the black sheep of Ducati

This was my Ducati Indiana 650. Many Ducatisti disregard this bike as "not a real Ducati" do to its cruiser styling. Not that this was Ducati's first cruiser/tourer design, but simply the most full-hearted. This piece of machinery really turns heads and starts conversations though, due to its uniqueness. Or maybe its just the meaty roar belching out of the dual exhaust, cool styling, and that Italian soul. What would we do without lasagna, spaghetti, and Italian motorcycles?

Brief History:
The Indiana was Ducati's most extreme attempt to take a share in America's V-twin cruiser market. Although it wasn't Ducati's first attempt at producing a cruiser, it was by far the gaudiest. However, Ducati's reasoning that they could capitalize in the US's cruiser market if they could produce a higher performance and better handling bike proved very wrong. They didn't realize that the image and American tradition that Harley's boasted were primary concerns at that time, and that performance and price were secondary considerations. Thus sales were poor and after only close to 1000 units were produced in 1987, the line was discontinued. In recent times though, manufacturers from Japan (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha) as well as Europe (BMW, Moto Guzzi) have successfully entered the market, which raises the question of how well a modern Ducati cruiser would fare today. *Special note: My particular Indiana 650 was dressed completely as a 750cc version such as the seat, blinkers, tail light, and other differences between the two bikes. Since Ducati was struggling financially during this time, I must assume that they simply started running out of parts for this bike. I'm not complaining though as the 750's trim looks much nicer than the 650's. Perhaps it was visaversa and they ran out of 750 engines! Contact me if you have mismatched parts on your stock Indiana as well. *

Riding Impressions:
The Indiana has a very unique feel to it. It feels very light between your legs although it does appear to be a tad top heavy. This is mainly due to the fuel tank which is mounted high on the bike because of space limitations brought on by the L-twin design. Steering is unbelievably light and yet the bike is very stable at speed. I must assume it is due to the lightness of the front combined with raked out forks. Steering can become infinitely light once the front is raised skyward to solute the Gods. This occurs rather easily with the bikes inherent combination of a torquey powerplant, low gearing, and rearward bias of weight.

The Indiana has a very comfortable bucket seat that perfectly (for me at least) balances the weight of your body on the inside and outside of your buttocks. More comfortable than any seat I have had the pleasure of planting my cheeks on to date. That's a good thing though, as the riding position is perfectly upright with none of the weight taken off by your arms. This riding position is very comfortable for short to medium range trips. It is not as well suited for iron butt high speed touring though due to its lack of fairing and unaerodynamic rider position. And of course, this offers no protection from the elements. An aftermarket shield could remedy this somewhat. The passenger seat is more of an afterthought but is bearable for trips under 200miles. The styling you can judge for yourself. I for one find it to be one of the coolest looking cruisers I have seen to date. The sound of the V-due belching out of the dual exhaust can invoke an aural orgasm. The metallic maraca sound of the dry clutch...well it's music as far as most ducatisti are concerned.

Performance and handling should be similar to a Hardley err... Harley Sportster. Slender, torquey, and nimble, with cruiser styling and seating posture. If you want one of your own, it will take some searching to get your hands on an Indiana in the US. Most of the remaining Indiana's are located in Europe. They are rather inexpensive though and list for $2795 in good condition. Expect to pay twice that for a mint condition Indiana. Stock colors are black (pictured above) or a black and silver combo. Aside from the 650cc/750cc Indiana there exists a scaled down 350cc version of the Indiana that was also produced in limited numbers. Parts are readily available in North America through Motofixx at 1(800) 8-DUCATI. I believe they are located up in Connecticut, and they have been very friendly and helpful to me in the past. The Indiana also shares many parts with other Ducati's of its time, including the Allazzura.

Performance Specs:
International standard:

U.S. measurement:
(cuz us 'mericans are better than y'all)

Notes:
"Acceleration 0-400m (time/speed)" the first value represent the time to reach 400 meters (1/4mile) starting from 0. The second value is the motorcycle's speed across the 400 meters line.
"Recovery 0-400m (time/speed)" the first value represent the time needed to reach 400 meters (1/4mile) starting at 50 Km/h (31mph) in the upper gear, and the second value is the motorcycle's speed across the 400 meter line.

Reliability issues:
I have found the Indiana to be very reliable considering the bikes age. It begs to be ridden though and did not take well to being neglected for more than a month or two without some sort of preparation. Often running the bike with the fuel petcocks in the off position for a couple minutes would drain out the carbs enough for storage. I've heard mixed reports as to the benefits and disadvantages of storing it in this fashion. All I can say is that I did not experience any problems when using this technique.

Some hassles to check for in high mileage/poorly maintained Indianas are listed below:

• Caliper rot
• suspension going floppy
• clutch judder
• snapping rear chains
  

Additional info:

Info regarding this particular Ducati is even more rare than the Indiana itself. Hence, if you have anything to add or know of recourses I haven't mentioned on this page, please send them here. Take care and ride safe!

Renovation Plans:
All future renovation plans have been canceled as the Indiana has found a new home. Below you can see pictures of the parting shots as I loaded her up into my Chevy S-10 for delivery. I have succumb to the dark side and went the Jap route with a 90' Yamaha FJ1200 as my primary form of speedy transportation. Not as classy as the Indiana but it's a torque laden 1200cc beast that can get you from zero to "go strait to jail" in a heart beat! Visit the personal section for pics of the FJ.

loading her up	helping hand	posin'	back to UT!	wave bye...

If you have any info or an Indiana of your own I'd love to hear of your experiences.

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Copyright © March 1999 Chris Creighton. All rights reserved.