Considering Getting A Sportclassic 1000

It seems quiet in here but I thought I would ask the past and present owners of this bike for any tips on buying and owning one of these. I am looking at any model other than the GT.

I am interested in how they ride and how they compare in handling to modern bikes. My current bike is a Panigale SP2, which is lots of fun on the road but a bit too much fun and far too fast - I'll be taking it to the track and fancy something else to use on the road in addition to the SP2, although I'm sure it will still go on the road from time to time.

Looking at available bikes it seems that quite a few people have upgraded shock and forks (often to Ohlins and sometimes with a 998 or similar front end) and wheels are often upgraded, which I guess has the advantage of enabling potentially better tyre choices.

I am not too concerned about originality, although that does often seem to help with how vehicles hold their value (it's not being bought as an investment but it's nice not to lose too much money on these things, although I'd be surprised if these go down much, if they actually go down in value at all over time).

Any information, tips and thoughts on these gorgeous bikes would be appreciated. If you want to post pictures then don't be shy.

 

I had to check the title!

 

I did suggest putting one in the living room but it didn’t go down very well.

Could you expand on your comment?

 

@Macca I have read plenty of people talking about the lack of comfort and the stretch to the bars but I hadn’t seen anyone saying that they handled terribly.

@bradders Way back when I had a new FZR600R a very good friend had a Darmah - there was no way of touching him through the twisties on that bike and I was using intermediate race compound tyres that were crazy sticky. He was a very good rider and had owned his bike for around 15 years, so he knew it very well. I was grinding pegs back then with my Doohan crossed up style but he never left the middle of his seat and could go around the outside of me. So, I do believe that old bikes can perform exceptionally well with the right rider.

I do like the look of the SC. There’s one available at the moment with Ohlins rear, Monster S4 forks, Ohlins steering damper, 999 wheels, Termignoni pipes and various other upgrades but with all of the original parts to bring it back to stock if required. Others are available with different upgrades (I think one had a 998 front end, upgraded slipper clutch, etc) and others that seem pretty much original, all for similar money and most without huge mileage (some are too low for comfort - I’m not keen on bikes that are 15 years old with a few hundred km on them).

It’s tempting as I think they look great and I’m not intending to go touring on it so I’m not too worried about comfort and different clip-ones can be used to help with that, BUT I do not want to have something that looks good but can’t be enjoyed through the twisties. I’d rather just get a Thruxton RS, which seems to set the bar for these types of bikes at the moment, but if a Ducati SC does (or can) handle well then I’d like to stick with Ducati.

 

This is very true. I’m limited by garage space more than anything - I can just about squeeze another bike in next to the current bike and car. My girlfriend seems to view a garage as storage space for loads of crap and fridges and freezers stuffed to the brim in case of a zombie apocalypse… weird.

Having said that, it does need to be fun to ride as well. Reviews from the time didn’t seem to criticise the handling at all – the only common complaint was comfort.

 

I was never a fan of the car headlight on the front of certain models and I never particularly lusted after a SS, other than my friend’s black and gold one from, I think, somewhere in the late 70s or very early 80s (but I don’t want to own anything that ‘classic’).