California Hot Rod 1000

CALIFORNIA HOT ROD 1000

It was known as "Old Blue," or later the "California Hot Rod," a machine built and raced by Cycle magazine stalwarts Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling, and it has to be one of the coolest, most-important Ducatis of the modern era. While there is no doubt that Englishman Paul Smart's win at the Imola 200 did a lot for Bologna, no single bike or pair of people did more to make Ducati a household name in the U.S.

Neilson and Schilling gave Ducati its first major win in the budding AMA Superbike class at Daytona in 1977, not to mention writing all the stuff in Cycle championing the first 750GT streetbike and ensuing models, articles that gave Ducati a glow in the U.S. market it still profits from today.

So, apologies to Mr. Smart, we felt a California Hot Rod 1000 SportClassic makes more sense. Neilson and Schilling were flattered when we sent this Cycle l/l/or/d-commissioned photo-illustration to them for review. “Your Photoshop guy did a great job on the paint,” said Neilson, “but for true verisimilitude, there has to be an Italian housefly molded into the surface of the fuel tank somewhere.”

He was of course referring to the first fiberglass-tank 750 Super Sport testbike sent to Cycle that did, in fact, have a fly stuck in the translucent “fuel gauge” stripe on tank side.

“I concur with Cook, and would like to add that any ‘tribute’ Ducati should have proper centerline stripes on the front fender, tank, seat and rear fender,” said Schilling. “Viewed from above, every stripe should veer off-course to the left or to the right. The stripes should never line up individually or as a set. Just like the original 750SS.”

Okay, Bologna, here’s your design for the CHR1000. Just make the stripes crookedand don't forget the fly.

Mark Hoyer