The Ducati Superlight is a far-cry from today’s “limited edition” superbikes like the Superleggera that have a performance envelope well beyond most owners’ ability to fully exploit. The Superlight isn’t a particularly fast bike, but it is very collectible, and rewarding to ride at speeds normal humans can enjoy without risking license, limb, or achieving escape velocity… Basically, the Superlight is a 900SS/SP with lightweight Marvic composite wheels with a polished aluminum rim and magnesium spokes, some carbon bits, upswept exhausts, and a solo tail. Combined, the upgrades saved about 15lbs compared to the regular 900SS. So the Superlight wasn’t super light, unless Ducati was referring to your wallet: considering the minimal performance improvements, it was priced significantly higher than a regular Supersport. You did get a nice numbered plaque, though.
They still sold like hotcakes, and Ducati increased production to meet demand far in excess of the original planned 500 bike run. Part of that is down to the usual Ducati mystique, but the basic package has long been viewed as much more than the sum of its parts. On paper, the air/oil-cooled, two-valve 904cc Desmo looks pretty anemic, but a good Desmodue makes around 75 horses at the rear wheel, which really is plenty to have fun with on the road. It’s also relatively simple to maintain, surprisingly durable, and even gets good gas mileage. Fully-adjustable Showa suspension at both ends and a stiff trellis frame meant handling was very good then and still competent now, while very reasonable ergonomics [for a sportbike anyway] means even… ahem, older gentlemen can enjoy all-day rides. It was available in the vivid yellow seen here, although some markets got red instead. Considering how few bikes look good in yellow, I think it’s a great choice, and makes the bike feel more exotic.
The carbon-fiber Ferracci cans seen here are an almost mandatory option for any air-cooled Ducati, since the stock components make the bike sound strangled, and would likely be drowned out by the unfiltered rattle of the dry clutch. Ferracci didn’t make their own exhausts to my knowledge, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: at various points, they rebadged SilMoto and Arrow parts, so quality should be high.
From the original eBay listing: 1992 Ducati Superlight for Sale
1993 Ducati Superbike, bought new and stayed in same ownership since.
I am happy to answer any questions about the bike via messaging.
Thanks!
So is it a 1992 or a 1993? It’s also odd that the seller calls it a “Superbike” when it says “Superlight” right there on the fairing. They may not know exactly what they have here, since a 300-mile Superlight would normally go for well north of the $9,000 the seller is asking. Although in this uncertain market, maybe it’s just priced to sell? From the pictures, it looks a little dusty, but otherwise as nice as you’d expect a bike with such low miles to be. It’s hard to tell from the images just how nice this bike is.
-tad
… and its gone. Guess it was priced RIGHT ????
It would go for more if it was all ready to go, but it’s been sitting for years and years, with fuel in the tank. It needs belts, tires, fluids, suspension service, tank/carbs cleaned up, service the tank internals, a good cleaning overall, etc.
That only matters if the new owner is planning to ride it, so I doubt it affects the value in this case. A good cleaning would have been smart for sure, and some better pictures, but I have a feeling the person who picked this up isn’t planning to add to the 300 miles shown on the odometer. No point in doing those belts if it’s just going back into storage!
I think the seller didn’t know what they had. It was priced like a super low-mile 900SS, not a super low-mile Superlight. Either that, or they REALLY needed to sell it quick!
For sure only 1 of two bikes that I can think of that look good in yellow. I love how it contrasts with the white frame. LAter yellow Ducs don’t work for me at all.
Price doesn’t seem to far off to me. There is one on craigslist phoenix right now for $9,000.00 and it is in fantastic riding shape with an outstanding service history.
The market speaks. The listing was up for several days and no one ever hit the Buy-it-now (it closed with an offer accepted), so for the current market it must have been in the ballpark of being fairly priced. Zero feedback seller is also something to consider. Maybe the bike is akin to a Sasquatch, hence the bad pictures. Hard to tell if the seller and/or buyer even really exist.
If it’s not a mess in person, I’d still say someone got a screaming deal since they typically go for quite a bit more. Collectors generally place a premium on extremely low-mile bikes like this one, and it’s almost a given that any motorcycle that’s been sitting for 20+ years will need extensive servicing to make it road-worthy. If you want a bike to ride, you’re not even looking at something like this in the first place. So I’m still not convinced that would dissuade buyers here. Honestly, at least we know exactly what we’re getting into in terms of maintenance: it hasn’t had any! On the other hand: the seller’s zero feedback [which I hadn’t noticed] combined with an ad that doesn’t include good photos or information, and doesn’t even refer to the bike as a “Superlight” at all might definitely put buyers off. Too many questions left unanswered in general, and the same collectors mentioned above generally hate that. There’s a lot of weird going on here, before you factor in the COVID-19 drama and any impact it might be having on prices right now. Bottom line: we’re just speculatin’ about a hypothesis here. Too many variables to do more that that.
You know what other bike looks great in yellow? The v-twin Panigale. It’s a damn shame they never sold it in that color, but Ducati of NYC did an 899 in Superlight colors and graphics, and it looked amazing. I also saw an article in a UK magazine that featured a very trick trackday bike that was finished off in a Superleggera-style scheme, but with flat white and flat yellow instead of the fluoro-red.
i emailed the guy the first day and he said he thought it was sold. As someone mentioned, it was sitting for years and did not run, still it was a steal of a price.
Had to look up that 899 Panigale done up like a Superlight. They nailed it. Yellow with that bronze frame ducati used in the 90’s on the other hand, isn’t so hot IMO.
Wow, they really did nail it!
https://ducatinyc.com/project/superlight/
dc
Yup. Much better pics than the ones I took! I fully intend to buy some generation of v-twin Panigale and do something similar. Love the period graphics!
I’m the buyer of this Superlight, just picked it up this week. I must admit I was very skeptical when I first saw the listing given the zero feedback seller and the short description of the bike. I was able to get comfortable via conversations with the seller and knowing that I could finalize the deal in person since the location was within reasonable driving distance. The bike’s owner passed away several years ago and his family is just now beginning to sell some things – cars, boats, motorcycles, tractors, etc. He had many things that he bought out of interest in learning about them and having them, but didn’t actually use (I saw many of those examples during my visit). This bike is the only Ducati he ever owned. Everything he had has been kept in a climate controlled commercial storage space and aside from a layer of dust, this Superlight is nearly perfect. Still has the original tires with the nubs that new tires have. The family supplied the original documentation as well which included the original dealer sales receipt dated November 17, 1992 as well as the original warranty document.
That’s awesome, Matt. Congratulations on the new acquisition! Keep us updated on your progress. Be well,
dc