Uber rare, uber expensive, uber drool worthy. The Ducati 916RS was the factory racer built strictly for competition. No lights, no EPA canisters or stickers, and no compromises. Owning one is parking a piece of Superbike history in your garage, er, better make that your living room. Owning one is also proof that you have made it – for these super exclusive racers were pricey in the day and pricey today.
1997 Ducati 916RS Factory Racer for sale on eBay!
From the seller:
Ducati 916RS Racing – 955 Factory built Racermodel year 1997
One of only 27 units factory racing built, sold new to a privat so it is unraced (just tested twice), probably the only one existing preserved unraced.
Fully working, just checked, on the button.Ride and collect! Bullet proof investment.
Bike is currently located in Italy, Roveredo in Piano, Pordenone but i can get them delivered everywhere at cost, no problem.
Link clickers take note: While this bike is located in Italy (as it should be) and available on eBay, it has also been listed elsewhere on the ‘net. The asking price has been in the range of $60k USD, so this particular auction has a loooong way to go. Check out all of the pictures and details here, and then let us know what you think about this ultimate track day bike.
MI
Buyer beware on this bad boy…
^^^ Beware of what, specifically? Couldn’t you say that about anything listed here? That is unless you have documented personal knowledge of this exact machine- do you?
Only tested twice? That drive train tells me other wise. Those little teeth on them there sprocket things shouldn’t be so sharp and pointy. Looks like it’s atleast wore out that one. I think they recommended changing whole chain and sprocket every 8 to 10k. I could be wrong it’s been years since I worked around ducs.
Just my opinion…
Any logical reason why the top triple looks like poop?
The triples are magnesium. Looks like the owner got the bright idea to polish them instead of leaving them with their normal chromate conversion coat finish.
Brakes look like they’ve gone through heavy use. Strangely, the slicks have chicken strips. And the brake fluid is brown – I guess that can happen sitting still..?
Certainly, it wouldn’t be the first case of an unscrupulous seller, but I’d have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe your vision is better than mine, but I dont see how you can tell if the sprockets of brakes show significant wear from these photos. Also, the brake fluid can reach that shade strictly due to age, not usage.
The dealer site shows some cool stuff in their inventory, including an RC30 and a TZ750A:
http://www.stileitaliano.com/ita/classic-e-collection/modelli/2
Great bike though $60,000 could buy half the property in Detroit
I agree with Frank, and @heshian1, look at the countershaft sprocket up close. The rear sprocket looks relatively new, but that countershaft sprocket looks like it has torque wear to me by how the curvature of the teeth has changed slightly from straight. Also, to me IIRC, I thought the RS 955 bikes came with the Corse bigger radiator and had different mag heads and engine case covers. The dirt that seems to be on various surfaces on the bike in places doesn’t look to be of the “it has been sitting in storage” kind of dust but to be of “looks to be more than 2 testing usages worth “. Caveat Emptor.
The bike looks period correct; has the old school ECU, the early small airbox; the lag over 888 corse like radiator, non-quick shifter. The later model RS’s I have seen do not have serial numbers on the frames. Buyer should check that out. It may actually be a 996R customer race bike rather than a factory RS, but then again, in 94-97 they were very fluid and the actual product sent out changed a lot. Who cares about the rubber on this, its the heads and gear box you should be concerned about. That being said, unless these are mistreated, the average amateur rider in non WSBK/Historic racing shouldn’t destroy the drive train; with proper maintenance, you should get 20-40 hours without a tear down. They are quite robust. The 996RS’s are going to be like TT2’s and TT1’s in a couple years. Grab one now or really regret it in the future. Cheers!
Pass on Ducatis. I won’t have any regrets
Note teh wear on the rear shock body. That didn’t from two rides.