Actually I haven’t figured it out. This 748 for auction according to reports has 506 miles from new. Was switched from yellow to red 916 body panels when new. A commenter claims the speedometer must have been changed. He says a 1997 748 should have white and grey lettering on the speedo face like the bottom pic. The bike for auction (top pic) has all white lettering on the face. Is he correct? https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1997-ducati-748-3/
Now that you point that out yes I do. For the directional indicator the 506 speedo has 2 arrows instead of “turn” as seen on the 1336 speedo. The 1336 speedo is from a 1996 916. I used that pic since the commenter says that is what speedo should be on the 1997 748.
Plenty of bikes out there in Googleland to compare them with. Top set 1997, bottom set 1996, both US spec.
Here is a 1997 speedo with all-white markings. I think the commenter is wrong and the auction bike has the correct speedo. https://www.ebay.com/itm/3640463557...lDpFo9lRF-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Although here is a 1997 748 with the white and grey on the speedo lol. https://iconicmotorbikeauctions.com/auction/1997-ducati-748/
Absolutely there are plenty of ways to determine if a mileage claim is correct. I am merely asking if it can be said with 100% certainty the speedometer is or is not an original style unit.
At that point in time, bikes still got what was in the parts bin so no guarantee what is ‘correct’ or what is not. If my memory is correct, the telltale light cluster and rev counter writing is a more accurate way of dating the parts. Some UK models did have F° temp gauges. Andy
Agree. This was still during an era when suppliers refused to ship parts to Cagiva because they hadn't been paid. Cagiva just went to other suppliers which clearly had small differences in spec. Did some/most 1997 bikes come with all-white writing on the speedo? Yes.
I think a lot of guys on this side of the pond are used to the concept where the exact spec for the year is known on a vehicle. That's fine if it's say, a '66 Mustang where things are set in stone. But this is Ducati in the mid-90s... "correct spec" down to the colour of the dials doesn't really exist. There's a perceptible level of elitism over here with some machines, so not having things in black and white "correctness" drives people nuts!
Wait a minute! Some even have curved letters on the idiot lights. What a bloody mess, this Ducati 90’s era…
