How many, how much?

[Lost_Coast_Paso]

Greetings, all. I'm new here.

I added up the numbers of 907's made for the U.S. and came up with 730. Can this be right? It seems too few.

There is a 907 for sale near me:
"Excellent condition. Always garaged. 20k miles. 2nd owner since 1994. New tires & battery. Carbon fiber slipons. Corbin seat. Stock pipes & seat included."

He's asking $5300 US (3,890 EUR; 2,635 GBP). If it IS in excellent condition, is that price reasonable? What is the value of the the carbon cans?

Thanks,
Tim

[Rogero]

That's TOP price. I have just bought another 907 - not in bad condition ( for parts and company for my original one ) and paid £1000 GBP. I think my bike is worth about £1900 - £2000 and is in very good condition.

What sort of pipes are we talking about ?

[Lost_Coast_Paso]

What sort of pipes are we talking about ?

At this point, all I know is what is in the advertisement that I quoted. I'm hoping to be able to look at it tomorrow. Thanks for the info. -Tim

[keepsdad]

the number of pasos that you have counted does in fact sound reasonable.
my undestanding was that the majority of 907 production went to europe and other places other than the u.s.

as to price, i dont think the asking price is unreasonable IF the bike is in excellent condition. i can tell you this - i have a 91 with about 8k miles, ferraci cans, corbin seat, penske shock and bar risers and in MINT condition. i have had and turned down offers well above $5300 and my bike is not even for sale.

these are special bikes which as time goes on will get scarcer and scarcer. well maintained examples will over time reflect the free market philosophy of supply and demand.

good luck.

[Lost_Coast_Paso]

the number of pasos that you have counted does in fact sound reasonable.

Glad to hear that. I like the idea of owning such a rare bike.

these are special bikes which as time goes on will get scarcer and scarcer.

I agree wholeheartedly! I turned 16 years old in 1978, got a drivers license and my first bike. Since then, there have been three bikes introduced that made me say, "That's the bike for me!" These bikes all had this in common. They were great looking (to me, anyway) and they were very practical for commuting, long Sunday rides, touring and everything in between. I've got two of them. The Paso is the one that I lack and probably the best of the three.

Thanks,
Tim

[keepsdad]

i have been riding and owning bikes for over 40 years now and i have found that more often than not, bikes are all about passion.
especially modern bikes - mechanically they are all pretty sound - but what it often comes down to is which one makes your heart beat a little faster.

i remember the first time i saw a paso - it was like i had been struck by cupid's arrow. i fell in love and knew i had to have one. i searched nationally and was lucky enough to find one in the possession of someone who shared my passion for bikes.

and, altho i am sure the 750 and 906 owners would disagree with me, the 907 is kind of a hard luck kid almost like the pontiac fiero gt. by this i mean that a lot of would be owners were turned off by all the problems of the 750s and 906s and even though the 907 finally got it right, they were no longer interested in the bike, ergo, the short production run. i compare it to the fiero, since it too was plagued with tons of problems but by the time gm got it right in the gt, no one was listening any more.

i currently have 4 bikes in my garage and they are all ones that appeal to my passion for riding. i have owned dozens of bikes over my life and wish i had the garage space to still have them all. to me, each one was special in its own way and i loved being able to throw a leg over each and take them for a ride.

ride safely.
always.

[mrinflux]

There is a 907 for sale near me. He's asking $5300 USC. If it IS in excellent condition, is that price reasonable?

Tim,

$5,300.00 for a 907ie w/ 20,000 miles is too much. If you're patient, you'll find a better deal. Check e-bay. 907s get auctioned on e-bay fairly frequently.

I've been following the sale of 907s sold in the USA for the past 2+ years. Almost all sold for between 4 and 5 thousand dollars, depending on the milage, condition and after-market upgrades. The following upgrades are common:

exhaust cans
air cleaner
racing chip
bar risers
chain wheels (sprokets)
braided brake and clutch lines
corbin seat
euro taillight
fender elimination kit
clutch cover

These upgrades alone cost a couple of thousand dollars, so factor their presence or absence when shopping.

Other less common (and more expensive ) upgrades include:

dzus fasteners
rear suspension
master cylinder
brakes/rotors
marchesini rims (2 grand minimum just for this!)
clutch and/or slipper clutch
high compression pistons
944 kit

Obviously, the presence of any of these upgrades increases value significantly.

Generally, red is the most desirable color, and red 907s sell for more even though black 907s are much rarer. Re-paints and custom paint jobs decrease value significantly.

Milage is important. under 15,000 is good; under 10,000 is great. More than 30,000 is high and decreases value.

'91s are the least desirable; '93s are the most desirable. After model year "91, Ducati upgraded the brakes/rotors and switched from black to silver exhaust cans.

Check the condition of body plastic carefully. Older bikes often show stress fractures at or near the fasteners. Replacement body plastic is hard to come by and expensive. And even if you find it, the paint may not match well.

