At the root of every good marriage is a strong partnership – and the bond between Keith Hale and his 1974 Ducati 750 Super Sport is nothing short of heart-warming.
According to a report from MotorcyclistOnline, San Francisco-based artist Keith Hale purchased the Ducati from Jack’s Motorcycles in Fresno, California, at the green age of 22.
At the time, the shop had a handful of 900s and one 750 at the shop’s back.
After weeks of badgering the shop owner, Jack finally broke down, and Hale got his hands on the 750SS for $3600 – a hefty $400 over the original retail price.
The rest is history.
“I’ve ridden it to Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Big Sur. I took third on it in AFM Formula Twins at Laguna Seca in 1980, and I raced it at Sears Point”, Hale recalls fondly.
“For several years in the early ’80s, it was my only transportation here in Northern California. I racked up most of the mileage on my daily commute: Redwood Road to Skyline to Grizzly Peak and back again, five days a week, rain or shine.”
By 1989, Keith’s love for (and constant use of) the bike resulted in the expiration of the first speedometer at 71,000 miles.
By the time Hale made a full restoration in 2001, the mileage was well over 100,000 miles – and he continues to ride the bike daily.
Today, Hale’s 1974 Ducati 750 SuperSport could collect a pretty penny on the market. A 750SS model was recently up for auction in Las Vegas and sold for a mind-boggling $100,000.
For Keith, selling his beloved bike is not an option.
“After 40 years of ownership, I have several distinct memories. In 1977, I rode from the San Francisco Bay Area to Fresno through 216 miles of back roads in two hours and 10 minutes. My first pass through the Corkscrew on the gas was scary fun. Later, the bike was spread all over my bedroom for a year during its restoration. After I put it back together, it started on the first kick…For me, the real joy of ownership is still the ride – loud, elemental, and captivating.”
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100mph average for over two hours? Yeah. Sure. I believe it.
Just because it’s a feat, obviously way beyond your “little world”, does not mean that it’s outside of ol’ Keiths bud.
Thank you Amanda…
Loved your article…
Back in the day…
I had 2 friends with eDUCATIon 750 SS bike and they are still
bringing up the Hindsight sigh on those bikes…
My 1980 Moto Guzzi SP100 has over 250k on her…
If I roll off the throttle and roll on again I get a puff of blue,
so I need to replace the valve guides. Hope to get her back
on the road later this yr.
Have 3 other Gootsie’s on the road so I am covered…
guzziguy in TN
I bought my 1982 Guzzi lemans at the factory in Mandela do Latino at Lago di Como new and drove it throughout Italy with my then girlfriend now wife before shipping it home to NYC. It lives in my garage all original with some period performance upgrades. Never restored but continuously maintained It’s part of the family old bikes and old men go together.
My brother mates had Dukes. One of these 750’s, a 900SS early one, and a second model 750SS, and a 900GTE, I think. Bikes with soul. Keith is an enthusiast. Ridden not polished, respect.
Love the fact that this beautiful classic has had it’s wheels ridden off rather than sitting in a climate controlled living room waiting fo prices to rapidly escalate. Kudos!
I have two bikes that I have ridden for quite a awhile. The first is a mildly modified 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 Z1-R, which has about 55,000 miles on it. Upgraded the brakes, suspension, engine (1075 kit, and many nice touches, including a re-spray and a Kerker exhaust. Bought it new in 1979 and really enjoy riding it. The second one is another Kawasaki- 2003 ZRX1200R, a very low mileage bike which I purchased about 4 years ago. I had to have another one after putting 40,000 miles on an ‘01 model that was totaled after being hit by a car. Also has a bunch of brake, suspension, seat, and many other improvements that make it my favorite ride – smooth, lots of torque and puts a huge grin on my face when I ride it! I’m 74 and still ride 2 or 3 times a week.