Just joined. Renovating a 1950s 175S. Probably a big mistake, time will tell. Owner for the past 25 years of a Cucciolo. Never had it running, but I will, eventually.
As for the 175, are there any owners of these machines in the Devon area? I would really like to look at an example of the red paint used in the original paint scheme for the model (Rosso Scarlatto, I believe). It seems impossible to find a colour swatch of this paint, and the paintwork on my own bike has been overpainted many times, so this part of its originality has been lost…
Try these guys - 400ml Aerosol Base Colour Ducati Motorbike Paint Code Various Colours | eBay UK. I had the original paint on mine colour matched by a local supplier but also bought some Rosso Scarlatto from here too. It’s spot on. You need a silver base (Honda Magnum Silver), then carefully layer as many think coats of the Rosso as you need to get the right depth. Three thin coats works for me. Interestingly many of the early 175’s (as Elites) I have seen restored are far brighter than mine. The original paint I had to match was on the underside of the mudguard and hadn’t seen sunlight. I suspect many of the others had been matched to faded paint! I have to say that the brighter metallic ones look prettier, but they aren’t the original colour as far as I can tell