Professionally executed customs often change hands without a word or in a charity auction, but here’s a beauty based on the dual-spark 992.
2007 Ducati SportClassic 1000S MHR for sale on eBay
More often seen in the silver Paul Smart SE livery, the 1000S was a very rideable retro, with one of Ducati’s best air-cooled mills and 91 hp. The long tank and trellis frame were punctuated with Marzocchi USD forks and dual Sachs shocks. 17-inch spoked wheels carried 320mm Brembo brakes, and could be had with single or dual seats. Big dual mufflers were installed at the factory, but updated to a single exhaust here.
Evidently a cooperative effort between Ducati’s southern Conn. dealer and their North American sales office, this ’07 has the full fairing and a great impression of the 1979-81 MHR if not the 1978 Isle of Man winner. With 480 miles it’s been on display or stored almost exclusively, and the auction shows several dealership scenes with the bike. Fully serviced for the next collector, it’s still unlikely this MHR will be doing much more than a parade lap. Notes from the eBay auction:
Built by Ducati NA to commemorate Mike’s 1978 IOM win on a Ducati model, and subsequent 1979 & 84 Ducati MHR Replicas. It has been only used as a show bike for local events, TV & Display since its inception in 2007, and only shows 480+/- miles, some more details included in attached photo showing further history and marketing. Upgrades also include a Shark performance exhaust and billet rear sets, besides the many other upgrades that can be seen in the attached photos. It just returned from a full inspection at Ducati NYC, where it received new belts, new brake fluid and all adjustments needed. While there, they also included it in their Instagram page, as you can see in the photos. As you can expect from any 14 year old bike, it has some minor imperfections from wear and usage, but overall a very clean bike.
This has to be much rarer than a Paul Smart or any other MHR bikes, because it is a one-off built by Ducati NA.
Hailwood had been most often a Honda rider, but after an eleven year retirement returned to endurance racing on Ducati’s. IOM had been pulled from FIM schedules due to the unforgiving nature of the course, but continued to host their own special event each June. The comeback win in 1978 deserves every commemorative it could get, and the Pierre Terblanche design carries the livery well. Possibly the new owner will enjoy the easier to ride, fuel-injected liter, but more likely it will be trailered to a new venue, cleaned again, and the lights turned up bright.
-donn
Looks really good, except for the exhaust.The low hanging exhaust pipe and single muffler are a “no go” for me. Shouldn’t a proper MHR have two Conti mufflers.
And gold colored alloy wheels.
Im probably in the minority but to me this is a “meh” bike. II reminds me of when Ford tried to bring the thunderbird back as a modern car..it just feels a shameless plug to nostalgia that is disrespectful to the greatness of the original.
My only question is: Is the original exhaust available with the bike??
Blah. Not the real deal.
Header wrap is a complete no-go for me, on almost any application, but definitely here.
I have never understood the relationship between the Sport Classic and the special-edition MH900E, but even less so here:
I thought the MH900E was the Hailwood replica, and the Sport Classic was intended to be the more attainable (non-tribute) version. So why would a replica Sport Classic be expected to command better than MH900E money?
Aside form pricing, is the Sport Classic a better bike in some way than the MH900E? Not that anyone is going to ride far on either bike…