Update 2.1.2014: This bike is being relisted after a non-paying bidder won the last auction 4 months ago. It has already met reserve at $7k and has over 3 days to go. Links updated. -dc
This is one of those stories that taste just a little bit like urban legend. Except there are pictures. And a bike. And a barn. To be honest, I’m not certain that I am all that excited about writing up a 748L “Needless Markup” Christmas Catalog edition Ducati – yet despite the unique paint and number plate on the headstock (and nothing else different than the standard 1998 Ducati 748) – these NM bikes are some of the most rare of the vintage. I know that collectors dream about the “barn find” like most of us dream about finding a winning lottery ticket laying in the street, but does time spent in a barn increase the value of *anything*?
Yup, that’s a barn.
Yup, that looks to be a 748.
Ah, that’s better after a bubble bath.
Game of 9 ball anyone?
When I’m done playing pool and rocking out with my strat I like to sit at the bar and chat up RS125s
From the seller:
1998 Ducati 748L
Zero Miles – Never Ridden
Neiman Marcus 1 of 100
Uncovered Barn Find
This is by far the most unique find in all my years of collecting motorcycles. I have read the stories and heard of people finding model T’s, Corvettes, Muscle Cars, etc. in Barns covered for decades. A Modern Era Ducati ????? Crazy But True…. with pics to tell the tale!!! This is my 3rd 748L that I have owned. I originally heard about this bike through a non motorcycle friend that knew of a silver Ducati (with a single side wheel like a 916 as he put it). The source claimed to have seen it under a tarp in a barn somewhere in Jersey. That was enough info for me to pursue this Ducati. After a few phone calls I made an appt. with the estate executor. I then had a friend in the motorcycle industry that lived in the area take a look at the bike for me. A few details had to be worked out with current condition, paperwork, and logistics. I have been a Ducati lover since my first 748L in 98. The bike had 15 years of barn dust on it, but somehow I had to own it. I took delivery of the motorcycle as you see it in the back of the red “Duc Truck”. The long and short of the story goes like this. A gentleman in his early 60’s purchased the 748 brand new from an NY Ducati Dealer brand new. The owner got ill shortly after. Unfortunately the family decided to forget about it for years in the barn. This bike was never titled or registered. It has Zero miles. Never ridden. It was prepped and will need a service. I have the origin Certificate of Origin from Ducati for this bike. This has to be one of the only Neiman Marcus Ducati’s on original MSO, never ridden bikes in existence. If you have read this far than you know what a rarity this model is given the circumstances. Take note of the delivery sticker on right headlamp. I had my mechanic remove the headlamps prior to cleaning the bike to preserve that original aspect. My original intent was to keep the bike. I do have another 748L that I have had for years and it has more sentimental value to me than this bike does. I am assuming that this 748 will go to a collector or someone that shares my passion for these models.
Now I don’t mean to be too tongue in cheek here – it is rare to find a zero mile anything from 1998 in untitled condition. This is a very limited number motorcycle to start with. And this seller’s collection and location looks to be simply amazing. Definitely worth drooling over! The story of finding a 748L that somebody bought and was lost for 15 years is a great one. My issue is that it is a 748L…. It’s a nice bike, but the “rare” part is in the merchandising, not the mechanicals. Imagine how great this story would have been if it involved a Super Mono – now THAT would be something indeed!
Regardless, this seller has done a fine job hunting down and representing this bike. It is a pretty spectacular find and is worthy of a gander. The bidding has been rampant on this particular item, with 21 bids bringing the price up to $7,195 at the time of writing. That is peanuts for a zero mile Duck, much less a limited edition catalog bike. Get into the action here. While you’re there, check out all of the photos and details. If nothing else, this will give you something to shoot for when you design your garage / man cave / recreation room! Good Luck!
MI
I dont understand how these bikes can have zero miles on the odomteter…..I would think that just by rolling them around in the factory, off the truck, around the showroom they would have a few miles….. are the speedo cables not connected when the bikes are shipped or something?
Yawn… Nobody cares about this edition of a Ducati. Zero miles? So what? Some old man saw it in his wife’s catalogue. You’ll never see one of these in a motorcycle museum unless the owner of this museum thinks it’s funny. $8-$9k… Maybe.
To be honest, I’d rather own that 1986 GSXR750 behind it!
Why is the barn so important? Should of been stored indoors, prob has some corrosion damage.
Personally I think any barn find is cool, regardless if it’s worth a lot of money or not. I believe the more interesting the story, the better find it is. Collecting is about the hunt and the pursuit of something, the finding and putting it into a collection is just the trophy and the memory of the hunt. My question to the seller is this. I hope you and your friends are better pool players than I am. If that gixxer was sitting next to my pool table it would look like it went through a hail storm with all my errant balls flying off my table.
Must be nice to have bikes in the living room, someone is single! Lucky to keep mine in the gararge.
“When I’m done playing pool and rocking out with my strat I like to sit at the bar and chat up RS125s”
Priceless !!!
“Then after rockin’ out and chattin’, I get in my black van with tinted windows and park over by the high school……”
Zero miles? It has a picture of the odometer that shows 2 miles. I drove from LA to Vegas to buy a “zero miles” MH900e. When I got there and charged the battery, it showed 13 miles.
ZERO MILES means zero miles people.
TM not true I have a owo1 in a crate with the odometer reading 2 miles
Awesome story and killer find. If I had the cash that would be in my man cave.