1959 Ducati 125
No Reserve

Registration No: 598 XVJ
Frame No: 12452
MOT: Exempt

• Part of the Pip Higham collection
• Beautifully presented Ducati single
• 160cc engine, supplied with a V5C

Pip Higham is a highly respected former motorcycle dealer, classic magazine columnist and record breaking drag racer who was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2017 after his exploits throughout his career. The background for all this success was Pip’s own business, the ‘Village Bike Shop’ in Manchester, where he provided a service for those who wished to go that little bit quicker than the rest. The quest for more performance saw him develope mainly Suzuki based specials, racing in the Streetbike class across Europe and ultimately America, becoming the first European into the ten second bracket and then the first rider ever into the nines. ‘The Deuce’, a VBS development producing 160 bhp using Pip’s own tuning parts, ran in the nine second bracket many times at terminal speeds up to 154 mph for the quarter mile. A lifelong motorcycle enthusiast Pip has also restored many bikes, especially Ducati singles, to a very high standard, sometimes incorporating subtle little modifications to improve performance.

This beautifully presented little Ducati, being offered at no reserve, has been restored by Pip using his many years of experience. In his own words....'I have a huge affinity for the 125cc Ducati, I rode my previous one at the Moto Giro and then subsequently completed the ‘5000 Curvas’ at the ‘MC Piston’ grueller in Northern Spain. I enjoyed riding the bike so much I decided to build another one, just in case, but sadly I’ve never had the time to use it. The build started out with a Moto Trans 160, this has a far superior crankcase with better cooling and oil capacity. As usual the engine, chassis and running gear were all totally rebuilt, new bearings, re-bored with a new piston, the works. The carburettor fitted is the ultimate and extremely rare ‘Small series’ SSi22C ‘green label’ Dell Orto I purchased from Marc Parfait, a well respected Ducati spares specialist. The electrical system has been updated to 12 volts with an appropriate coil and modern regulator/rectifier carefully concealed. Otherwise the bike has all steel mudguards, tank and toolboxes, the 12V electrical system is complete with all new switchgear and fittings. The wheel rims are the super rare, slender 17" Spanish ‘Sport’ ones with new tyres. The rear set footrests are all hand made, let’s face it, it can’t be called a ‘Sport’ if it doesn’t have rearsets! To enable the rearsets to function, I’ve made a ‘Swing out’ kickstart that clears the pegs and does away with the need for a ‘Mach 1’ style kickstart. A new seat, paintwork by my pal Pete Priest, and hundreds of hours of effort allowed me to create my dream '125' (with a few more ccs for good measure!)' Not run since last year it will need the normal checks before use, supplied with a current V5C.

For more information, please contact:
Ian Cunningham
ian.cunningham@handh.co.uk
07415 871189