ducatipaso.org

hey thanks -

i am very, very excited about carl's 907.
i had hoped that the bike would be what he described it as.
well, when i first saw it i realized that it was everything he said it was and then some.
it is an absolutely beautiful 907ie specimen that i know i will cherish for many years to come.
so yes, it will have a great home.

best !!
ride safely. always.

Gee, with all these superlatives floating around, maybe i should jack the price up?[Not] :neener:

Hi there,

I got really excited last days. Found a 907 from 1993 and will make a test drive next tuesday. According to the owner it ran only 15000 km, but you are never sure. Are there some special (weak) points on a 907 that deserve special attention? Because the price is relatively high I would like to check for flaws.

kind regards
George[/img]

Hi sjors,
the 907 is the more reliable Paso, is a "modern" bike (17" rims, 320 mm. front rotors, etc.) and don't have any particular weak.
The electrics could be better and might to have some trouble but, if you test the bike and it works smoothly (above all at the cold start, because there can show a battery and so a charge weakness), you can buy it no qualms.
Ciao

Sjors,

I've posted this before, but since you asked about what to look for, I'll re-post this for your benefit:

When shopping for a 907ie, you should expect to pay 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
vented 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 in your shopping!


Keepsdad,

sounds like you found yourself a great 907ie. Congratulations on buying the most beautiful motorcycle in the world! You asked what it was like to ride a 907. I'm sure you've ridden yours by now so you know. what i'll say about riding the 907ie is this: in addition to three 907ie ducatis, i also have an 1100 Kawasaki in my garage. speedwise, the cow will eat the ducks for breakfast. no contest. notwithstanding, i haven't ridden the cow once since i bought my first 907. it's just not as much fun to ride. i'm a speed junkie. the faster the better. i've been riding for 35 years and until i rode a 907 three years ago, i wouldn't have even considered owning anything less than a one liter bike. but the 907ie changed all that for me. now i'd rather ride one of my slower 907 ducatis over the faster 1100 cow. that says it all.

mrinflux wrote:when shopping for a 907ie, you should expect to pay 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
vented 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.

I don't think that all those modifications really increase the value 'cause by now the 907 is a classic bike.
Obviously, it can happen you need to replace some part no longer available.
I've had to replace the 300 mm. front rotors of my '92 907.
Those rotors are no more available, so I'have replaced them with the Brembo full floater rotors.
Otherwise, I would keep the bike absolutely stock.
Ciao

With all this praise of the 907ie I feel that I need to step in & defend the 906. They were not then, & are not now perfect but they certianly are an extremely capable machine. The 906 will not break land speed or accelleration records (neither will the 907) but they will give you a huge grin from the endless satisfaction they offer. The 16" rubber is competant & there do appear to be options other than Michelin or going up an inch. I run the original weber Carb & have never had problems with it. She is not built for commutting & does not like town running but open her up on the twisties & she will keep up with the best of them. A good 906 will deliver as much joy as a good 907. She is a fine lady & if looking for a bike from this family you would be selling yourself short if all that you considered was the 907. Sure it is the best, it was the last & therefore logic states that it is the most refined & sorted of the family but the 906 sure isn't a dog.
So if thinking of entering the Paso/ie family please consider each 750/906/907 on its own merits & a good example of either will surely please

mrinflux -

yes, your response certainly does say it all.
i have not yet ridden my 907 since the current owner is being kind enough to trailer it up to me in virginia.
he is scheduled to bring it up this saturday.

i, like you have ridden for many, many years.
i too was originally a speed freak until i discovered other kinds of motorcycles as evidenced by what is now sitting in my garage.
( i must confess though that i did ride to work today and did take the 929 and oh my, it still does thrill me )

i think your point about previous owners of a bike is right on target.
the previous owner of my bike who frequents this site is a "mature" gentleman who is a former ducati mechanic. the pride of ownership and mechanical prowess of this bike is overwhelming.

i cant wait to see my new bike this weekend.

thanks and ride safely. always.
as the tee shirt i saw at bike week said ---

kiss french. ride italian.

keepsdad wrote:kiss french. ride italian.

It's a bad stuff trying to ride french
:funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny:
Italians do it better....
Ciao

Francesco,

I understand and respect your preference for a stock 907ie over a 907 with upgrades. You're not alone in this preference. And you're right that the 907 is becoming a classic motorcycle. But I respectfully have to disagree when you say the upgrades don't add value. That's simply not true.

I've been tracking the sale price of every 907 I can follow, (on the internet, through Ducati clubs, newspapers, dealerships, and word of mouth), worldwide for the last 2+ years. During this time I've followed the sale of over 75 907ies, and I have detailed sales records for many of these sales. In all markets, (North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand), a 907 with upgrades sells for more than a comparable 907 without upgrades. That's just simply a fact. It doesn't mean you shouldn't continue your preference for the completely stock 907. But it does a disservice to readers who are shopping for a 907 to suggest that upgrades don't add value. They do and the sales figures prove it. Any prospective 907 buyer needs to understand how important these upgrades are to the value. Otherwise, they'll overpay.

