Talk:Ducati 860 GT

Blind copyediting

I get the sense that someone is happily deleting whatever looks odd to them without understanding the subject -- let alone actually reading the cited sources.[23][24]. Ian Falloon is a highly regarded expert and his opinions that the sloppy and cheap way that Ducati moved the gearshift from right to left was indeed "crude". It matters a great deal to a motorcycle rider whether or not the controls are solid, direct links, or if they have to go through a series of Rube Goldberg levers, pivots and rods to get from A to B. Nobody would want a motorcycle designed this way, but when time is short and you're a small company trying to get a product into the big US market, you take shortcuts. This kludge is contrary to Ducati's marketing image as a high-end, sophisticated motorcycle for racers and enthusiasts. If this article is expanded beyond a stub you'll see this issue explored in greater depth. For now, it's necessary to simply mention it in one sentence. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 18:55, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

It might be interesting to talk about manufacturers' workarounds when the US standard control layout was introduced. It looks like Harley-Davidson had a similar arrangement on the 1975 Sportster, too [25]. — Brianhe (talk) 22:59, 23 June 2015 (UTC) Also this 1977 Cycle World piece, search for "cobbled up crossover linkage" in snippet view: [26]. Brianhe (talk) 23:05, 23 June 2015 (UTC) Also this: "The 1976 Bonneville looked very similar to the 1975 version but now had a federally mandated leftside gearshift. ... The gearshift modification was achieved via a crossover shaft at the back of the gearbox, and as some of the shifting precision was lost," also a crummy snippet unfortunately. [27] Brianhe (talk) 23:08, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Here's that full quote, from covertocover.com: "Laverda Jota 1000; The Beast from Breganze, Guaranteed to Boost Your Adrenaline Index", Cycle World, Newport Beach, California: Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., p. 43, November 1977, ISSN 0011-4286,  Shifting is very deliberate business, particularly in the lower gears, and trying to hurry it means missing a shift. Our test bike came with its native right-side shift, left side foot brake arrangement still intact, rather than the cobbled up crossover linkage that satisfies Uncle Sam. The original arrangement is much better than the Heim-jointed crossover, but it's still stiff and heavy; ride the Jota more than 100 miles in an outing and your toes will be filing complaints with the Intra-mural Cruel and Unusual Board at rapidly decreasing intervals. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 01:53, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

And in Ducati Bevel Twins 1971 to 1986: Authenticity & Restoration Guide (Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2013), Falloon repeatedly returns to the question of whether a particular model and year has a native or right side gear shift, and how well executed it is, because it is a way of tracking model year changes, and whether a bike is in original condition. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 02:03, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

The bike in the article photo was mine from the 1980s -2000. The first thing I did when I rebuilt it, was pull out the gear lever links, stick rear sets on it and swap the rear brake and gear lever over - here it is with the left hand gear change [28]. i can vouch that the changeover was crude, it reversed the pattern - 1 up four down, and made it almost impossible to select neutral while moving. The rear brake also suffered with the conversion as the actuating lever on the left was operated by a floppy cable routed across the frame from the right hand side foot lever, so you had very little feel from it. Note therefore that the picture is not representative of the original arrangement and it would be good to find one of the original bike that could be used.Garyvines (talk) 05:55, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

860GT image

While this is a picture of one of my old bikes, it is probably not the best sort of image to use, as it is a highly modified 860GT without the distinctive square tank and upright handle bars. I will try and find an alternative soon. Garyvines (talk) 22:41, 3 December 2019 (UTC)