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Ducati Berliner Apollo
Back in the early 1960s, Ducati importers in the US, the
Berliner brothers asked Ducati to make a machine that would rival the best that
Harley-Davidson had to offer at the time – something that could be used by the
American police. Berliner were so gung-ho about this, they even agreed to share
part of the development costs for the new bike.
Thus, designed for the American market, the Ducati Berliner Apollo was born in
1964. The bike’s engine – a 1257cc, OHV, 8-valve, 90-degree V4 that churned out
100 horsepower at 7000rpm – was designed by Ducati’s legendary Fabio Taglioni.
The air-cooled V4 was fed by a quartet of Dellorto TT 24 carburetors, the
gearbox was a five-speed unit, and final drive was by chain.
The Apollo’s chassis was made of steel – a mix of tubular and box-section parts
– and used the engine as a stressed member. The bike rode on 16-inch wheels,
suspension – developed by Ceriani – was a regular telescopic fork at front and
twin shocks at the rear, and 220mm drum brakes were used at both ends. The
Apollo weighed in 270 kilos dry.
The problem was, the tyres of that era were not able to cope with a 100bhp bike
that weighed 270kg – the Apollo simply shredded its tyres to bits. Ducati tried
reducing the power output to 80 and then 65bhp, and Pirelli tried making special
tyres for the bike, but the Apollo never really worked. Ducati test rider of
that time, Franco Farne said the bike handled like a truck.
Ducati and Berliner had hoped to sell the Apollo in the US for $1,500 to $1,800
but the bike never got to the market at all. The Italian government decided that
the very limited market for the bike would not justify the costs of tooling and
production, and withdrew funding for the project, effectively killing it off.
Only two prototypes of the Berliner Apollo were ever made, of which one survives
today.
The only surviving Ducati Berliner Apollo belongs to one Hiroaki Iwashita, who
bought the bike for $17,000 in 1986 from DomiRacer, a vintage bike parts
specialist based in Cincinnati, in the US. Bob Schanz, the man who owns
DomiRacer, had purchased the bike from Berliner when the company shut down in
1984.
Bike journalist Alan Cathcart got to ride the Apollo some time back...
Motorcyclist
Bike journalist Alan Cathcart got to ride the Ducati Berliner Apollo some time
ago, for Motorcyclist magazine. ‘Once astride the Apollo, you're immediately
surprised at how low slung and slim it feels. The high, pullback handlebar is
very ’60s, and combined with the well-placed footpegs, delivers surprisingly
comfy ergos. Just chill out and cruise,’ says Cathcart.
‘The engine sounds like an American V8 rather than an Italian four, and the
Apollo’s exhaust note is quite loud and very unlike that of any Honda V4,’ says
Cathcart. ‘I was impressed with how smoothly the Apollo took off from rest, even
with the clutch slipping slightly, though upshifting through the gears brought
the Apollo's age to light. Once securely in gear, the Apollo thrusts forward
eagerly with a long-legged feel, especially in the intermediate gears.’
'Compared with a pre-Isoelastic British twin or any Harley ever made, the Apollo
is a sewing machine to a concrete mixer in terms of vibration and riding
comfort, with only a BMW Boxer of the era delivering anything close to the same
smoothness. Out of respect for the bike's rarity, and the lack of any spares, I
didn't rev it out. But even at a higher rpm the same unruffled, lazy-feeling
response we came to take for granted a decade later on any V-twin bearing the
Ducati badge is evident on the Apollo.'
'At a time when there were no four-cylinder motorcycles of any type on the
market, the Apollo would have established a standard of performance and rider
comfort that, even a decade later, would set the benchmark for the Japanese.
Truly, this was a bike ahead of its time,’ concludes Cathcart.
Source
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