This 2007 Ducati Sport Classic 1000S has covered just 6,300 miles since it left the showroom, and has very few blemishes to show for its 10-year tour of duty. Along the way, it has been given suspension bits from RaceTech, sexier side covers and belt covers and wears a set of sticky Dunlop Sportmaxes.
2007 Ducati Sport Classic 1000S for sale on eBay
This is the first year of the faired Sport Classic for the masses. For 2007, it only came in red with a white stripe, and differentiated itself from the standard Sport Classic with the cowl from the Paul Smart edition bike and lower handlebars.
From the eBay listing:
6,300 miles, lovingly maintained in showroom mechanical and cosmetic condition. New Dunlop tires. Some aftermarket add-ons by previous owner (Race Tech suspension, sliders, covers), but otherwise original. Always garaged, never raced, no track days, never laid down.
I ride this bike less than 1000 miles per year, mostly nice weather weekends. It’s a really beautiful machine – very precise, responsive, strong, smooth, powerful.
I have a vintage BMW R90S coming out of a year-long frame-off nose-to-tail restoration, and my wife will kill me if I keep both these bikes. Bike is in San Francisco; I can recommend an excellent shipper who specializes in collectible cars and motorcycles, and coordinate pickup on this end.
The unfettered, elegant steel structure keeps the bike on the south side of 400 lb dry, despite this model year carrying a wet clutch, dual-shock swingarm and pillion seat as opposed to its previous year’s single-shock monoposto setup.
While they are not particularly rare, the Sport Classic range cuts a gorgeous profile, and they are not seen as often as the rest of Duc’s mid-aughts lineup. With updated modern suspension and mechanicals, they deliver a ride that belies their styling.
I love the looks of the Sport Classic line, but will never understand the very strong money they command.
The Sport Classics had the wonderful 2 valve Desmo engine, a truly great lump of engineering. A big plus for these is the Termignon exhaust kit, which came with the ‘race’ ECU. Not available anymore, they have a booming sound, and the ECU gives a crisp throttle and terrific fueling.
But they combined that with cheap, price point suspension and brakes. The Sport 1000 and Sport 1000S (the faired version, as for sale here) did have good Sachs fully adjustable shocks. The forks, though, are pogo sticks. Bottom of the barrel Marzocchi non-adjustable-for-anything-even-preload pieces. Terrible.
The brakes are the same theme. Sure, they’re Brembo. Brembo 2 piston fronts, and a single piston caliper on the back end.
Compare that to the S2R Monster from the same 2006-2009 period. Fully adjustable Showa forks, a single sided swingarm with a fully adjustable shock. Though axial mounted, they also had 4 piston front, 2 piston rear calipers. All for only $500 more than the base price of a GT1000, at $10,999.
I bought an ’07 GT1000 in Spring of ’08. Took delivery with the Termi exhaust and ECU. Before the end of that Summer I’d put the Monster’s Showa fork on it, Sachs shocks from a Sport 1000, and Brembo gold 4/2 piston calipers. All are direct bolt on, except the front calipers, which have to be machined to line up with the rotors.
Oh, and don’t start me on how cheap the chrome spokes (and wheels, in the case of the GT) were. Even regularly soaking them in silicone spray didn’t keep them from pitting.
Last, when I sold my GT, it was on the second warranty replacement gas tank. Ducati finally allowed me to have the second one Caswell coated so it wouldn’t happen again, before it was installed. Ethanol makes them swell (as do all nylon tanks), and on the Sport Classics that means they come loose at the front, allowing the tank to literally lift up past the ignition switch.
But *sigh*, they are so cool looking!
John
Great update John. I’ve been playing with the idea of picking one of these up for a while as I love the look but haven’t had a chance to ride one yet so happy you posted the above, takes that one off the list of contenders. I was also concerned how the spokes would hold up as we live by the ocean as I’ve had trouble with bolts and rotors in the past…great to know on that too, thanks for sparing me the frustration! Tell you this…I appreciate the retro style more then most but that exhaust is ugly!
The sport classics are ugly as sin, proportions are all wrong, gas tanks way too bulbous in order to make room for the airboxes – Ducati phoned it in on these, but hey, who can blame them for cashing in on the retro fad? Its a cartoon bike, a caricature of the originals. Poseurs driving the prices up on these things – for a rider I’d take an S2R or S4R Monster or even a 900 Supersport all day long and never look back. A buddy has a sweet 74 GT750 and thought the Sportclassic GT would be a nice addition but seeing it in person made both of us puke in our mouths a little. Disappointing.