Do you like beautiful things? Of course you do. Do you like beautiful things that are temperamental and may cause you to set fire to your garage? Then you’ll want this 60-year-old Ducati Diana Mark 3. First, though, let me save you the trouble of getting lost in a bunch of internet rabbit holes due to confusion caused by how the seller has listed this vehicle. The original ad lists this bike as a “Ducati Mark 3 250.” But that’s not what it is. The Ducati 250 Mark 3 was a successor, which sold from 1967-1974. Obviously, there wouldn’t be a 1964 version of that machine.
This bike is, as I say, a Ducati Diana Mark 3. Not to be confused with the Ducati Diana (also known as the Ducati Daytona), the Diana Mark 3 was sold exclusively in the United States from 1962-1966. According to some sources, it was also known as the Diana SuperSport, but, most importantly, it is now sometimes colloquially (and perplexingly) known as, simply, a Mark 3. Hence the ad’s naming confusion.
Whatever you call it, the motorcycle in question is a four-speed beauty driven by a 249cc single-cylinder engine that’s reportedly capable of delivering roughly 30 horsepower. In the December 1963 issue of Cycle World, the Diana Mark 3 was described as “the fastest, and nearly the smoothest, standard motorcycle in the 250cc class.”
Capable of easily reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph, the Diana Mark 3 punched above its weight for the time, with Cycle World happy to compare it against machines of twice the displacement. The magazine also commended the bike’s handling, but identified some comfort issues, stating: “the seat… was, unfortunately, too narrow — which seems to be more or less typical of Italian bikes.”
Cycle World commended the Diana Mark 3 for not leaking oil, but identified some starting issues, especially when the engine was hot. It placed blame on kickstarter layout and an ignition system that uses a flywheel magneto instead of battery and coil.
Based on this information, and the knowledge that this particular model has “been restored with great attention to detail,” according to the seller, you might not expect it to be too much of a nightmare to deal with. Relatively speaking, of course. I mean, ALL classic bikes are nightmares.
Ducatis, however, are famously so. Show me a man who owns a classic Italian motorcycle and I’ll show you a man who rarely leaves his garage. But, hey, some people are in to that sort of thing. Maybe you’re one of them.
Find this Ducati Diana Mark 3 for sale in Wichita, Kansas with a BIN of $4,500 here on eBay.