I want to make room in my shed so the time has come to offer my 748 for sale and this time to definitely sell it, not hum and har over it. It’s a UK bike and was first registered July 99 when purchased new, by me, from Frontiers Motorcycles in Wimbledon. I have been the only owner over the last 21 years and it has done just 3600 miles. From the end of 2001 to 2011 the bike was stored in a garage, admired, started periodically to turn it over and ridden around the block occasionally. In 2011 it was shipped to Ireland but has never been registered here. Due to work commitments it was never used in Ireland until last year, hence the low mileage.
With a change of personal circumstances, in August/Sept 2018 I recommissioned it and got it running again and back on the road. This involved, new oil, brake & clutch fluid, new air filters, new cam-belts, new spark plugs and a new battery. Several areas of corrosion on the crankcase covers and weld spots on the frame were treated to prevent further corrosion. It was insured and used on the road, albeit on the original tyres and brake pads.
In December 2018 a complete strip-down was begun and all components were removed to strip it back to just the frame and engine and the following jobs were carried out.
Crankcase covers both sides were removed, stripped and re-coated.
Flaking paint on the crankcase itself was stripped and the crankcase treated with aluminium engine paint.
Whilst the alternator crank case cover was off the alternator nut was checked to ensure it hadn’t (and wouldn’t) work loose.
All valve covers were removed, stripped and re-coated.
Whilst the covers were off the head of the engine the valve clearances were checked - all within tolerance.
Whilst the clutch side crankcase cover was off the main seal behind the clutch housing was replaced.
The swing-arm pivot bolt was removed, cleaned and re-greased.
The rear wheel and rear wheel pin was removed, the rear wheel bearing checked for wear and corrosion - all clear & good and the rear wheel bearing re-greased.
The rear sprocket and cush drive carrier was removed and the rubber cush drives checked for wear and deterioration - all good.
The front wheel was removed, the front axle cleaned and re-greased.
All bobbins on the front disks were cleared of any gunge and/or corrosion and made to move freely again.
Front axle, rear axle, swing-arm bearings, steering/headstock bearings all checked for wear and loose play; as to be expected with such a low mileage they’re all good.
Brake pads front and rear were removed and replaced with new EBC HH sintered pads. Calipers were cleaned and ensured they were fully functioning.
All radiator hoses were removed, cleaned, checked for splits and wear - all good. On re-installation Samco stainless steel jubilee clips were used.
Fuel pump assembly was removed from petrol tank, all hoses checked for splits and a new fuel filter fitted. The tank itself is in VGC internally and free from any rust.
The original forks were removed, stripped and overhauled with new seals and 7W fork oil. However, due to one of the outer stanchions having corrosion, which has caused the outer coating (anodised or lacquer, I’m not sure which) to have lifted, the forks have been replaced with another set of Showas from a 2000 model. The benefit of these whilst not original to this model year, is they have the gold TiN fork legs.
All nuts and bolts, with the exception of the engine mounting bolts, were removed. The majority of which have been replaced with stainless steel ones.
I’m sure I’ve probably forgotten or missed out some of the work that has been undertaken on this bike but I do have an extensive photo album of the bike, before, during and after the work.
In summary then, this is a 1999 MY 748 Biposto, one owner from new, with just 3600 miles, with:
New Tyres, Bridgestone Battlax BT016 120/70(f) 180/55(r)
New DID VX2 525 Gold chain
New JT sprockets front and rear - rear is QR with a new carrier
New fuel filter - clean and rust free tank
New air filters
New oil filter
New sealing ring behind clutch
Clutch overhauled and cleaned no need to replace as no wear due to low miles
Brake & clutch fluid replaced
New brake pads - disks well within wear limits
Valve clearances checked
New ExactFit CCW cam belts
New Yuasa 16AL battery
ExactStart cable upgrade kit fitted
New Dzus fasteners installed
98% of nuts & bolts replaced with stainless steel or titanium
Termi exhausts plus originals and original chip
2 original keys
2 datatool fobs (note however the alarm although still installed is disconnected)
Full set of books and paperwork including original invoice
Ducati service history:
Service A 6/8/99 640 miles
Service B 5/9/00 2321 miles
Service C 7/9/01 2710 miles
£5,750 ono including delivery Ireland/UK
Please note the following:
1. For the benefit of those not 100% up to speed on the 748 range the 1999 and earlier models are a similar spec to the 2000 and onwards S models in as much as they came as standard with 3 way adjustable Showa forks, adjustable Showa rear shock, adjustable headstock (road or race setting) and steel braided brake and clutch lines. Oh, and also, yellow is MUCH faster (and rarer) than red.
2. The bike is used (weather permitting) so the mileage will increase.
It presently has a Kmh speedo fitted showing 7400Km. I have a date stamped photo of the original mph speedo and the Kmh one side by side. If sold to someone in the UK I’ll put the Mph one back on and provide a date stamped photo of the two side by side again. If sold to someone outside the UK I’ll leave the Kmh one in place. Note that the Kmh one shows the bike has done more mileage/kilometrage than it actually has.
3. Front disk retaining bolts as seen in the some of the photos have now been replaced with s/steel ones.
4. All original nuts and bolts will be supplied with the bike.
5. The wheels could benefit from being stripped and repainted as I've just touched them up.
6. Any corrosion on the frame was on the weld spots and has been treated and touched up with the correct colour paint (bronze satin + satin lacquer) but is noticeable close up as the original paint has faded slightly.
7. The monoposto seat unit seen on the bike in the opening picture is not included in the sale but is available by separate negotiation (it's a genuine Ducati one off a 748R).
