Well, here goes with my findings - hope the pictures load in some sort of order! I may well discover more when I finally strip the bike down...
Very interesting, the tank and short casts in the frame sold it for me! its definitely is a prototype of some description, Frankensteins Bride or collectors item? I'd say a definite rarely and thus collectable good find!!!! Would love to have seen some of the prototype bodywork or mouldings based on those early sketches! Wonder if the fairings ever made it off the drawing board and are languishing in some dark store room in Bolonga? it just looks like one of those machines where the more look the more you'll discover! Great read!
Mmm, that's a long story, well a shortish story really so here goes... When at the auction, having noticed a few of the above items and concluding it could be an early prototype (mainly thanks to my job), my mate (Col) and me checked to see if the engine turned on all 3 bikes, along with some other potential bidders. This bike appeared not to have a gearbox as we couldn't select gears. There was no selector noise or any sign of gear engagement. I told Col I would take a punt on it as if it was a prototype I wanted it - engine internals or not. I could always of course take it up with Bonham's after the Auction. On arriving home I took the cam belt covers off and found the top end of the engine to be empty - so deduced that the rest would be too although I have not stripped it as yet. I took the issue up with Bonham's (with photographic evidence) who very kindly negotiated a very fair deal with the sellers estate solicitors and I took a refund. So, in answer to your question, not just yet! But I will strip the bike eventually and rebuild / blue print the engine as it certainly deserves as much. I guess the development engine would have been stripped as part of the checks, although the engine is pretty much the same as the 998. In fact I would imaging it is more likely to be a 998 engine, does anyone know of any external visual differences - I understand the valve sizes were bigger but haven't got that far yet.
I'm pretty sure the body work would have looked pretty much the same as the production bikes, even on the first prototype - just produced differently with rapid prototyping methods like a lot of the parts on the bike. The 5 final Pre production Prototypes were visually exactly the same as the launched bike where this one clearly had differences and 'borrowed' components from other machines. It is a shame the body work was changed, but at least it was Ducati History that changed it and if it hadn't been used in 2007 for this exercise I'm sure it would never have seen the light of day, so I'm happy!
Cool If it's any help most off the shelf components, like cooling fan's, fluid reservoirs, master cylinders, shocks, etc are usually dated by the manufacturer, same goes for engine components, so if you can find a load of items that are all dated 00 or 01 it'll give some proof when it was made.
All I know about your engine issues is that our old friend Frankie Chili refused to ride the 999 in WSB that first season. He rode a 998 frame with the 999 engine and called it a 998.5 - if my unreliable memory serves. A 999 engine fitting in a 998 frame suggests that the reverse would work, so your curiosity there may well have had a 998 unit bolted in there.
Thanks for the info, but part of my evidence is that non of the parts are production, they are from prototype tooling - so there is no engraving, date clocks, even ejector pin or core lines in any of the parts to enable a date. I can only go off the information in the book which makes me estimate 2000/01 but I may find more when I eventually strip the bike. The fan motors have a code but no dates stamped that I can see in situ - but you could be correct regarding the 'borrowed' parts from other models!
Thank fVck! I good/interesting BIKE post... Had a proper gut full of politics/religion/gay/guff guff guff guff guff guff guff guff guff guff guff !
I know what you mean, Nelson! When I have had enough of the political nonsense threads, I actually have to stop reading them. It's awful! [a troll post, especially for Bradders :smile:]
Loving this and so glad it's shaping up to be an interesting bike, not a pup as originally suspected! Love the tank.
A most interesting post - fastidious bit of research, bordering on OCD!! :tongue: One thing confuses me: how come it's got a late fabricated swing arm?
The Emilia Romagne sticker is a sponsor sticker from the Desmosedici; it's a county/region in Italy (in which Bologna is located) so is equivalent to a "Come to Sunny Yorkshire!" advert See DucCutters: Press Release
I wonder when the frame received its coat of red paint? Production models didn't get red frames until 2005 (unless I'm having another senior moment here).
The same reason it has a Stoner rep body kit when Ducati Corse used the bike as one of 5 promotional bikes in 2007 - it's all in the story above
