This Featured Listing is part of the The Edinger Ducati Collection. Thank you for supporting the site, David! -dc
That Ducati Paso 750s don’t get the pure adulation that they deserve from anyone outside dyed-in-the-wool Ducatisti is baffling. Sure, they’re looks might aptly be described as controversial and they never had world-beating power, but their place in motorcycling is as important as any mid-80’s Japanese rocket.
Most importantly, the bike saved Ducati from the scrapyard of history, pulling together the earliest versions of the brand’s modern hallmarks under new corporate ownership. Second, however controversial it might have been, their styling is uniquely Italian, uniquely 1980s and at the time was from outer space. The man who penned it, Massimo Tamburini, went on to give the world the Ducati 916 and the Ducati Monster.
So, it’s safe to say without the oddly charming Paso, with its belt-driven cam engine and fiberglass fetish, the Ducatis we drool over now might never have appeared. If we’ve piqued your interest, this 1988 Ducati Paso 750 is the pick of the litter.
With fewer than 1,500 miles on the dial since new, and wearing the rare-as-frog-hair blue bodywork, this Paso rightfully should end up in a museum. According to the seller, it’s one of just 55 sold in this color scheme worldwide.
From the seller:
This blue model Paso is very limited in numbers with only 55 sold worldwide and only has 1,486 miles which allows you to have a brand new antique. The Ducati Paso 750 was the first road going product to come out of the Cagiva-Ducati relationship, launched in 1985 when Cagiva purchased Ducati from the Italian government. Cagiva rushed to get it ready for the 1985 Milan motorcycle show. The bike has a set of Conti slip ons however the stock exhausts come with the sale of the motorcycle. This is a very comfortable bike for both the rider and the passenger.
Between 1986 and 1988, Ducati only sold 4,863 Paso 750s. It’s important because it was the first Ducati product designed by Massimo Tamburini, co-founder of Bimota, and the man who would go on to design the Ducati 916, and the MV Agusta F4, both considered to be two of the world’s most beautiful modern motorcycles.
For the Paso 750, Tamburini cloaked the entire motorcycle behind fiberglass and plastic panels, hiding all the mechanical parts. For the time, the Paso was packed with state-of-the-art features: square chromoly steel tube perimeter chassis, an aluminum rear swing arm, and aluminum Marvic 16-inch wheels wrapped in radial tires.
The Paso 750’s calling card was in the parts department. The 42mm anti-dive front forks were pretty huge for the era, and there was a stout fork brace built right into the front fender. At the rear, the rising-rate “Pro-Link”-style Ohlins monoshock was adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping.
It is equipped with the belt-drive Pantah motor which was a strong and capable engine, and known to deliver in the Ducati 750 F1.
The bike’s instruments were nestled in a binnacle that on normal machines would be covered by a tinted plexiglass windscreen, but on the Paso was an extension of the bodywork. They were made up of equal-sized speedometer and tachometer, along with a fuel gauge.
The Paso was lauded as “the best-equipped Eurobike ever to take on the Japanese in the hotly contested 750 sports market.” Owning a Paso today is something of a labor of love. They’re also mechanically reliable. The carburetor–an automotive Weber two-barrel pressed into duty running both cylinders.
The Paso is a fun, unique, and totally ’80s ride for not a lot of cash. Riding one never fails to elicit a thumbs up, and an appreciative glance from the crowd at your local European bike night.
Top Speed is 131 MPH with 72 HP@7,000 RPM and with a dry weight of 429 pounds with a 5 speed transmission, 5.8 gallon fuel capacity and a 30.6 inch height seat
Contact: David Edinger
Edinger.david@gmail.com
+1-317-908-2573
For all that beauty and rarity, our buddy David is asking for just $5,500. That’s half what you’d pay for a grey market Japanese two stroke, and this one is twice as clean as most smokers you’ll come across.