Back in the year 2000 I owned a DUCATI 996 Bip. I bought it from Norfolk Ducati as it was an ex demo bike. I had to sell the bike when I was going through a divorce in 2002. The registration number of the bike is/was: W179 SCL. I am wondering if the current owner of the bike if it exists could contact me. I would love to see current photos, or possibly buy the bike back... I have lots of photos when the bike was only six months old. I know a motorcycle dealer from Southend on sea bought the bike off of me around 2002.
Doesn’t appear on the HMGov website so it’s not on the road or SORN’d. Not looking good I’d say. Good luck though, they mean a lot, I so wish I’d kept some of my old bikes!
I tried the Gov website, when they open after the Xmas period I will give them a call. They might tell me if it still around, or been scrapped.
There was a spell some years back when the £ to € exchange saw numerous, mainly German, buyers plunder our second hand bike market, especially for the 916 family and the more expensive models in most bike ranges. If it had been based around the south coast, the appeal of less travel could well have been irresistible for a coastal invader weighed down with foreign cash..
Best of luck on getting a few clues. The dealer you flipped it to may have archived sales records? New buyer's details? I remember trying to buy back an in-the-family-since-new '67 Valiant my dad sold. Had a bulletproof Slant Six under the bonnet. He tried to do a valve job on it. Couldn't, so sold it for $1500 to a mechanic.... who I then saw cruising around town in it a couple days later! Ten years later, I managed to track it down to the outskirts of a tiny village in rural New Zealand. Rang the owner up and told him the story. He gave the classic response: "Nah mate, I'm gonna do it up one day. It's not for sale." Another ten years and it's still not on the road, and probably never will be. Buddy just likes having an old car in the shed, I think. Buying stuff back is damn tricky!