Obviously, I'm excluding from this analysis a concourse quality 907ie. I have yet to encounter a concourse quality 907, but I suspect there's one out there somewhere. Somebody probably moth-balled a brand new completely stock 907ie right after purchase, so that there exists somewhere a brand new 907ie with no miles, completely stock, in perfect condition. Such a 907 would certainly be worth much more stock than modified. A concorse quality 907 would be hard to value, but i suspect it would sell for at least 10 thousand dollars, maybe as much as 15 to 20 thousand dollars. If i find one, I'll do my best to buy it. But any 907 that's been ridden, as opposed to a concourse quality 907, is worth far more with upgrades than without.

ciao!

mrinfux,
Have three comments to make on your above post.
First, agree that tastefull upgrades will increace value. Internal "hopup mods" generally will decrease value.
Second, would be very interested as to how you can determine genuine sale price of a machine. Example, Just sold my 907, which by the way was as close to concourse as any bike with minimal mileage[6500 miles] could be. You may know my initial asking price, but that as with most bikes, cars, planes, boats Etc in not necessarily the actual sale price. To the very best of my knowledge there are only a very few close associates of mine and the buyer who know what transpired. So think your "records" are majorly flawed.
Third, if you find this maybe mythical 0 mile 907 and are willing to pay between 10 and 20 thou for it, you are only re-inforceing P T Barnums famous saying.
My 2 cents worth.

qldman36,

It sounds like the 907 you recently sold is a beautiful bike! Low miles, yes; but, "as close to concourse as any bike with minimal mileage [6500 miles] could be," no. A concourse car or motorcycle, by definition, can't have low or minimal milage. A concourse vehicle has no milage on the odometer above that put on by the manufacturer during the assembly and testing process, (typically less than one mile). A concourse vehicle must be completely original. Resoration is not allowed. That's what it means to be a concourse car or bike. If you ever get a chance, go to a concourse show. It's really something. I've been to concourse shows for Corvettes. Brand new 35 and 40 year old Corvettes, zero miles on the odometer, the MSRP sticker still on the window. The cars are rolled onto the show floor with terri cloth covers on the tires so as to not disturb the rubber nubs on the tires. So, while 6,500 miles is super low milage for a 907, (all three of mine have significantly more!), it has nothing to do with a concourse bike.

As for me knowing what 907s have sold for around the world, it's not so hard. E-bay posts the selling price. When the buyer doesn't pay, the seller typically re-posts, so the bike is re-auctioned and I only consider the price that was actually paid rather than the winning bid. As for classified ads and dealerships, I contact the seller, (and sometimes the buyer), and ask them what the bike sold for. Most people are happy to tell me. Obviously, people can lie, and my data is not, statistically speaking, a controlled sample. I did not employ the "scientific method" when compiling my data. But, having bought three 907s in the last 2 years and having followed the sale of many others, I don't think my records are "majorly flawed". I'm curious, do you think most 907s sell for significantly more or less than the 4 to 5 thousand dollar range I quoted?

Ultimately, a thing is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. No more; no less. That's why I think it's difficult to value a concourse 907. Somebody with a lot of money and desire might be willing to pay substantially more than other interested buyers in order to own a unique 907. Have you ever watched car auctions for classic concourse cars? Prices in excess of a half million dollars are not uncommon. Does paying 10 or 20 or even 30 thousand dollars for a concourse 907 make a person a "sucker"? I don't know. Perhaps. At this point it's all academic because I know of no such concourse 907. Do you know of one?

mrinflux wrote:It's really something. I've been to concourse shows for Corvettes. Brand new 35 and 40 year old Corvettes, zero miles on the odometer, the MSRP sticker still on the window. The cars are rolled onto the show floor with terri cloth covers on the tires so as to not disturb the rubber nubs on the tires.

I think your definition of concourse is a bit stricter than any I've seen before. And with all the restorers I've visited I'd have to guess at least a few of those "zero mile" Corvettes were in a bit sorrier shape about $100,000 ago.

Not to say there aren't zero mile vettes out there, I'm sure there are. But I'll bet dollars to donuts there are more "zero mile" '67 vettes out there today than there were 20 years ago.

I guess according to you the most famous "Concourse De Elegance", Pebble Beach, is a sham. Here only the premier con course cars are invited to attend and i would bet all i have that there are less than 5% that are 0 miles. Your full of doo doo on your interpretation!!! Maybe less than 5 miles since restoration to extremly high standards, but not total miles.. :screwy:

Oh BTW, please steer me to where i can read "the true definition of concourse" so that i can see where the world went wrong.
As far as plastic pigs go, a moniker the late model Corvettes have finally outgrown, Bloomington Gold is the highest acclaim you can get. Here each car is inspected in the most minute detail for originality. No nut, bolt, chalk mark or smallest detail may vary from original production. Mileage is NOT a consideration. A certified "Bloomington Gold" Corvette is considered a top concourse car.

Sorry Garnet that we thread jacked this so far off track.