Bargain MotoGP Replica? Track Day 2008 Ducati DD16 Desmosedici

Bargain MotoGP Replica?  Track Day 2008 Ducati DD16 Desmosedici

This Desmosedici caught my eye today because it is one of the few I’ve seen for sale that has actually been used for its’ intended purpose.  I think most owners of these pricey machines barely tip toe to their favorite hangout, let alone tempt fate with it on the track.  This owner has tempted fate around the track with his DD16 and lost a couple of times.  This bike has its’ share of bumps and bruises but that is what was interesting about it.  Is the price to condition ratio close enough that it might be  a bargain?

Lets see what we are dealing with.

From the seller:

Selling my 2008 Ducati Desmosedici 600 Mile Service and recall work done at Rockwell Cycles. Oil changed once a year. Bike is in Attack trackonly body work. BST Carbon Fiber Wheels 17″ included….so you can run ANY tire you want and not the crappy Bridgestone 16″ rear that it came with. Original Wheels included as well. Bike was lowsided. It did not flip. The damage was cosemetic. The bike still has scuffs on the clutch cover, Right clip on, and front brake lever. The fairing stay developed a crack, but was repaired, same goes for the carbon fiber part that goes around the Radiator (just a cover). Right footpeg has scuffs. This is NOT an immaculate Bike. It has the RACE Exhaust and ECU installed. I tried to ride this bike like it was designed to be ridden, unfortunately this bike is simply TOO MUCH bike for me. If you have a desmo already, this is a great track body double so you can keep the babied one pristine. If you have never ridden a desmo…DONT BUY THIS BIKE….on the street this thing is SO LOUD it hurts. The only time i rode it on the street was from the dealership to my garage. Since then its been all track miles. The bike runs perfectly. I converted the bike to 520 chain and sprockets which have less than 150 miles on them. DID ERV3 Chain. I sold the original forks, because nobody could set up gas pressurized forks. So these are OHLINS RT 1198S forks. If you really want to ride this on the street, I can include the headlight, tail light, mirrors and turn signals (integrated into mirrors) for an additional $500. You would then need to source yourself a nose fairing or carve your own. I had it professionally repainted the correct color that it should have come in originally.

What stood out to me was the bit about the forks.  I am not enough of a suspension guru to know if the forks on the bike are an upgrade or downgrade.  Can anyone comment on this?  The carbon wheels sound cool but I can’t say I’ve had any experience with them.

The owner said it isn’t mint.  I guess your biggest concern would be that the bike hasn’t suffered any major damage and that everything is straight.  The seller has a buy it now price of $26,000.  For comparison, I saw a couple of mint Desmosedici’s sell in the $40,000 to $45,000 range last fall.  My gut reaction is that the BIN price is reasonable.  That price definitely makes the bike available to a lot more buyers.

If Ducati happens to make another replica it might not have that trellis frame.  I saw they were scheduled to test a more standard aluminum dual spar frame this week.  The luster of their GP program sure has suffered since Stoners heyday on the bike that inspired the Desmosedici.

Click here for one mean track bike.

Ian