a 750F-1 unit but modified with an inverted rear cylinder head to be able to use a Weber 44DCNF twin-scroll carburetor. While mounting Weber simplified the intakes and cable runs, and provided more torque, it turned out to be the main cause of the Paso’s problems.
The carb’s position between both cylinders and shielded by body panels means it can easily overheat in traffic, evaporating fuel causing erratic operation or even stopping. completely engine.
Since the chassis was obscured by the bodywork, Tamburini used a cheaper square section tube to manufacture and weld. The chassis uses a completely different shape from the previous Ducati V twins.
The new 16-inch radial tire has a much reduced diameter compared to the 18-inch tire previously used, and Tamburini has taken advantage of that to reduce the steering offset from 31 to 25º and bring the wheel 50mm closer to the center of the vehicle. at the same time increasing the swingarm length by 62 mm.
The result is a great handling bike, significantly more agile than its predecessors. At launch the only color was red but blue (and white for the US Limited Edition model) was later available. A 350 version was shown in 1985 but never resumed.
4,863 were built between 1986-1988 with the 906 Paso later taking over. It uses the 904 cc water-cooled engine from the 851. However, the Weber is still equipped, with the same problems. 1802 906 Pasos were produced before the 907 i.e. (no Paso name) was released in 1991.
750 Paso for 72.5 horsepower at 7,900 rpm and weighs 195 kg. Top speed is 210 km/h and this beautifully restored car is fitted with 80 scale tires instead of the original’s 60 tyres.
Specifications Ducati 750 Paso
- Production – 1986-1988
- Engine – 748 cc air-cooled, L-Twin, SOHC, Desmo
- Diameter x stroke – 88 x 61.5 mm
- Compression Ratio – 10:1
- Power – 72.5 hp at 7900 rpm
- Induction – Weber 44DCNF kép Dual Carburetor
- Valves – Two valves per cylinder, 41 mm inlet, 35 mm . exhaust
- Cooling – Air-cooled engine plus oil cooler
- Gearbox – Five-speed
- Clutch – Dry
- Front brake – Brembo P2F08N crank 280 mm
- Rear brake – Brembo PWI08N 270 mm propeller (R)
- Frame – Circumferentially decomposed double rack type in square and rectangular cross-section tubes made of normalized 25 Cr-Mo 4 steel
- Front suspension – Marzocchi M1R
- Rear suspension – Marzocchi or Ohlins
- Front Rim – Oscam 3.75 × 16″
- Rear Rim – Oscam 5 × 16″
- Fuel capacity – 22 liters
- Dry weight – 195 kg
- Top speed – 210 km/h
