Oh My – 2001 Ducati 996R

Take a careful look at this bike and you will realise why the 916/996/998 family has been voted most beautiful bike more than once. Here we have a 996R from 2001 which hasn’t even been run in. It has less than 150 miles! This bike was rather important in the development of the Ducati line as it was the first bike to use the newly designed Testastretta engine which had a new design of head allowing 40mm inlet and 33mm exhaust valves, both of which were bigger that the previous 996SPS. With higher lift cams along with a straighter inlet port. All this allowed the engine to produce 135bhp which was up from 123bhp in the SPS. Another new feature on the engine was the deep sump which had been used in the racing engines since 1998 along with sand cast crank cases, but now appears in a production (albeit limited) model. For the following year this engine was increased to 999 with a shorter stroke and the 998 engine was used across the range without the sand cast cases and deep sump.

Most of the chassis was shared with the SPS model of the previous year except for the front brakes which used newer 4 piston Brembo calipers and thinner discs. Perhaps the most obvious change was the vents being removed from the fairings which gave the bike a smoother look. Most of the 996R’s were sold over the internet when release on 12 Sept 2000. All US examples came without lights and stands however all the wiring remained in place. There is no indication in the auction about when the lights were fitted to this bike. Certainly this is a rare machine with only 309 produced worldwide in 2001. The VIN quoted confirms the designation of the bike correctly and so a confirmation of that on the vehicle would be wise.

The owner shares the following about this particular bike:

2001 Ducati 996R w/under 150 miles. Private Collection. Fully Serviced Superbike. VERY RARE

You are bidding on a very rare piece of Ducati racing history. This Ducati 996R Superbike was purchased brand new from Ducati direct & immediately stored in a private collection. The 996R was removed from the private collection in June & taken to an Authorized Ducati dealer for a full service. The 996R was broken down & every component was fully serviced including any & all necessary parts, recalls, and or modifications recommended by Ducati. The 996R is ready for immediate road use or to be placed into a private collection immediately. This is a very rare “Homologation” R series or Race Series motorcycle produced by Ducati in a very limited production run of just a few bikes world wide. This is possibly the nicest and lowest mile example in the world coming out of a private collection of Ducati Superbikes. The owner has decided to sell part of the collection to make room for other bikes.

Payment in full must be made within 48 hours of the close of the auction & payment must be received via wire transfer or certified bank check only. Bike will be delivered to a Ducati dealership if requested prior to payment & the dealership can act as an intermediary for shipping anywhere in the world. Shipping must be paid and organized by the buyer but delivery to local Ducati dealership will be the responsibility of the current owner or seller. Bike is coming with all keys, manuals, and original items received at the time of purchase. Service records will be included with the bike at the time of shipping along with all keys, manuals, cover, and accessories.

You can find the eBay auction here.

This is a thing of rare beauty and its pristine condition will certainly add to its value. Higher resolution pictures would be helpful to ensure the pristine condition is correct and certainly a buyer would want to verify engine and frame numbers on such an important bike. Pricing such a rare model is always a challenge but when you compare with more modern 999R’s the starting price of $20k is certainly very reasonable. This would be a wonderful addition to any garage.

AS