It’s Saturday night — well past closing time, and you and your mates decide to see who can come up with the rarest of the rare Ducatis; specifically, the Tamburini Ducatis.
“That’s easy,” says one friend; “The 998 S Bostrom.”
“No, no, no,” says the other. “The 916 Senna.”
You nod; the Senna is rare — and fabulous. But no, you know that’s not it, and anyway, the Senna was never officially available for sale in the US — not that you even specified that criterion, but it’s late, so anything goes. The two go back and forth for a while, one says the 996R, another says the Matrix 998 (which was supposed to be a 996). The 748 R and RS come up, and you think, “Now, we’re getting somewhere…” You wait for the moment, and finally, like a flasher in an airport, you open your trench coat and ask in your best Graham Norton voice, “What about this, boys?”
You spring upon them, the for-sale-by-Neiman-Marcus-catalogue-only, 748L.
At first glance, you might think, “Wow, 1998 was a good year for silver in Bologna…” The 900SS/FE, the ST2, and this 748L — to say nothing of various and sundry M900 iterations. But this one really is special.
Capped at just 100 units, the 748L was essentially a 748S Bip with silver paint, and available only through the Neiman Marcus catalogue. Clearly, its intentions of being a bike capable of offering its captain a good rogering aren’t hidden in any way. But aimed at this particular segment, the 748L was targeted at Roger Moore, as well as Roger Marshall.
From the seller:
The 748L
features Mercury metallic paint, carbon fiber front fender and chain guard. Mechanically it was a 748s with the additional parts and paint.
As of current the bike has 14,610 miles. In addition to the standard features several additional parts have been added to this bike.
Micron carbon fiber exhaust cans with ECU re-flash
Carbon Fiber Radiator Guard(stock painted included)
MPL reservoir covers,
Samco hose’s put on at 14k with a full desmo(belts and adjustment) and fluid service(3 new rocker arms), preformed by Motorcycle Performance in Madison.
Custom Cut “Ducati” Clutch Cover (additional Stock unit included)
Included with the bike are also a Pit-bull Single sided swingarm stand, Complete factory tool kit, Display mat, Haynes Manual.
feel the bike is in excellent condition both mechanically and cosmetically. There is one small scrape that I have touched up which is pointed out in a picture below.
The list of goodies is a nice one, without going over the top. The three rockers that were replaced are fairly business-as-usual for a Desmoquattro of this vintage. ’98s, especially, were known for flaking rockers, and as recently as 2006, Ducati USA were still replacing some under warranty. Bottom line: it’s nothing to worry about.
Your friends with whom you were having the argument, have nothing. They crown you the winner of the day for this one. If you pick this bike up for six grand you’re the real winner, because quite frankly, it’s ridiculously reasonable money for such a rare gem.
–RW
“You spring upon them, the for-sale-by-Neiman-Marcus-catalogue-only, 748L”
Only to be trumped by the guy who brings up the Supermono 😉
I would rather buy one of Doug’s Honda’s.
Thanks Jeff- I hope someone does… I tire of them quickly 😉
When these came out, Ducati and Leadless Markup couldn’t give them away. Ducati was offering special race discounts on them at huge savings, as long as you promised not to run the silver bodywork. If you want a rare/beautiful 748, show me an early model, say ’97, monoposto with white number plates.
@Ben – in many ways, I’m with you about this. A ’98 748/916 in yellow livery with the ‘Campione Del Mundo’ emblazoned SPS tail section is the business. I have a very good friend who had a 916 in those colours and an Ohlins from the dealer floor — it would probably have been called a 916S if such a moniker existed at the time. He sold it for a used CBR929RR, and I nearly beat his ass for it. Nothing against the 929, mind…
But it sort of misses the point, whether or not Needless Markup couldn’t give them away. It’s rare, and rare is our business.
At the same time, rare means different things with so many dependencies. I posted an ’02 ZX-7R the other day. Rare? No, not in the least. But what makes it rare to me, is that most of these have been reduced to furbags with “custom” smashed-in fuel tanks. And it’s hard to believe. A ZX-7R makes a HORRIBLE stunt platform.