Ducati 750 prices, I don't understand

[canuck750]

I just don't get why the asking (and the selling) prices of the early Ducati 750's, in particular the 750GT keep rising.

Period tests don't rate them as any faster than a V7 Sport, they have a reputation for being fragile and the motors can be very expensive to rebuild, parts supply is decent but the cost of replacement parts make Guzzi restorations a bargain.

This is a typical example, $18K asking for a worn out 750 GT, probably needs $10K jut to rebuild the motor.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Ducati-Sport-Touring/323541691949?hash=item4b54966e2d:g:YisAAOSwR~tbxQxB:rk:36:pf:0&vxp=mtr

I have never owned or ridden one, are they really that much better than a V7 Sport or Le Mans MKI?

[stubbie]

I've been wondering the same about the Ducati 900 Super Sport. I saw one a few months back at I think 75K. Probably a nice bike but.

[wirespokes]

I've never ridden one either - as a matter of fact, no Ducati saddle time whatsoever. They sure are pretty bikes, though - maybe it's the art value?

[Huzo]

If enough people suddenly decide a CB 250 Honda is worth ten large, then it suddenly is..!

[Aaron D.]

I've ridden quite a few. Nice enough but not as good as a V7 Sport, especially if you want to ride.

When I bought my V7S I was choosing between it, a Commando and a Ducati. I never regretted the decision.

[Huzo]

Why is a GS 1000 S Suzuki "worth" $3,000 in 1990 and $18,000 in 2018 ?
Same bike...?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I think a lot of the perceived value stems from the racing successes of Phil Schilling and Cook Neilson.

[pete roper]

Back in the Bevely days Australia was the biggest market for them after the UK. Comparatively there are a lot of bevelies.

My feeling is, and I've done a bit of research, comes down to the owners of the newer ones.

Ducatis are now like arseholes, everyone has on. The 'Top Shelf' models though are very expensive and this is reflected in a lot of their owners. One thing that seems to be very important to a significant proportion of these people is that they like to think of themselves as a part of an 'Exclusive' club and they feel that to prove they have the right 'Cred' they need to show that they have been part of the Cognoscenti since forever. The way to do that is to have a bevely! Any bevely will do but a 900SS or better yet Telaio Verde roundcase 750SS shows that your shit really is scented with lilac to any other knob who shares the same social inadequacy as you do!

You get the same thing, but to a much lesser degree, with V7 Sports and 750 S's and S3's and the like but generally the 'Blockhead' factor is much lower in the Guzzi community.

[12SCraig]

Currently there is a Ducati 750GT ( tarted up as a 1974 750ss green frame ) for sale at $AUD 75,000.

I can't figure it out.

[chuck peterson]

So I really should grab this then?

1974 GT 750 for $6k?

https://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/d/superbike-1974-gt/6742612186.html

[Chuck in Indiana]

I had a couple of them, and liked them a lot. I wasn't a good enough mechanic to make them reliable, though. Neither was the dealer, for whatever that is worth. Of course, that was before the internet and all the knowledge that is instantly available.

[Chuck in Indiana]

So I really should grab this then?

Sounds like a good deal, if you want one..

[cliffrod]

So I really should grab this then?

1974 GT 750 for $6k?

https://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/d/superbike-1974-gt/6742612186.html

That ad is a scam- it's posted all over the USA on c/l now...  Good luck.

Edit- Wanted to add more, but am cooking breakfast.....

I've owned dozens of Ducatis- bevel, belt, single ,twin and little 2stroke & pushrod singles.  I mostly had bevel singles and mostly because they were still relatively plentiful and cheap in the 90's.  That's the same reason I got my V7 Sport- it was cheap when the opportunity arose.   If I had the chance to buy as many Guzzis as easily, I probably would have.  There were never that many available.

Riding a twin Ducati vs my V7 Sport is just different like apple vs orange different, not necessarily better or worse.  Ducati twins are slim and slender under you, almost to the point of being deceptive when you're used to a big Guzzi under you.  An early Ducati twin is nearly as skinny under you as a sportster but without the harshness.  No matter My Guzzi has outlasted all other machines.

