The Ducati F3 can be seen as a smaller version of the more prestigious F1. Produced for the Japanese market with an engine capacity of 400cc and for the Italian market with a 350cc. Both versions share a number of components with the F1 with the exclusions of the front fork which has smaller diameter stems. With about 40 hp when new, this is not a power bike. It is in style and exclusivity that the F3 earns his status. I mean isn’t this bike a beauty ?
With the white and red colors and that F3 large logo on the squared tail it stands out not only versus other brands, but even within the Ducati catalogue of historic models. The 350cc version was produced only in 1986 and therefore can be regarded as the rarest among the small capacity Pantah derived sportsters. If you are looking for this model you probably do so because you’d like to add this to your collection. With a price tag of 8500 € this sample available in Italy on eBay (economic crises, where ??), won’t attract a casual rider looking for something exotic to impress his friends on the Sunday ride on the twisters nor to show off at the bar during aperitive time. It won’t be the dynamic performance of the bike that will make you spend this level of money.
Nevertheless if you are curious about what it would be to actually ride an F3 the following video from Japan will give you an insight:
This L twin cylinder SOHC 350cc Ducati has currently 39000 km and was clearly regularly driven and maintained (last service and revision in 2012). This is good in my opinion, as bikes need to run to keep moving parts lubricated and in the right order.
If you are a collector and look for a small capacity bike with a pedigree this could be for you. For more info or to place a bid (the seller wont accept anything below the asking price, so don’t bother if you are not serious about this) check out the link below:
Claudio
Damn. I just listened to that whole 12-min. video with the headphones on and that motor sounds lovely. I could really enjoy hearing that on a regular basis!