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