As far as Roundcase and SS Ducati model values, I think marketing by & towards a certain audience has a lot to do with it.  Earlier worst kept secret Italian bike collectors like Guy Webster started getting press in the early 90's before he eventually thinned his herd.  Then the fine art people started idolizing the green frame 750SS as an ideal "Art of The Motorcycle" Guggeheim icon, it widened the audience to many who could afford to simply buy in and prices keep rising.  Just like Von Dutch was leveraged into a commodity after he died, now the cool people had to have a Roundcase Ducati.   It's like going to a wine tasting (similar to Pete's post) and listening to a bunch of endless oak-black currant-smoky-vanilla blather.  No one can be wrong, but they can afford to taste a few hundred $$ of wine, spit it out and then debate & argue about the experience.  When a country boy dips or chews tobacco & spits into a soda can, he's a slob.  When a wine snob does the same thing, it shouldnt be seen any differently. 

Any item is worth what it sells for, regardless of logic.   Seems like everyone wants to buy into the cool crowd, without the long term effort.  Current trends is Everything retro (fake) on a new bike, styled like a decades-old icon but with EFI, triple discs, heated grips & power ports.... All the look with none of the reality of having and riding a real one.   A Roundcase parked as art is often just that. That's how that machine satisfies that person.  not better or worse, just different.

It was very, very cool to have a bunch of old bikes that cost beer money just because I liked them- then watch them suddenly become cool and valuable many years later.  It was plain luck.   Some people can afford to skip the long years of waiting & luck part, so they do.   I talked with someone about a real green frame 750SS earlier this week in the mid $30k's needing full resto.  not for me...

At least I still have my old Guzzi, probably because it's my favorite and one of the best bikes I've ever owned.  Very cool.

[JJ]

I just don't get why the asking (and the selling) prices of the early Ducati 750's, in particular the 750GT keep rising.

Period tests don't rate them as any faster than a V7 Sport, they have a reputation for being fragile and the motors can be very expensive to rebuild, parts supply is decent but the cost of replacement parts make Guzzi restorations a bargain.

This is a typical example, $18K asking for a worn out 750 GT, probably needs $10K jut to rebuild the motor.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Ducati-Sport-Touring/323541691949?hash=item4b54966e2d:g:YisAAOSwR~tbxQxB:rk:36:pf:0&vxp=mtr

I have never owned or ridden one, are they really that much better than a V7 Sport or Le Mans MKI?

Pretty simple actually..."Finicky vintage MC market...and mostly...SUPPLY & DEMAND!!"

[brider]

I just don't get why the asking (and the selling) prices of the early Ducati 750's, in particular the 750GT keep rising.
This is a typical example, $18K asking for a worn out 750 GT, probably needs $10K jut to rebuild the motor.

I saw my first such Duc at the Datil, NM rally in 1998 or '99, the guy said he snagged it from a friend for $2k, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was the engine. Of course, my interest was not just in looking at it like I'm sure many (majority?) of the people running the prices up, I wanted to RIDE it.

The dude also snickered and sneered at my '74 Eldo civilian LAPD. I was pissed at that, the nerve at a Guzzi rally.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Honestly, I didn't think much of Guzzis back then, either. <shrug> It was just that "other" Italian motorcycle for old guys. It takes a certain amount of let's just say maturity  to appreciate Guzzi.

[JJ]

Coming up FOR SALE @ MECUM in Vegas in January...

1979 Ducati GTS900 - -

[Chuck in Indiana]

I don't want to know about it, JJ.. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Honestly, I didn't think much of Guzzis back then, either. <shrug> It was just that "other" Italian motorcycle for old guys. It takes a certain amount of let's just say maturity  to appreciate Guzzi.

