Buying a 1974 Ducati 750SS green frame is not as easy as many people believe, if you want your example to be investment grade. There are many more than the 401 examples made by the factory to buy and ride the wheels off of, but they are not investment grade green frames. Very few of the 401 produced by the factory are investment grade examples and those that are inevitably get sold off market. This machine was only ever made for one year only and was built to compete in racing, requiring 401 road going machines to be built to homologate them to race. This was a race bike for the road with lights and was dripping with one off parts made only for this machine. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Unique parts
The unique parts which adorned the green frame were made in very small numbers and have become irreplaceable today, or if you can find them, then the cost is prohibitive. For example the carbs, Ducati only made 450 sets for 401 machines. The inlet manifolds were unique and just cannot be found today. Wheel rims were made for this machine only and didn’t appear on any others. They used similar ones on other Ducatis, but not these particular ones. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Investment grade green frame
Finding an investment grade green frame is like finding a snow leopard in Brasil. Most of these machines have had a seriously tough life, as people who bought them did so to ride them very fast indeed. They went through a period where they weren’t worth much at all, one of my mechanics sold his for £1,600 in 1986! No one worried if it had the unique, one-off carbs when the later 40mm Dellortos were better. So why does it matter that they have all these little fiddly bits, they’re a great looking bike and they’re still fast and enjoyable to ride? The world is looking for tangible assets to invest in which are very rare and classic motorcycles fit that demand perfectly. When these bikes reach the millions of pounds, you can be sure the only examples that make those sums will be the ones that are right and have all of those impossible to get parts. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Buyer beware!
Buyer beware! There has been an industry throughout the world of faking green frames. Many bikes have been split in two, an original motor put in a Verlicci frame and a converted GT750 motor re-stamped with the green frame number and hey presto! One green frame becomes two green frames. There are probably more fake green frames than originals and I have seen plenty of very impressive fakes. The 1974 Ducati 750SS green frame is very cost effective to fake today and some people are very good at it. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Green frame prices
Green frame prices have been steadily rising since Ian Falloon published his book about them and raised awareness of the existence of such a machine in 2011. They had increased in value a lot prior to then, but such a raising of the machine’s profile really lit a fire under values and heat rises. Prices never go down for investment grade examples, they only ever increase and there are no bargains when it comes to these machines. Hunting for bargain green frames has always been the undoing of hawk-eyed classic motorcycle investors. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Why was the Stafford green frame so cheap?
Why was the Stafford green frame so cheap? If the buyer had carbs, wheel rims and many, many other unique parts in their shed at home, then the Stafford machine which sold at Bonhams was very cheap indeed and they got a bargain. However, I think it highly unlikely they do have those parts and finding them will be unimaginably expensive and extremely difficult, if not impossible. It’s always cheaper to buy the right bike than try to add to a machine like this later on because the availability and cost of parts is just too challenging. When buying at auction, remember the terms and condition and that the machine is bought not running. These are the terms and conditions “All lots are sold ‘as is/where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.” No one has done anything wrong or misleading by selling this machine, you have to do your own due diligence. You can see the Bonhams listing here. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
Where to buy an investment grade green frame
Where to buy an investment grade green frame is very challenging indeed, as many which aren’t investment grade. They look incredibly tempting are being offered by lots of very nice people who will tell you theirs is an investment grade example. Can you really tell if the frame is a replica been perfectly stamped? Can you tell if the motor has had its old numbers filled with ally weld, been dressed and re-stamped? Do you have vast data about which machines engine and chassis numbers are where from experience, rather than a list? Do you know every detail about which parts are correct for the green frame and which aren’t and will you recognise them when you see them? Are you connected to the owners of the genuine green frames so you can have sensible discussions about their machines? If the answer to all of those questions is yes then you are qualified to buy yourself an investment grade green frame. If you can’t answer yes to those questions, then get on to The Motorcycle Broker, as we specialise in investment grade classic motorcycles sourced directly from the owner. If you want to read the longer and more detailed version of this article then follow this link and join The Inside Line free. Go to Market Trends and Analysis and you will see this and other long version blogs at the bottom of the page.
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