I have a nice Mark 1 Superlight, Excellent original condition with 17000 miles. Been thinking of selling or p/ex for a while now. I've often discussed the merits of a 'classic' Ducati with white frame, Marvic wheels to many dealers but they just glaze over. The response is generally 'I'll see if I can get you a price' or 'not really interested ' - ' how old ' - what's a Superlight ?. Personally I think they're missing a trick, I enjoy going into dealers that have older machines to drool over and reminisce, surely it draws in punters and true ducatisti, not only that but Made In Italy Motorcycles just sold a MK1 for £6500 in 2 days. I'm not saying mine appeals to everyone but there's lots of 90's Ducati's which must appeal to most and in my eyes look incredible, would they turn down a nice 916 Strada, early M900 ( I had one of those with 6000 miles ) couldn't shift that either or SS's.. I'm not desperate to sell or do anything at the moment but your only choice is to sick it on ebay...
My 2003 999 was in superb condition when I tried to trade it in last year, local Ducati dealership weren't interested in doing a direct deal, it was too OLD and a risk.
My local Ducati dealer isn't scared of a classic or 2 on the shop floor. Used Ducati 851 Strada For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland Used Ducati 900 SL Superlight II For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland Used Norton ES2 (1947) For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland Used Norton Dominator 88 For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland Used Moto Guzzi 1000 Daytona For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland Used Triumph Bonneville T140E For Sale at M&S MOTORCYCLES | Secondhand bikes | Newcastle & North East & Northumberland
Not sure I'd want to ride 400 miles to show them my bike and then get insulted but I will definitely give them a call ....... cheers.
Well they are a dealer, so you aren't going to get top dollar, that'll always come with a private sale. They probably won't be interested in buying the bike outright I would imagine. My point was that if you are looking to p/x, then you have options as not all dealers will shy away from an old bike. A high resolution camera and an e-mail address could save you a long trip. Stating the obvious, but you've picked the worst time of year too.
I think there is your answer. Lots of people will go in and take a trip down memory lane, perhaps take up some of the salesman's time with a bit of "I remember my next door neighbour having one of these when I was a kid" reminiscing, snap a photo or two and then leave. At the end of the day dealers are businesses and if they think they'll have problems selling a PX bike quite quickly, and as classic Ducatis are a niche market within a niche market they may well be correct in taking that view, they won't be interested no matter how much it tugs at the heartstrings. If someone is in the market for a mainstream bike they'll go to a mainstream dealer, whereas if they're in the market for a classic Ducati, they'll go to a specialist or buy privately from an enthusiast who they can grill for the full background and service history of the bike.
Made in Italy will take your bike on a sale or return basis. I think they charge 10% but they do seem to get top dollar and have customers that understand these bikes.
Which dealers did you try? Moto rapido always have classics on display they might be interested in it
