The Ducati F1 750 was one of a whole bunch of motorcycles that were more or less ignored when new, that are rather grudgingly coming into their own in terms of collectibility. They’re still not hyper-valuable enough to not ride once in a while, which is the best part. If you’re going to purchase one to ride, best bet is to buy a decent, well-preserved example like the one below. Find this 1986 example here on eBay in Pasadena, California.
Ducati had something of a history building street-intended replicas of its race bikes, and the F1 750 was exactly that. Debuting in 1985, the F1 750 was a replica of the World TT2 Championship-winning bikes, and the Works F1 endurance racing bikes of 1984. The 750 F1 featured full flow oil cooling and a cantilever rear suspension. The early production bikes used the same size valves as the 500 had, restricting performance. In 1986, 750 F1 crankcases were strengthened and used straight cut primary gears driving a hydraulically activated dry clutch, and featured a much stronger gearbox. Valve sizes increased to 41?mm and 35?mm. Other features included 40?mm Forcella front forks, Veglia instruments, and a steel fuel tank. The 750 F1 continued into production for 1987 and 1988.
Ducati F1 750s were slow sellers in their day, mainly because the price put them well above even the rarest bikes from Japan. Keep in mind that this was 1986, long before European motorcycles had enjoyed any kind of mass resurgence here in the United States. Ducati wasn’t exactly a household name here. The result was that Ducati 750 F1s were nailed to the showroom floor, often left to languish years beyond their sell-by date.
Today, 750 F1s are becoming recognized as special motorcycles. They don’t enjoy anywhere near the enthusiasm of bevel-driven Ducatis such as the 750SS and 900SS, which is good news for collectors lacking the available funds for those motorcycles.
This example represents the quality of 750 F1 that would make a nice addition to a collection, yet has just enough issues to keep the price reasonable, and keep you from feeling like you’re doing a disservice to history by riding it. In better-than-good condition, it features a few items that an enterprising collector could sort out. Neither the horn, nor the neutral light work, which don’t strike us as dealbreakers. Slightly more concerning are the hairline cracks in the fairing and paint around the mounting screws. Those cracks probably appeared soon after the first owner fired up the throbbing V-twin, but repairing them would add significant cost to the overall purchase price.
Nevertheless, the condition here is better than you’re likely to find without months of searching. Riding one of these bikes is a special treat, but be warned that riders over about 5’10″ tall need not apply.
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“Riding one of these bikes is a special treat, but be warned that riders over about 5’10? tall need not apply.”
D’oh! Why is it that so many motor cycles (especially the pretty ones) are made for little guys?
@Matt E.
There’s a VF1000R with your name on it in the feature above. :)
Mine was loud, quick, reliable and diabolically uncomfortable. Great fun for short bursts, though.
Styling holds up nicely, too, doesn’t it? And the colors are great, cracks in the glass and all.
So why did I sell it? Oh yeah, I’m old.
Specifically, this is an F1-B, built during the Castiglioni era (note the elephants.) For the casual observer, the main visual differences between A vs B models is gold vs red wheels, and the twin-stripe lettering vs the block white and elephants (the elephant was the Cagiva mascot: the Castiglioni family also owned Cagiva.) This model also has the steel gas tank, noticeable by looking for the rolled seam.
These are wonderful bikes. The standard F1′s haven’t really been discovered by collectors, although the derivates of this model (Santamonica, Montjuich, Laguna Seca) certainly have and bring double or better what these are worth. You can be taller that 5′ 10″, but you need the typical Italian Long Arms, Short Legs body type to really fit. (I’ve never met an Italian built that way, yet is seems all of their cars and bikes of that era were designed for him.) Being built as a racer, there is no thought given to long-term comfort, and the fairing severely limits moving the clipons around. Also, long legs will have your knees catching on the trailing adges of the fairing… if you were a racer, you just trimmed these to fit.
These were not intended to be street legal so didn’t come out of the crate with things like turn signals or air filters. The good news is: they have the correct type of VIN, the wiring harness had provisions for signals, and the DMV was a much simpler place back then so most were licensed right off the showroom floor.
The seller definitely sounds like a flipper: doesn’t show much knowledge of the model, plus ALL CAPS is usually reserved for snake oil salesmen. Currently at $8450 with the reserve not met, it’s already near the top of the market so he’s either right below reserve or dreaming.
You see the perennial fight about “frame exposure” going left to right in this bike vs the Paso Cheddar.
Huh. I saw one in Minden, NV on Craigslist a few days ago and thought about submitting it, maybe I should have!
http://reno.craigslist.org/mcy/2517618791.html
It’ll be interesting to see if the ebay auction gets to what the Craigslist post is asking.
Pretty nice; but the cracks in the paint/fairing are off-putting. Maybe the screws were over-tightened.
Sorry to hear about the height requirement.
Lovely bikes – great to look at, great to listen to, great to ride for short distances if the rider himself is short.
And the only time this and anything with h***a written on it should be mentioned in the same sentence might be when noting that the vf has 2 wheels just like a real motorcycle… :)
This one looks like its right about the top of the market pricewise in today’s climate. As stated, the cracks probably began to appear in the first few hundred miles – the ‘glass isn’t the thickest/best on these- but still a nice bike from all appearances. I think I’ve still got a couple of packages of brake pads and an oil filter on the shelf for one even. hmmm
Not particularly attractive, not very fast — a recent Ducati air-cooled bike of fewer CCs and way less money would smoke it — and not all that historical. Just a nice old Ducati. Maybe a rabid collector would want it. Buy a good 900SS square headlight Ducati if you want a nice “older” ride.
1986 was a breakout year for the superbike. Who could forget this Ducati, the Kawasaki Ninja (both the 650 and 900) and Honda Hurricane (which I believe came out in 1987). The movie “Top Gun” glorified these bikes forever.
I don’t know if it was this model of Ducati, but a Ducati made a brief appearance in the Senna documentary.
Amazing movie. Highly recommended. Even my auto-race-hating wife loved it.
Now *this* is the era of bikes I like to see on TY. I remember being just out of high school, broke, and wanting one of these soooooo very badly. I’ve often toyed with the idea of building a tribute bike.
Nice example!
Mac Miller writes-
‘Not particularly attractive, not very fast — a recent Ducati air-cooled bike of fewer CCs and way less money would smoke it — and not all that historical. Just a nice old Ducati.’
I know from experience Ducati haters come in two flavors- those who’ve never ridden one, and those who have never ridden anything.
Almost every motorcycle is faster, quicker and more reliable than a Ducati, and visual appeal is subjective, but the first time you ride one you”ll understand.
There is a rawness and impracticality we like that the technologically better Asian bikes seem to lack.
Park this slow, uncomfortable, historically insignificant bike next to a pile of canyon carvers and see which one people find most interesting.
Beautiful. I would park this in my living room and stare at it when I wasn’t riding or maintaining this work of art.
I will have to agree with Mac……. there is just something special about having a Ducati. You must ride one to appreciate it. I have owned many brands of motorcycles and the Ducati is my favorite. There is a certain timeless appeal to these bikes….. similar to a BSA Gold Star or a Norton Manx. Also, many times, these supposedly slow bikes will run off and leave much faster bikes in a real world setting. Of course, old age and treachery can overcome youthful exuberance and inexperience more times than not…….
i remember when i could find these for under 5 k . why is hindsight so clear ??? still one of my dream bikes….