1982 Mototrans 350 Vento – Ducati bevel OHC single
By Phil Aynsley
Here you see the very last bike to use the classic Ducati bevel OHC single motor – the 1982 Mototrans 350 Vento
The Spanish Mototrans company was formed in 1958 with the merging of the Maquitrans and Cliper concerns who imported the Ducati Cucciolo and 98cc bikes respectively. It was licensed to manufacture Ducati motorcycles and began with the 125 Sport in 1960. The company went on to become an important part of Ducati’s growth during the 1960s with many race wins (particularly in the Barcelona 24 hour races) as well as building a range of models that were sold by Ducati, as Ducatis.
Starting with the 1965 250 De Luxe model, Mototrans began to modify the design of their Ducati motors. This cumulated in 1974 when Ducati ceased production of their long-running bevel OHC single that had first sprung from the drawing board of Ing. Fabio Taglioni in 1954.
Mototrans continued to produce the single in 250 & 350cc sizes across a variety of models up until the final Vento model of 1982. The later motors not only had the ‘squared off’ barrel finning (as opposed to the ‘round’ Ducati castings) but for the Vento, the entire motor was painted black.
This example is a Japanese export model and is in original, unrestored condition (apart from the hand grips). It features the factory left hand gear shift conversion and the importer fitted dash red warning light.
