There has never been a shortage of special Ducati to lust after. For many years the top tier was the R models. They represented the closest thing to a factory race bike that mere mortals could own. These R models were limited in a way to what the racing regulations allowed, so Ducati decided to throw out the rule book and design the best bike they could with the SuperLeggera. First introduced with the 1199 series, that bike used an extreme amount of magnesium to keep weight down. For the 1299 Ducati went even further, everything is carbon fiber. The wheels, the frame sections, the swing arm and of course the body work. The result was a 215hp bike that weighed 368 pounds wet.
It goes without saying that the suspension, electronics package, brakes and general technology was the best of what Ducati had to offer at the time. This was a technical tour de force and really unparalleled on the marked. Ducati wanted to assert their dominance as the most exotic and desirable manufacture.
Just 500 of these machines were made for the world. Unclear what percentage of those came to the USA. Originally shipped with a few notable extras that included stands, a second exhaust and a few other nice treats. None of those are pictured or mentioned in the add, an interested buyer should inquire about them with the seller. While none would take away from the epic riding experience, they are things that are nice to have and will enhance the appeal of the package over time.
From The Seller’s eBay Listing:
Well this bike does not need any introduction as this is the Dream bike of them all. Everything is carbon fiber including the frame and swing arm.
Only 1780 miles and all service to date.
Bike is located in Arizona payment can be made through bank wire and we can help with transport or pick up are available as well.
Any questions please ask.
Firm on the price
The listing has a Buy It Now price of $55,000 and a comment that this is a firm number for the seller. While this is not an insignificant amount of money, it does signal a price shift for the 1299 SuperLeggera market. When new these bikes were in high demand and the $80,000 MSRP did not hamper sales. This bike was also seen as the high water mark for the V Twin Ducati Superbike. The V4 bikes are starting to become adopted by racers, and fast road riders, and as more and more of the V4 are produced, prices of even the most sought after V Twins will be pushed down slightly. That bike that has been out of reach for a few years might just dip enough to snap up. Would be wise to keep an eye on these, as at some point they will cross over from being a used motorcycle, and transition into a must have edition to any collections.
I know this bike has epic performance but to me it seems to have lost the soul of what made ducati great. Ducati used to be objects of lust because they balanced looks with performance, although I will(admit that reliability was a challenge back in those days. Sure there were mis-steps (Paso comes to mind) and some boring stuff (monster) but Ducati was still an exotic.
This design philosphy seems to have come to an end with the Desmosedici. Now Ducati are pure performance machines and not really that different from what comes out of Japan or other european manufacturers.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if I walked out to my garage and had this in it I would enjoy the ride. But I dont think I would ever just sit in the garage and look at it and appreciate the lines.
So endeth my rant
I have to agree with you Martin. I’d much rather throw a leg over a 998 than this thing. It also holds true for cars. Would you rather drive an old school Miura or one of these generic looking origami things like the Huracan?
I think when talking classics, it mainly has to do with the connection.
Sure a Miura is beautiful and has a place in history, but for many newer collectors there just is not a strong connection. It was not the new hot thing when they were young. It is not the think they remember lusting after at the local dealer when they were kids.
My old bike…specifically this one. Had some sleepless nights over the grief this buyer (now seller) caused me. It is a great bike though and I’m tempted to buy it back.
For the price of a RWB CBR900RR, why not right?! I’ll stop beating that dead horse someday…
Any stories while you owned it? Such an amazing bike!
dc
We brought it in from a really great guy in NY. One of Richie Alexander’s top customers at RIDE HVMC. Corey Alexander’s top sponsor back then. The reason the buyer beat us up so bad is that after he had it, he found out it had a replacement motor. We had NO idea as only the registered owner can get recall info on specific vins as they consider it confidential. We have a way now as our ducati dealer mates help us but I didn’t know and we really can’t call in that favor on every ducati we see as they aren’t supposed to share that info. Turns out these bikes blow up motors much more often then ducati claims. It had less then 500 miles when it went bad. I wish Richie would of told me as I would of disclosed it but he considered it a good thing and dealers don’t typically disclose recall repairs or “campaigns” on bikes they sell. Anyway…buyer posted all types of bad comments about us on social and a forum. It had a TON of responses that he should be happy the motor was new and it didn’t blow up on him too! I agree as I would feel compelled to help if it grenaded
Long story I know. I find it funny how he wrote up all these horrible things about us For not mentioning it and now that he has it for sale…not a peep. Hmmmmm.
The only bike that gave me blisters through my Kevlar jeans from the heat. I’ve ridden 100’s of bikes and that’s never happened. An incredibly HOT bike to ride.
Forgot to check if that was this bike. Interesting.
Did it ever come out what caused the original engine to fail? Is it a factory defect of sorts, or a function of these getting used as they should and failing under load?
Not really sure….Ducati kept it under wraps but I think it was a bigger problem than most know. One particular dealer I’m close to said they had 4 come back with bad motors. I’ve ridden a LOT of bikes and never once had a bike burn me, these things run super hot, I just think they may of pushed the envelope a bit too much at 1299 cc’s in such a compact motor. Sure is one incredible bike to ride and I’ll never forget it!