Description
National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
Viewing: Tues 27th October from 1pm
Auction: Wed 28th October from 10am
Location: National Motorcycle Museum, Coventry Road, Bickenhill, Solihull B92 0EJ
Registration No: 804 XVJ
Frame No: 12877
MOT: Exempt
Built by the late Pip Higham, celebrated drag racer and restorer
Extensively but discreetly modified frame and Ducati 160 Monza engine
Little-used and in need of recommissioning
This beautiful little Ducati was one of the late Pip Higham’s restorations, with discreet modifications. Higham himself said, “I christened this bike The Mule and it was intended to be a road-legal testbed in which I could run a 100cc (or larger!) motor for record attempts, however it soon took on an identity all its own.”
The Ducati chassis has Aprilia upside-down forks, Talon hubs, 17in. alloy rims with new Michelin tyres, and front and rear disc brakes. It received a steel tank and a new seat, plus a 12-volt battery with a voltmeter. The restoration used almost entirely new or nearly new parts. The modified 160 Monza engine has one-off straight-cut primary gears and a Japanese clutch (believed to be Yamaha). The crank has an offset crankpin, specially made by GP Precision for a shorter stroke. A Honda piston and conrod were used, and the cylinder and bevel drive have been shortened. The cylinder head was overhauled by Roger Upperton with coil springs and titanium valves from a Suzuki GSXR1000 and a Hayabusa. A Mikuni Flatside carburettor and a simple megaphone exhaust complete the ensemble. Having not been run for a year or two, it will require some recommissioning. The V5C is supplied.
About Pip Higham
One of the motorcycle world’s most dynamic characters, Pip Higham was a dealer, magazine columnist and record-breaking drag racer who was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2017. The background to his colourful life was his business, the Village Bike Shop in Manchester, where he provided a service for those who wished to go that little bit quicker than the rest. The quest for greater performance saw him develop mainly Suzuki-based specials, racing in the Street Bike class across Europe and eventually America, becoming the first European to post a 10sec. quarter-mile time, and then the first rider ever into the nines. The Deuce, a VBS development producing 160 bhp using Pip’s own tuning parts, ran in the nine-second bracket many times at terminal speeds up to 154 mph for the quarter-mile. A lifelong enthusiast, Pip also restored many bikes, especially Ducati singles, to a very high standard, sometimes incorporating his own subtle performance modifications.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Entry by catalogue and can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people)
