The Hale Bike
Commuter, racer, show bike, camper…and consistently wrenched upon by one owner for 46 years
History of the Hale Bike
An Original U.S. Delivery Ducati 750SS
The Hale bike is one of 401 original 750SS’s produced and one of only 88 imported into the United States (reportedly, only one bike was allocated to each dealer). Delivered new to Jack’s Motorcycles at 2216 W. Belmont Avenue in Fresno, CA, it sat on display in the showroom until it was purchased in May of 1975 by Keith Hale at the age of 22 for $3,600.00 ($400.00 over Ducati’s suggested retail price). The photo at left shows the address today and we are searching for a period photo.
Excerpt from the "Italian Spoken Here" section of '77 Cycle World:
"Jack’s Motorcycles are strictly Moto Guzzi, Ducati and BMW. The company does restoration on these machines and the parts inventory for the 700s goes back to 1968. Jack says he never gets complaints on the service and no one has had to wait for lack of parts availability."
The Hale Bike on the Track
When he was begging the owner of Jack's Motorcycles to sell him the bike, Keith promised he would race it, and he kept that promise. Inspired by Cook Neilson's Daytona win and Ducati victories by Ritter and Neilson in the AMA races at Sears Point, Keith Hale took his green frame racing in AFM. By his own admission, he wasn‘t the fastest guy on the track, but he almost certainly was the most dedicated to his bike. His top result was 3rd place at Laguna Seca on a weekend when a national race was being held elsewhere. As Keith said during his interview in the EARNED documentary: ”On a podium!”
This Bike Got Around
Not only did Keith drive and race the bike regularly, but he also displayed it at dozens of shows where it regularly attracted a crowd, won awards and won praise for its one owner status and well-worn patina. These events included being featured in the show paddock at Laguna Seca, the Ducati racing heritage tent, the local Italian museum show, the Ducati Meccanica tent in Las Vegas, and the prestigious, invitation-only Quail lawn display. This bike certainly got around.
The Only 750SS That Ever Went Camping?
It is hard to imagine someone buying a Ducati 750SS off the showroom floor and driving it regularly. It is even harder to imagine them both racing it and commuting to work on it. How about racing it, commuting on it and then using it to go camping in the mountains of California? Would you believe driving it in the snow on Tioga Pass while on one of those camping trips? Yup, all that happened.
The Cycle World Magazine Article
While out for coffee shortly after restoring the bike, a serendipitous meeting with motorcycle journalist Brian Day led to an interview and photo shoot with Nick Cedar and an article that was published in the May 2002 edition of Cycle World. A link to the original article is below:
https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/2002/5/1/100000-mile-ducati-750ss
Restoration of the Hale Bike in Berkeley, California
Self-Restoration of a Ducati 750SS
An Art Show Helps Fund the Restoration
Self-Restoration of a Ducati 750SS
The Ducati 750SS desmodromic engine was one of the most complicated motors of the period. While most owners would be hiring the best mechanics in the business to restore one, Keith was capable of doing this work himself. It is a testament to his mechanical talent and to how carefully he maintained the bike for almost five decades.
Disassembled in the Living Room
An Art Show Helps Fund the Restoration
Self-Restoration of a Ducati 750SS
We keep saying it is "hard to imagine" when chronicling the history of Keith and his bike, but this bike's motor was actually mechanically restored on an old Persian rug in his apartment living room in Berkeley, CA. Today, most people can't change their oil, let alone refurbish a motor originally assembled in Ducati's race shop.
An Art Show Helps Fund the Restoration
An Art Show Helps Fund the Restoration
An Art Show Helps Fund the Restoration
By his own admission, Keith didn't have a lot of excess funds to pay for the restoration, and restoring a Ducati is expensive business. So, the restoration took a few years and it would have taken even longer if it weren't for Keith's artistic talent. He combined his painting skills with the mechanical beauty of the Ducati engine while disassembled, and generated necessary funds from a commercially successful art show.
Personally Restored and Back on the Road
Coming Back Together
Tightening the Last Bolt
Tightening the Last Bolt
With the exception of the paint job, Keith restored the entire bike himself over a period of 3 years. As a testament to his religiously regular oil changes, valve adjustments and generally careful stewardship, only a handful of engine internals needed to be addressed. He also wisely decided to keep it stock and did not hotrod the motor during assembly.
Tightening the Last Bolt
Tightening the Last Bolt
Tightening the Last Bolt
This picture taken by Keith shows the bike in 2001 the night/morning the restoration was completed (at 3:00am). He spent hundreds of hours of his own time and roughly $5,000.00 in parts and external labor during the rebuild. In his own words: "It started on the first kick", and Keith and his lifelong companion were back on the road shortly thereafter.
The Finished Product
Tightening the Last Bolt
The Finished Product
Keith Hale owned and loved this bike for almost five decades and he rode his 750SS more than any other owner past or present. During those many decades, he made several modifications to the bike for both racing and reliability, and those changes were retained during his restoration, and they remain on the bike to this day.