This one has been getting a lot of looks on ebay and I can certainly understand why. While the Mike Hailwood replica is no stranger to RSBFS, this one is a bit special. As Mike M wrote just a few weeks ago,
“before there was a Carl Fogarty or a Troy Bayliss or a Casey Stoner championing the Ducati brand, there was Mike Hailwood. Hailwood is one of the few men to ever stand on the podium for both a motorcycle Grand Prix and a Formula One Grand Prix (which is really amazing). Hailwood won numerous Grand Prix championships throughout the 1960s and then decided to pursue a career in Formula One and WSC. After being away from motorcycle racing for over a decade, he returned to win the Isle of Man TT at the age of 38. Ducati repaid him for the win by releasing the MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) “
What a lot of people don’t know is that the Hailwood replica actually went through several iterations. The earlier edition (1979) were a bit rough/unfinished, while 1983 and onwards seemed to be more touring oriented/grand turismo type motorcycles than true race replicas. Fortunately, this Hailwood is one of the highly desirable 1980 editions.
1980 Ducati Hailwood for sale on ebay
The owner of this particular Hailwood provides a lot of interesting model history
This is a Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica, series one (number 355 of the original 500). The first 150 produced were the 1979s. Whilst they are highly collectable they aren’t exactly beautiful, with a fiberglass cover over a 900SS gas tank and a seat that looked like it was cobbled together in 12th grade shop class. The color scheme left a lot to be desired too. The red is more reminiscent of a flat brick red and the green looks like a military olive drab.
For 1980 model year came the cream of the crop in my opinion. A total of 300 were produced from frame number 201-501. Not only is the gas tank a proper item, but the seat and upholstery was better made. The color scheme and decals were also improved. With a bright glossy red and rich deep green and bold new graphics. It also included all they distinctive parts from the prior model year, like the super annoying one piece fairing. 40mm pumper carbs, and chip pan bellmouths. Gold line brakes, Conti silencers, and no side panels. In other words a true race replica.
The seller also provides good ownership history info as follows
This bike was purchased new from Mike Hailwood himself from his shop Hailwood and Gould on the first day of registration for the W plate 1980 model year. My friends late father was the original owner and left it to his son upon his passing. He kept it for a few years, and then sold it to me in 1996. I rode it in England before shipping it to the United States where it joined my collection. It is still registered in the UK. I have all the original tax discs and MOT certificates from new.
Condition of the bike looks to be good but not pristine/concourse level. The seller indicates the bike has been stored for some time and will require some recommissioning (especially tires), but also indicates they will include some service parts like brake and carb rebuild kits.
Is this bike worth the $ 37,500 USD asking price? That price is almost double what we have seen being asked previous hailwood posts on RSBFS, I think this bike offers a collector a very VERY rare opportunity. While the later edition Hailwoods seem to pop up for sale reasonable regularly, these first editions are apparently the proverbial “hens-teeth”.
I have to say I don’t agree with the sellers statement that a series 1 Hailwood is every bit as collectable as a 74 green frame 750SS but I do think this one is worth more than your later generation Hailwood editions…I’m just not sure its worth the nearly double asking price. Then again, Verizon just bought AOL so what do I know about the value of things….
-Martin/Dallaslavowner
I own a 1982 900 MHR never titled and I don’t think I could get $37,000 for it.
Hey Jim, try it; you may be surprised how much you get for it. The earlier the year for a MHR, the more collectible the bike. Once upon a time in America, the MH Mille was considered the best to have but that has changed somewhat and the earlier models, especially elsewhere in the world, are becoming more prized. I have three in my collection and people who know nothing about bikes ALWAYS gravitate to the MHRs. Until I mention the price, none notice the greenframe. The one on offer here is GOOD and worth the money but won’t sell today because everyone wants a “roundcase”.
Here we go again… Expensive is only when the product isn’t worth the price… That said, this diesel can’t pull a sick whore out of bed, but somebody, somewhere, simply MUST own one. Back in the day, I would stomp a king sized mud hole in these twins with a pumped RZ… At Sears, Riverside, and Portland Itl. But meh, whatever…