Rare though they are, the 1986-88 Paso 750’s have their loyal fans, and there have been a half-dozen blue examples profiled on RSBFS. This one hasn’t but a half an oil change’s worth of miles, and has been beautifully stored and cared for since its return to duty.
1988 Ducati Paso 750 for sale on eBay
Design legend Massimo Tamburini’s first Ducati was the Paso, where he proposed a square-tube chassis enveloped by the soap bar. Other innovations on board included the belt-driven cams on the 748cc twin, with a single Weber carburetor servicing both cylinders from between them. A rather forward weight bias steers easily on the 16-inch front radial tire, and the 42mm Marzocchi fork was robust at the time. Mid-sized 280mm brakes, 5-speed transmission and long alloy swingarm complete the running gear. Even with its opaque windscreen, the very full fairing provides a generous pocket for the rider.
The seller took a leap of faith several years ago, and went for a NOS twenty-five year old. No word on how the re-commissioning went or what’s been needed since then. The condition is hard to believe, in a good way. Likely the cam belts are again due, but also factor the unobtanium exhaust and slick tail-light mod into the equation. From the eBay auction:
When I bought the bike it had 154 miles on it and it was 25 years old. A brand new, unrestored antique made in limited numbers and even more rare, it’s blue.
Now the bike has 1,538 miles on it and it’s 32 years old, in like new condition.I bought the new Conti slip-ons out of Australia. These are hard to find. The original exhaust to be included. I removed the old saggy rear blinkers and incorporated the signals into the tail light as was done on models sold in Europe. The only non-factory part is the ring on the tank that the fuel cap installs into. This was made by by hand at Ducati Austin as a replacement.
Before being assigned the Paso, Tamburini had already come and gone from Bimota, and joined Cagiva ( who had just acquired control of Ducati ). Though it was great on a more open road and handled better than the 904cc models, even when tuned right the Weber was temperature sensitive and made the Paso 750 a finicky commuter. Either way it never really caught on, and they’re rare without any special editions. The buy-it-now seems realistic in light of the season and a downright bargain for an afficionado.
-donn
I seem to recall these early versions had weird carburator issues and most people prefered the later 750 ie (fuel injected versions). Also you have to replace the belts every two years which can get expensive unless you find out how to do it yourself
M
Apparently you need to replace the handgrips every 1500 miles too…
I got really funny feeling that Paso series will become the next big thing. I don’t know why I think that, but those bikes are so so interesting, and more so now than ever. I want one!
Nice bike. I had a Yamaha XZ550 back in the day, with a similar fuel delivery setup that was also impossible to get working right.
You can get the weber to work really well if you install a fuel pressure regulator and modify the emulsion tubes.
The 750 Was never injected, that would be the 1991 907ie. Belts are typical ducati.
Fun bike that get’s ton’s of looks. I prefer the white limited version produced for 1988.
My 1989 750 sport also has the dcnf Webber. I installed a larger 4.5 emulsion tube and stepped up of the idle and primary jets. It performs very well with no more obvious flat spot and is a cheap / simple upgrade. The Webber is worth persisting with as it sounds raspy and unique.
A friend had a black one, and it was definitely not sexy. The blue makes it look sexy.
You can simply slap on Dellortos or Mikuni carbs if the Weber proves too much
As an early Tamburini bike these deserve more appreciation, although they bombed at the time
Check out the first CBR600 Honda of the day to see how the Japanese recognised the art in Tamburinis work
At $5500 it’s not a dear Ducati, though if it was mine I’d want a 944 kit plus Dellortos and to hell with originality.
Most folks changed to 17 in wheels for modern tyres also