I guess I was "mature" at an early age then.  At 13 I saw my first Guzzi up close and personal ('76 Convert at Halley's Cycle in Brunswick, MD) and was in love right away. At 20, after owning a string of Yamahas, I bought my first Guzzi ('76 Convert at Snavely Service in Arlington, VA). 2nd (SP) at 21, 3rd (Le Mans 1000) at 23 and so on.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I guess I was "mature" at an early age then.  At 13 I saw my first Guzzi up close and personal ('76 Convert at Halley's Cycle in Brunswick, MD) and was in love right away. At 20, after owning a string of Yamahas, I bought my first Guzzi ('76 Convert at Snavely Service in Arlington, VA). 2nd (SP) at 21, 3rd (Le Mans 1000) at 23 and so on.

My Kid was the same way as me.  He used to give me the roll eye when I told him he should try a Guzzi. He finally took my Centauro out and came back saying, "It's faster than my Duck." (!) He's been a Guzzi Guy ever since, too. 

[steven c]

 It's like the Triumph Spitfire and a Bug Eye Sprite, Spitfire was a way better car but the Bug Eye gets all the love.

[huub]

as the owner of a ducati bevel (900ss) and a guzzi le mans i can say they are pretty similar as far as riding is concerned.
but that is where the similarity ends
the difference is mainly in reliability and maintenance, the guzzi simply ignores every abuse you throw at it, the ducati needs to be fettled all the time , to avoid it from self destructing. (which  it will anyway)
combined with pretty amazing parts prices for the bevel , the bevel is basically a collectors bike.
the guzzi is purely a riders bike, anybody with a shed and a pair of spanners can run a guzzi.   
until a couple of years ago my le mans was my daily transport, i wouldnt risk a bevel as daily transport.

pricewise? most bevels have self destructed by now, making the remaining ones pretty rare....
and collectors seem to have deeper pockets as riders....

 

[Tusayan]

Ive had both a Le Mans and a bevel 900SS for more than 25 years, and have ridden both of them quickly since buying them. Ive done track days on both.  The Le Mans has 100K miles on the clock, the SS about 25K.  My conclusion pretty much fits the reputation: the bevel SS is a substantially better handling bike at speed, lighter and much more stable than the Le Mans when really pushed and the best of its era in that regard. The Le Mans is much more robust, much more comfortable (mine has the original seat and its fine for me) and can be ridden huge mileages, repaired and then ridden again.  It also handles pretty well, especially in relation to other bikes of the 70s although by modern standards it’s a pleasant old grandpa.  I have some modern sport bikes for comparison too.

Years ago a friend had a really mint 750 GT and I rode it quite a bit.  It handles just like SS, perhaps even a little better with lighter single disk and wider handlebars.  The engine is in a much softer, slower state of tune and as a result is more long lived than the SS - people have done big mileages on 750GTs.  Overall the GT comes over as a remarkable for its era gentlemans sport bike.  Much better to ride than stuff like BMWs or Hondas of the early 70s and maybe a bit better handling than a V7 Sport, which is also BTW a bike that handles slightly better than the later, faster version due to a lighter front wheel and (drum) front brake.

I think bevel Ducatis sell for a lot because overall they were best curvy road motorcycles of their era and tend to exceed expectations when you ride a nice one.  V7 Sports have a similar appeal to me but take more adaptation and don’t give you that immediate “this is 45 years old, really?” riding impression. The V7 Sport is an incredible adaptation of a police bike, which is not the same thing.  The Ducati twin’s capability was also well publicized by the press of the era, including Neilsen and Schilling of Cycle who eventually won Daytona on theirs and wrote a series about their progress, probably the best known motorcycle articles written in the best motorcycle magazine ever.  Other than the Vincent twins, no motorcycle has had that collectable mixture of capability and well qualified coverage.

On the other hand if you want to talk about the collectibility of the brand as a whole, almost 100 years of bikes, and the fact that you can go to Mandello and see evidence of it... Guzzi is the more collectable brand.  Ducati was almost nothing when Guzzi already had many world championships and a V8 racer.

[arveno]

So I really should grab this then?

