OK, permission to butt in...

For starters, there is a lot of confusion over "what is bhp and how many bhp will your motor produce ?"
You guys are accustomed to SAE net bhp ratings, in Europe we use DIN ratings; the difference can be anything from 10% to almost 20%.

Secondly, 22bhp (DIN) was the rating for the 350cc "Diana" i.e. the street touring model.
BHP figures for the "Sport Desmo" were never made public, but...
... big valves, hot cam, dual ignition (which fired simultaneously) big carb, high-compression piston AND desmo valves...
The Sport Desmos were HOT in 250cc and 350cc variants because those were the Club Racer classes,
and the slogan was very similar to the "Race it on Sunday, Sell on Monday" used for the NASCAR racers in their heyday...
The 450 Desmos (432cc) on the other hand, while having a lot of potential, were never quite the commercial success they deserved because they had a sincerely hard time against the 500cc Norton Manx and the budding japanese twins and fours...

I had a non-desmo 450 Scrambler, which officially only had 32bhp...
...yet it would burble along at 2000 rpm at 60kph, meaning it was theoretically possible to reach 180 kph at the 6000 rpm redline.
So... add big valves, hot cam, dual ignition (which fired simultaneously) big carb, high-compression piston AND desmo valves...
... clipons and rear sets... no front light but a numberplate (which also works as a miniature windshield when you tuck in) and those speeds are definitely achievable !


Oh... almost forgot... in those days we only had leaded 100 RON fuel, perhaps equivalent to your top-notch premium.

EYE CANDY: DUCATI 350 DESMO BATTLES IT OUT WITH A ROYAL ENFIELD 2-stroke 250 single...  



First lap is warmup lap, race starts at 2:50  

Thanks Mpescatori....you aren't butting in - you were invited in the very first post.

Cool videos...and definitely a cool bike.  Sadly the closest thing you can buy today is a Royal Enfield or Yamaha SR400....both of which are neat retro style bikes that are a bit down on performance compared to the Ducati but will get you to 80 or 90mph at a slower pace.  Sure that is fast enough - but it does help us to appreciate what the little Ducati's were capable of.

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/yamaha/2015-yamaha-sr400-first-ride-re...

So maybe the KTM 390 is the only current bike of choice if you want a really fast, modern single?  It seems to have brought back the performance of the 60's/70's....but certainly not the looks.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/08/05/2014-ktm-390-duke-motorcycle-review-firs...

a major advantage for me of the S40 is the feet-forward layout. As much as I would like to buy the rc390, my knees won't tolerate being scrunched up. No lower frame also removes the chance of modifying the layout. I'd give my left one for the ability to ride the new Yam FZ07. A hooligan bike for a 71yr hooligan!  

Well I suppose the MT03 is a ton of fun....just bigger than I was looking at in this exercise....I was trying to find something comparable to a 350cc single.  I imagine there are several Super Moto or Motard type bikes that qualify as well.  There are a lot of motorcycles I know nothing about - there are just too many possibilities.

I didn't know the Honda CBR was a single

If only they could put that engine in a "standard" style retro looking chassis.