David shares his passion for top-shelf machines – two wheels and four – ahead of WA Italian bike show
AT FIRST glance, it seems something of a mis-fit for David Walker to spend his life working on British motor cars while having a passion for Italian motorcycles.
But when you ask him to explain, it boils down to something more substantial than mere geography.
“Rolls Royce and Bentley cars, Ducati and MV Agusta motorcycles; they’re all just so beautifully put together,” he says.
“There is the way they look, of course, which is also beautiful – but for me it’s mainly about the engineering.”
It turns out there’s even some technology overlap, with Britain’s finest luxury cars running gear-driven valves remarkably similar to Ducati’s signature desmodronic system.
David has made a living from fettling old Rolls Royces and Bentleys. It’s a passion, and a career, he shared with his father and his grandfather back in England, before moving to Australia in 1991.
The day we visited his workshop, it was difficult to know where to look. There was top-shelf machinery, modern and vintage, two wheels and four, all over the place.
The stunning 1936 Bentley was in for a look over the cooling system. It’s 88-year-old owner had taken it for a run down to the farm the previous weekend, and it had run a bit hot, apparently. Ninety years old and still doing runs down to the farm. How good is that?
There was a 1982 Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica (“one of my favourite bikes on the track”) parked alongside a Ducati Streetfighter (“it’s like riding a big trail bike, with linear power”).
Another Ducati, a GT1000 (“very under-rated machine”) was parked alongside yet another – a 2009 Desmosedici RR. For those who don’t know it, the Desmosedici was (is) a remarkable sports bike and a true high point in Ducati history. Motorcycle News described it as “a MotoGP bike with lights and a numberplate” and said it made Yamaha’s much admired and hyper-quick R1 as “seem soft and cuddly by comparison”.
Parked high on a shelf — like a couple of bottles of Moet placed out of reach from the kids — were a Ducati 1098 an MV Agusta F3 800RC. There’s an F4 312R in David’s collection too, parked up elsewhere.
And back at ground level, a slightly banged-up 1098 track bike showing some scars after a turn 7 lowside at Wanneroo Raceway.
“She’ll run again,” David said. “At the moment I’m modifying the frame to better suit me. I like to sit lower in the bike rather than on it. I actually prefer the older bikes on the track, partly for that reason I think. The Mike Hailwood is marvellous at Wanneroo. The modern bikes beat it down the straight but often get surprised in the corners.”
David will be taking some of his bikes, he’s not yet sure which ones, to Western Australia’s biennial Italian bike show on Sunday October 18. He has plenty to choose from. His collection includes another dozen or so more than the bikes we saw.
The event, dubbed the Moto Italiane Ovest, is run by the Ducati Owners Club of WA. The club has a celebration of its own this year, marking it’s 50th year of operation. DOCWA is one of the longest-established Ducati owners clubs in the world and the second oldest Ducati club in Australia.
The Ovest consistently showcases a huge selection Western Australia’s most rare and desirable Italian bikes, thanks to collectors and enthusiasts like David.
“It’s a bit of an illness, really,” he said.
“You buy a couple, which becomes a few, until you find you have a lot more than you need!”
The 2026 Moto Italiane Ovest will be held at Garvey Park, Ascot (Perth, WA) from 9am-2pm on Sunday October 18. Key sponsors include Ducati Perth, Shannons Insurance, and The Bike Shed Times.