1974 GT 750 for $6k?

https://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/d/superbike-1974-gt/6742612186.html

Super SCAM
Beware

[huub]

V7 Sports have a similar appeal to me but take more adaptation and don’t give you that immediate “this is 45 years old, really?” riding impression. 

try hitting the front brake at top speed, it will feel 45 year old....
I ran my V7sport for over 100.000 miles, did anything from track days to commuting , even crossed the sahara desert a couple of times on it (couple 1000 miles serious dirt roads)
all in all a nice motorcycle, but the front brake shows its age.
not only by modern standards , the period road tests were disappointed by the brakes , they were right :-)

25 k on the bevel in 25 year time, that probably proves something
mines gets out a couple of times a year, i like running it, but it is just too hardcore and fragile to use on a regular basis.

[Tusayan]

try hitting the front brake at top speed, it will feel 45 year old....
I ran my V7sport for over 100.000 miles, did anything from track days to commuting , even crossed the sahara desert a couple of times on it (couple 1000 miles serious dirt roads)
all in all a nice motorcycle, but the front brake shows its age.
not only by modern standards , the period road tests were disappointed by the brakes , they were right :-)

25 k on the bevel in 25 year time, that probably proves something
mines gets out a couple of times a year, i like running it, but it is just too hardcore and fragile to use on a regular basis.

My point was that a V7 Sport steers better than a Le Mans due to the lighter front wheel and brake, not that it stops better.  In that regard the double disks are much better.

No, I don’t ride the SS much, it was special when new, even more so now, and is best used for special days. Mine has original paint and original Art Deco headlight lense - I still ride it fast when I ride it but these are not things I want to screw up.  It’s also no more fun to handle than (for example) my early SV650.  My Le Mans was once my main ride and will never be sold but I own it now for personal, sentimental reasons.  Mostly I ride 1990s bikes which is the era I find most interesting today from a combined riding and owning point of view.  For example, a Guzzi 1100 Sport is a better motorcycle with the same appeal that can be bought for almost peanuts.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I wanted a pair of headlight brackets off a 750gt for my guzzi...  the coiled spring type one...  I looked them up and the REPRODUCTION ones were over $350

that told me all I need to know about owning a ducati

[redrider90]

Never road a V7 sport but I owned an early model (Amals, fiberglass tank, Lockheed brakes)  750 GT for 18 years. Its feather light, needs almost no counter steer to move it into an out of lean angles and is stable and very smooth from the tightest twisties on up. But it was slow and barely broke the ton. I loved it and sold it for $750 to fund a new Mille in 1991. Being broke out of a divorce I needed cash on hand. During the transition to Guzzi the 1st test drive on a LM V was so far removed from the Ducati that I nearly ran off the road charging into the first curve I could find. Thank god I remembered how to counter steer hence I would have run that big valve Lemans straight off the curve. But maybe that isn't fair comparing a 72 Ducati with Amals to a big valve LM V. I settled for the Mille due ergos. At 6'5" with 36' inseam it fit me like a dream. I didn't have to do anything to it. Later I lowered the bars 5" and the  seat a few inches and beefed up the front end and Euro jetted it. Then years later I raised it up again cause I didn't spend enough time in the twisties to justify packing myself like a preying Mantis all crunched up when I was spending most of my time commuting and on day long rides to get to the mountains. The prices of the 750's Ducati's are based on that bevel engine and that's all. There is nothing like it. It's not the second coming of a Vincent but those who ram up the prices think so.

[JJ]

I don't want to know about it, JJ.. 

Just sayin'... ...and there are many more DUCATI's ...and Moto Guzzi's listed on their inventory page!!

[Rough Edge racing]

  I bought a 73  Ducati 750 GT in 1978.. I rode it daily in good weather for several years and then sold it...It was very reliable and quite the piece compared other bikes of era...Then around 1985 I bought another one...I was real busy with work/divorce/girlfriends so didn't ride it much and sold it after a few years...I don't remember any real problems....My 96 900 Monster is a much better bike but just not 750 bevel drive...
   Reliability is a relative term.. For riders who don't work on their stuff or don't have good tools or the willingness/ability to do repairs, then any repair is a pain in ass..