Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126547
._,,'1551In:ยท Dlilli 1IIIwi I Till alll.1111111111 nlsll By Richard Creed It was getting late and Jim Chipura, owner of Dyna-Cycle in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was behind schedule. He edged the needle of the speedometer up a few miles per just to make sure he didn't fall behind too far. That's when he saw the ' , two I ac~ shape:; In the mu:or of hiS Mike Hallwood Replica ? 26 Ducati 900R. He smiled to himself and thought, "They'll do it every time." In a second the two black shapes took the form of Harleys traveling in a hurry and passed the red and green Duck, opening up the front door on Interstate 90 for Jim, who continued to roll along at a steady 85mph. "For some reason Harley riders can't stand to be passed." Jim would say later, "So when I go by them I can always count on them roaring ahead and clearing the cops out of the way. I see them stopping alongside the road and I slow down real fast and go by them a law abiding citizen. It's great spon." Harley baiting is just one of the many pleasures the owner of a Hailwood Replica can indulge in. Stopping traffic, turning heads, and becoming the envy of the peg scrapers everywhere are others. Unfonunately, the American cafe enthusiast will have to do without such pleasures as the powers that be, (read EPA,) look down on such things as noisy desmo valve 'gear and huge 40mm carb throats that lack any form of air cleaner save for a screen like a bug catcher. Then there are thOse Conti organ pipes that play such lovely music to the enthusiasts ear, but which offend anyone else's. Sadly, the seven hikes that were slated to be delivered to the United States were turned ~ack at customs and went to Canada mstead. There they joined five of their brothers. Which means that Canada will receive at least 12 of the 100 Replicas set for production.. Maybe those guys who went to Canada in the 60's had the right idea after all. Even if you could get hold of one, the price of owning a limited edition Ducati might take some of the fun out of it. In Canada the bike sells for roughly $8,000 per copy in American dollars. Ouch! That puts the Replica in motorcycling's headiest atmosphere pricewise. Can you imagine the cost of replacement parts (say, the lower part of the fairing and a muffler), if you ever dropped it? Perhaps it's like buying a yacht, if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. For those readers unfamiliar with road racing, the Mike Hailwood Replica 900R commemorates the late great racer's exploits aboard a similar looking Ducati at the Isle of Man in 1979. What does the owner of a Replica get in exchange for his lightened wallet? Well ...some good things and some others that are less so. The good stuff is primarily what you see, a lot of flashy style highlighted in the Italian national colors of red, green' and white. Mechanically, the bike is a 900 SS with a few minor changes, such as lighter and reshaped