I've dug out the Log book, and says 748 Biposto, date of reg 14/09/2000 Would the vin number give any pointers ? Also found a Daytona invoice from 2003 for £1100...with 9800 miles on it
You can write\email to Ducati who will clearly identify your bike and give you model details. Log books are not always accurate, it is still clearly an S though which is the important thing, it wasn't the base model in that year but one in between the stock 748 Biposto and the 748R.
Indeed, that pinch bolt in the (large) headstock shows that it has the adjustable steering angle - not that anyone ever adjusts it mind! but this means it's not the budget 'E' model. I'd probably pay up to £2k but then I'd be getting it back on the road myself so would only cost the parts (and I've got enough rockers to swap 'em all if need be). A quick checkover should tell if it's worth £2k or £1.5k, simple things like looking inside the fuel tank etc. Dealer price to get it all sorted will be steep but then they need servicing anyway so you should look at the cost of the service as separate to that of recomissioning and, IMO most of the cost to get it right would be there for just a full service anyway and it's no more (or less) likely to need rockers replacing than any running bike you might buy.
I found this on a US site. It might help, clearly the S is a mid range bike. An E also does not have quick release fuel connections 748 Variations Ducati produced several variations of the 748, starting with the basic 748 Biposto (meaning "twin seat") in 1994 and then the 1995-96 748SP and 1996-99 748SPS followed as more powerful options. The SP and SPS engines were in a higher state of tune and also came only as Monoposto (meaning "single seat"), although it was possible to order the base 748 with a monoposto option, and were intended as homologation machines for World Supersport racing. Other extras over the base model included Ohlins rear shock and fully-floating cast iron Brembo brake disks. The engines also came with an oil cooler. In 2000, Ducati revamped their 748 model line to include a third variation: The base model was now known as the 748E, available as Biposto or Monoposto, with 3-spoke gold wheels and gold frame. Gone were the quick-release Dzus fasteners on the fairing, replaced with plain fairing fasteners, and the frame also had a fixed steering head angle. The rear shock was a Sachs-Boge unit with Showa forks at the front. This helped to keep costs down. The intermediate model was known as the 748S. This had lighter 5-spoke Marchesini wheels in grey to match the grey frame, also retaining the earlier adjustable steering head. The rear shock was now a Showa unit with Showa forks at the front, making use of Titanium-Nitride (TiN) coating on the fork stanchions to "reduce stiction", which also gave it a gold coloring. The engine was a derivative of the earlier SPS, making use of the higher state of tune, and also included an intermediate exhaust system of 50mm headers connected to 45mm exhaust cans. The top of the range model was now the 748R, Ducati's racing homogolation model produced only in very limited numbers. This engine was again a derivitve of the SPS model but with more tuning. The main difference is that the R model has an overhead shower-injector arrangement compared to the 748E and S model's traditional throttle bodies. As such, the 748R has a larger, two-part airbox and thus the frame was also different to accomodate this. The suspension choice was Ohlins for both the rear shock and front forks, although the very first models in 2000 used Showa TiN front forks. The engine included a very basic slipper clutch to ensure that this would then be homogolated for use in racing and also an oil cooler. Ducati also produced a very limited run of 748RS machines, which were intended as full racing machines and as such came with no road-going equipment. The engine internals and components were vastly different from any road-based Ducati, using a variety of light-weight, high-strength materials making them extremely expensive to purchase, run and maintain. The RS came with a 54mm exhaust system and a slightly smaller size and gauge of Chromoly tubing was used on the frame to reduce weight even further.
Yep, your right, they certainly did as I bought a 748S in 2000 with the Marchesini wheels from new. It seemed to co-incide with the frame becoming grey.
I have just bought a good 748 bip for £2K. Extensive service less than 300 miles and 6 weeks ago. It was dirty as the last owner had lost interest but it scrubbed up well.
Red, my sources tell me that 30 Titanium Grey MY02 748's were imported to the UK, 200 to the States and another 50 distributed across the rest of Europe. Where does the figure 116 originate from?
just to put the cat among the pidgeons (and in Rowdeys favour) :- 2000 DUCATI DUCATI 996 BIPOSTO YELLOW | eBay
Sure was. The only real issue was a rear wheel spoiled by salt. One (e-bay) rear wheel later and some intensive cleaning it now looks awesome. There will soon be a refurbished rear wheel on e-bay.
Best get Denzil to adjudicate - calling Denzil Denzil, your time is up Come in please Denzil ... Sorry for the mini hi-jack
where im from a full 17 litres will cosy me £22 so hes just rounding down haha. he doesnt need a secret fuel supplier
Greyman, the numbers of MY02 "Gray Opaque" ones built in 2001 were 200 US spec, 25 Japan spec, 116 (general spec-some sold in the UK) and the UK spec machines only 30. For the MY00 and MY01 748S most were built in 2000 with close to 200 in 2001 as production shifted to the MY02, and only 10 were built in 1999 (MY00s). There were 175 UK spec MY00/01 748Ss built in 2000 out of a total production of around 2000 of both mono and bip versions of 748S for all markets. The other limited 748S production in 1997 was only 100 machines with 30 to UK spec (20 red and 10 yellow). The numbers are all in Falloons "Standard Catalogue" but the tables need to be read carefully. For the OP your S falls into the tail end of the dodgy rocker supplies batch so you would be advised to get them checked by someone who knows what to look for. You would be very unlucky to need more than 3 or 4.
Thank you Denzil, I misplaced my "Observers book of Ducati spotting" some time ago (4 years!!) and was fairly certain of having read 30 UK, 200 States etc ...
Looks like you did well, the next 12 months And a couple of thousand miles of thrashing will tell if it was a bargain, fingers crossed nothing breaks! You need to peel off those nasty aftermarket Corse stickers off the lower fairings, they look a bit cheap.
Someone did well for under £2400 wouldn't take much effort to turn that around, it was nice and unmolested. Just a bit neglected. Right up my street.
The sticker were cheap £8 a pair. I put them on the hide some unsightly scuffing to the nearside lower panel. Currently I am looking for a lower panel and then the stickers will go. The real looser was the Ducati specialist that looked after the bike for the previous owner. He lost a mug. In 400 miles he fitted 2 fuel filters, 2 oil changes with filters and in 950 miles 2 sets of belts. The guy simply put in for a major sevice every year.
What are your first impressions of the 748 compared with your other Ducati's?, I also have a 600SS and am thinking of graduating to a 748/9, might keep the 600 as its such a lovely pretty little bike.
