Ducati Cucciolo pull-rod
The Cucciolo is the Ducati Meccanica first produced (non-desmo !!!) engine at the very beginning in 1946 only delivering 1 HP.
Designed by Aldo Farinelli and initially produced by SIATA in Turin as a motor to attach to a bicycle. [patents: FR915939 (1946-11-21); US2596391(1952-05-13)].
Special feature: Pull-rod valve command.
I know of some patents (a.o. Honda) describing this kind of valve command, but I don’t know of any produced engine accept this Ducati Cucciolo.
Another feature is the pull-push gearbox command (IPC: F01L1/14).
The gear-shift mechanism is a so called balltype engaging / disengaging system.
At first two (later three) speed for the Cucciolo and 4 speed for the Push-rod Ducati 125 TV, 125 S, 125 T, 125 Bronco, 125 Cadet (see separate page).
I obtained this engine for the collection in January 2016 and bolted it on top of the railway sleeper.
source: Musi, Giuliano: “Il Cucciolo, un gigante”; cop. 2006, Minerva Edizioni and Ian Falloon “The complete book of Ducati motorcycles : every model since 1946”; cop. 2016, Motorbooks.
[Classification = Non-desmo OHV Ducati engine]
Article (in Dutch) in Strada about the Cucciolo overhaul:
Cucciolo Overhaul
Article (in Dutch) in Strada about the Cucciolo Patent:
Cucciolo Patent