Check the condition of the paint. The painting process for the 907 is complicated and not easily replicated. It's not a simple matter of buying touch-up paint or ordering paint with paint codes. Paint problems decrease value substantially; conversly, good paint enhances value.

Mechanically, check for maintenance records. Pay attention to valve and timing-belt maintenance. Ducati recommends that the valve timing belts be changed every 12,000 miles. This job is expensive. If the bike your considering needs new belts, this decreases value. Make sure the bike idles and accelerates smoothly, w/o back fire. Fuel mapping problems can be difficult to diagnose and expensive to repair.

Finally, consider who the current and former owners are/were. There are always exceptions, but generally speaking, 907s owned by "mature" riders haven't been ridden as hard, have fresher engines, and probably less repairs and headaches down the road. Young bucks tend to ride harder, causing greater wear and tear on engine, suspension, brakes, and chasis.

Good luck!
Elton

[Lost_Coast_Paso]

Thanks very much for the info. I saw your list in a previous post and copied it for reference.

Regarding the price, it is high, but I met the owner today. He's about 50 and he bought it with 1500 km on it from someone who brought it over from France. It is a European model which I think is a big plus. He's had it maintained by the dealer and offered to give me the name & number of the service manager who would verify they maintained this particular bike. The bike comes with three sets of cans, not two, as he originally stated, plus the Corbin and stock seats. Judging by the ST4 he was riding today, he takes good care of his bikes. His wife was riding a nice looking Guzzi. They stopped here in Eureka, CA on their way to Trinidad to give me some pictures of the bike. I plan to keep this bike forever and all these factors are worth a premium to me. Besides, I'm very impatient once I decide that I can't live without something, and I've been lusting for a Paso ever since the Cycle magazine with the 750 on the cover arrived at my door in 1986. <g>

Regarding the mileage, I believe that an older bike with low miles is less desireable one with moderate mileage, unless it was properly stored for a long time, of course. It has been my experience that riding a bike regularly is better for it than riding it sporadicly with long periods of down time in between. One of my favorite bikes is the Concours and there are many Connies running around with well over 100K miles on them. I'm a COG member and I've seen these bikes and know their owners. How much mileage can one expect from a well cared for 907 before it needs an engine rebuild?

Do you agree that 730 907's imported into the US sounds right? The reason I questioned it is that, as you pointed out, they're not too hard to find. If only 730 were imported between 91 and 93, after subtracting those that were crashed & totalled or parted out, and those left sitting idle and deteriorating in garages, there can only be maybe 500 in decent condition remaining? I'd think they'd be harder to find. What do you think?

Thanks,
Tim

[persempre907]

How much mileage can one expect from a well cared for 907 before it needs an engine rebuild?

Actually, a friend of mine is riding his Paso 906 (same engine) with 160.000 kms/100.000 miles on it!

The timing belt replacement is not so expensive and not so difficult doing yourself, if you have a minimum of skill.

The valve clearance regulation is very, very difficult and requires skill and tools.

Ciao

[Fraser]

Lost_Coast_Paso,
My two reference books quote 730 total for the USA (185 were California spec) for the 907IE, between 1990 and 1992.
A total 2303 were produced worldwide.

Fraser.

[mrinflux]

Do you agree that 730 907's imported into the US sounds right? The reason I questioned it is that, as you pointed out, they're not too hard to find. If only 730 were imported between 91 and 93, after subtracting those that were crashed & totalled or parted out, and those left sitting idle and deteriorating in garages, there can only be maybe 500 in decent condition remaining? I'd think they'd be harder to find. What do you think?

Tim,

I agree. Ducati production/delivery numbers are notoriously unreliable, especially for this period. Given the amount of 907s that are for sale at any given time, it does call into question the claimed production numbers. Whatever the actual numbers are, suffice it to say that the 907ie is a relatively rare bike.

Elton

[Rogero]

Tim - based upon what you say and if you can afford it - buy the 907 !! I have two and will never part with them, although when is the poor relation and gets bits taken off and swapped every now and then!

Good luck.

[Finnpaso]

If buyer and seller are satisfied to price, then NOWBODY have to say anything to "deal" and keep mouth shout!!!! Btw, I dont want to be in sellers, or buyers side, but i can say here, what i want to say....

[Lost_Coast_Paso]

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I suspect that the numbers of bikes produced or imported are not correct, but it really doesn't matter. It is a rare bike. I've been watching for them since 1987 and have seen two 750's and no 906's or 907's. When I go buy my 907, maybe tommorow or else on Sunday, it'll be the first time I've ever seen one.

Tim

[persempre907]

The number of the bikes built is not so important.
It's a rare bike and, above all, a real beauty.
Yesterday, another time, a group of tourists held to see my bike parked...
Good luck.
Ciao