I heard that an immaculate 998S was going for reasonable money... always wanted one, but couldn't afford it (or at least justify it). The rest is history (mine).
Ha, that was my reward on bringing it back from Stonehenge, which was another reason I’d bought it, long way to go from Derby but I’d never seen Stonehenge so I reasoned that if the bike wasn’t as good as the photos (it was better) then at least I’d ticked off the archeology box
Well you know the Top Gear "you must have owned an Alfa ( mine was a 156 2.0TS Lusso) to be considered a petrol head" maxim well I think it extends to Ducati also
Bike leaving a pub & the ground would vibrate through my legs. Sounds like I'm going to tell you I had an organism, nope that's your dirty mind. Asking what the hell was that? "..its a ducati.." I knew one day I would be an owner.
I’m hopeless on years but took my young Son to Snetterton BSB and saw Hislop and Hodgson etc on these amazing sounding machines that gunned it out of the corners, I had to have one, but not having ridden since the early 80s I had to take my test etc.. did an intensive course and I remember our instructor asking all of us what bike will you get if you pass? “ A 748” I said, Your mad he replied.. “ yep “ I said “ you’ve got me sussed” The rest as they say is history... x
Bunking school & riding around london on red bus rover (50p !) around 1987/88 . I stumbled on a photo shoot outside Bar Italia in West End, think maybe white framed 851 or 900ss.
I went to buy a 748 from haslemer motorcycles. Said I was mad, no experience (recently passed test but been riding 10 years) and would be too mush for me.. wankers I bought a better one from doble motorcycles.
Still arguably the best looking & maybe the last of the truly hand built machines. Thanks for the Christmas day porn !
Yeah, it's a close run thing. Just find the 851/888 has a.... uummmm....accidental functional beauty. But in a ideal world, I'd have 851 SP3 & 998 R, but santa obviously didn't get my letter this year.
I sold my SP3 in 2012, was arguably the most beautiful bike Ducati produced. Will get another soon. Incidentally a friend of mine had a SP3 with 0 miles on the clock. As fresh as the day it left the factory.
Even if I had money for low/zero miler, not sure I would want it. These things were designed to be ridden & not just sit on paddock stands.
I had the 600 version. Lovely bike, sold it and got a 796 Monster in Rossi trim. Watching SMBH win the 1978 TT beating modern bikes by a mile got me started on Ducatis.
Saw and heard a 916 pulling out of a filling station in the mid/late nineties and became totally hooked hooked there and then. 2002 I had the money to get back into bikes so I bought a brand spanking 748E and off I went. A few years later I was looking at buying an MV F4 as I didn't like the looks of the T9 and then the 1098 was launched but not in yellow so I ordered a tricolore. The dealer wouldn't give me the px I wanted on my 748 so I thought sod I I'll keep it and "have two". About a year later I got a second chance to buy a 998 Bostrom and a few weeks later a v low mileage 916 at a good price, so up to 4 - all on the road. Great summer that year . Fast forward a couple of years and I was in Snell's with the boss at work and we saw a nice S4RS which was a model I had always said I wanted, 5 mins later I was offered it as my end of year bonus, happy days! .Finally someone on here advertised a 748 SPS in lovely condition with low miles, another no brainer to me so here I am with half a dozen old rattlers all because of some bloke in a BP station over 20 years ago.
