Old-skool, air-cooled love affair - 1998 Ducati 900SS FE (#42) in LA

This entry has been published on May 2, 2011 and links to eBay may have been updated to point to similar bikes of interest.

1998 Ducati 900SS FE (#42) for sale in LA with 23,855 miles.

Always wanted to date an Italian supermodel but couldn’t deal with high maintenance and the diva attitude? How about something slightly less sexy (to some maybe even more so), a lot easier to live with but still lots of fun to go out with? If the Ducati Superbikes are Italian divas, then the air-cooled Supersports would be the sweet girl next door:

If you are looking for a classic Ducati, This is it!
1998 Supersport 900 F.E. The F.E. stands for Final Edition. It was the last special production run of the 900SS. A limited edition of only 800 bikes were made with only 300 sold in North America. A brass plate on the triple clamp has the edition # of 042 on it. It will only go up in value not down.

It is in excellent condition with 23,855 mi. New battery, brakes, all fluids replaced, re-built carbs and a recent valve adjustment, new chain and sprockets. Extras include rear axle stand, original mufflers and Ducati tank bag included.

I am the second owner, the original owner also lives in Los Angeles. The bike was bought from Beverly Hills Ducati. All service records are available.

As I have said many times before, the 2-valve air-cooled Ducati engine might be technologically down on the their water-cooled 4-valve brethens, but require less maintenance, pretty much bullet-proof reliability (aside from a few reports of broken engine studs on the early 90s Supersports), and still offer bags of character and old-skool charm.

The FE is basically a Superlight but with all the earlier problems sorted out and all the refinements over its 8 year model history, so its got the handling that Ducatis are famous for but without all minor issues or hiccups that Ducatis are infamous for. Limited to 800 units worldwide and only 300 in the US, the FE is truly a limited edition (heck, there are even more Desmosedicis than there are 900SS FEs!) and should holds its value in the future.

So if you are smart enough to go for the girl next door instead of fantasizing a date with a supermodel diva, And good luck!