Where does the time go! I can't believe it is four years since I clocked 15,000 miles on my Desmosedici https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/8k-miles-in-a-year-doable.32865/ It has been tucked-up in my garage and hallway since 2016, and I've been getting my sports-bike kicks on my SP4 and my Baines Imola. Next year though either the Desmosedici or the 996SPS (which has been off the road since 2012!) are going to be pressed-back into service for road and Euro track-day duties again.
In 10-15 years time an SSie will be the rarest Ducati to still exist....because no one wants to keep them alive.
No mention of 650 Allazurras? My 1st desmo in 85. Couldnt afford an F1 at 5k but the Cagiva at 3k was doable. Daily commute & club racer at weekends, big bored, gas flowed 38mm forks 900ss discs & calipers. Did 35k miles on it. Snapped a mainshaft, was fragile but loved it for 5 years. These are rare desmos.
I suppose it depends on whether you're talking about production numbers or some other factor... Ducati were a pretty small outfit really until relatively recently. Around the time of the first 4v bikes the whole company was pretty small and the production numbers for things like the early 851s was not breaking 4 figures in some years / models. Something like a special-edition Panigale might be a very limited run, but compared to an earlier model that might have only seen a very small total production... I dunno. If we're talking about how many bikes then I guess an email to Ducati asking for production numbers will quantify "rare".
So they are. I didn't know that Supplied to Ducati as an official accessory for the Desmosedici. They have different wheels from the ones on the website right now though.