You may laugh, but their is a Ducati Diesel engine for sale on ebay!
one of my friends had one on his boat!
Hi,
Years ago I was asked to have a look at a friends narrowboat engine as it had lost it’s drive…
Yes it was a single cylinder diesel Ducati engine, it had sheared the woodruff key on the drive shaft, a couple of hours hunting down some stock and then with a file and a vice, I’d got it sorted.
The payment was a lovely summer Sunday afternoon/evening trip up the River Lea through the Tottenham locks, out into Hertfordshire and back stopping at various pubs, for me and my (then) young sons, Billy who was allowed to stear the boat was back then about 6 years old, he was 22 yesterday. 
I rang him on his birthday and he still remembers the slowest trip I ever took him on, on a Ducati.
He also remembers with great affection the Rallies that he attended with me on the back of ‘Old Beverly’ and how fast/loud the old girl seemed back then, his younger brother Pat also enjoyed these trips and my little girls are looking forward to the day when their feet can reach the footrests and they can take their turns attending Rallies/bike events with their Daddy.
Ness and I have already taken them to local Rallies/DOC Southern Rally with me riding the bike and the family following on behind with the camping kit in the car, they love them as all of the bikers even the HA types always make them welcome/feel completely safe.
This summer we “lost” Lolly/Lowenna… 
She’d wandered out of the dance tent to get some fresh air, whilst Ness and I were dancing with her sister and some friends, the ‘Bad Arse’ back patch types had noticed a small child sitting on her own (for too long in their oppinion) and despite her protestations that her parents were in the main tent rescued her to the Rally control.
Of course I was in a bit of a panic, I’d searched almost all of the site looking for my little girl, until the tanoy announcement…
“Could ‘Ducati Steve’ please come to control as we have your daughter”.
When I retrived her she was sitting with the baddest bunch of big lads, all of them “patched up/1% ers” and looking mean, telling them that their Harleys are shit and Ducati’s are the best bikes, because that’s what her Dad’s told her, whilst eating the chips and drinking the pop that they’d bought for her…
Of course it could have gone completely wrong, but in Ness and my experience the safest place for little children to run free is at a Traditional bike Rally, despite the appearence of most of the Rally goers, they are the most protective group of people you could ever wish to meet.
We’ve raised 6 children between us, they all been allowed to run free at bike Rallies and we haven’t permanently lost one yet.
Steve R
Hi,
Years ago I was asked to have a look at a friends narrowboat engine as it had lost it’s drive…
Yes it was a single cylinder diesel Ducati engine, it had sheared the woodruff key on the drive shaft, a couple of hours hunting down some stock and then with a file and a vice, I’d got it sorted.
The payment was a lovely summer Sunday afternoon/evening trip up the River Lea through the Tottenham locks, out into Hertfordshire and back stopping at various pubs, for me and my (then) young sons, Billy who was allowed to stear the boat was back then about 6 years old, he was 22 yesterday.
I rang him on his birthday and he still remembers the slowest trip I ever took him on, on a Ducati.
He also remembers with great affection the Rallies that he attended with me on the back of ‘Old Beverly’ and how fast/loud the old girl seemed back then, his younger brother Pat also enjoyed these trips and my little girls are looking forward to the day when their feet can reach the footrests and they can take their turns attending Rallies/bike events with their Daddy.
Ness and I have already taken them to local Rallies/DOC Southern Rally with me riding the bike and the family following on behind with the camping kit in the car, they love them as all of the bikers even the HA types always make them welcome/feel completely safe.
This summer we “lost” Lolly/Lowenna…
She’d wandered out of the dance tent to get some fresh air, whilst Ness and I were dancing with her sister and some friends, the ‘Bad Arse’ back patch types had noticed a small child sitting on her own (for too long in their oppinion) and despite her protestations that her parents were in the main tent rescued her to the Rally control.
Of course I was in a bit of a panic, I’d searched almost all of the site looking for my little girl, until the tanoy announcement…
“Could ‘Ducati Steve’ please come to control as we have your daughter”.
When I retrived her she was sitting with the baddest bunch of big lads, all of them “patched up/1% ers” and looking mean, telling them that their Harleys are shit and Ducati’s are the best bikes, because that’s what her Dad’s told her, whilst eating the chips and drinking the pop that they’d bought for her…
Of course it could have gone completely wrong, but in Ness and my experience the safest place for little children to run free is at a Traditional bike Rally, despite the appearence of most of the Rally goers, they are the most protective group of people you could ever wish to meet.
We’ve raised 6 children between us, they all been allowed to run free at bike Rallies and we haven’t permanently lost one yet.
Steve R
After many years of saying that I had an example of every basic type of engine Ducati ever made, except a Diesel, I now have the full set. Haven’t had time to do anything with it yet, but eventually you will see a 345cc Ducati Single-cylinder Diesel engine appear at some shows.
Then I’ll get one of the 2 strokes cleaned up to go with it.
Pete.
Funny that this thread has surfaced again…
2 Saturdays back my little lolly/Lowenna’s (9) legs having finally reached the pillion foot rests, became a “Bad bum Biker Chick”, she refuses to say the word Arse!
I took her to a birthday party out in the real sticks on the back of my old MZ301 2 stroke, she was the envy of all of the little boys and girls there.
We didn’t have to be there until 3 in the afternoon, but she’d been trying on Aunty Ruth’s old leather jacket and Daddies old crash helmet since 8 in the morning. 
Steve R