An under the radar classic Italian motorcycle is a seriously tough ask, because Italian classic motorcycles have been high on shopping lists for many years. Although an expensive classic Italian motorcycle, towards the top end of the market, the 1975 Ducati 750SS and 900SS offers great value. With genuine green frame prices exploding further and one even sold at US$600,000 last year, prices are on the move for investment grade examples. (That particular 1974 Ducati 750SS that for US$600,000 was very special but it’s an indicator of where prices are going in the future). The 1975 Ducati 900SS is the first ever square case Ducati and they are very rare indeed. There are very few opportunities left, but this under the radar Italian classic motorcycle offers an unrivalled opportunity for great profits, great joy of ownership and riding pleasure. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Rare Ducati classic
More than a rare Ducati classic the 1975 Ducati 900SS and 750SS are arguably the rarest Ducati bevel drive ever made. The 1974 Ducati 750SS green frame is at the pinnacle of Ducati classic motorcycle investment with only 401 machines built. If you divide the 1975 machines into 750SS and 900SS with 259 of the former and 246 of the latter, then each is much rarer than a green frame. Production of both still comes to only 495 units. These were the first ever year of production of the square case engine Ducatis, which in itself makes them highly collectible. The green frame was not only built to offer their first all out, large capacity sports motorcycle to the public. It was built to homologate the motorcycles that won Imola in 1972 with Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari taking first and second respectively in a legendary victory. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line.
Unique parts
Like the green frame the 1975 square case Super Sports are covered in unique parts. Without those parts any machine bought today is not an investment grade example. In this article here, I talk about this being required for a green frame to be investment grade. These will end up in seven figures at some point in the future, and when they are, only complete motorcycles will go to those dizzying heights. Without these unique parts, which the motorcycle is littered with all over, values will be much, much lower. There is no availability for these unique parts, so a bitsa cannot be redeemed into an investment grade example. Like green frames, many of the machines in the market are fakes as one bike get divided into two or a frame and engine have been forged from other parts. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line.
Comparative values
Comparative values between investment grade green frames and 1975 square cases are, approximately, that the green frame is roughly twice the value of a ’75 square case. Values are unlikely to remain this way, as these are catching up with green frame values as investors discover these remarkable motorcycles. Values are also a moving target, as green frame values keep increasing. In 2010 the 75 square cases were approximately a quarter of the price of a green frame. The numbers of remaining investment grade green frames and 1975 square case Super Sports are about the same. It is clear that these unique square cases will find parity in value with green frames, so now is the time to buy an investment grade example. The 1975 was the first of the new generation square case, it owed more to the green frame than anything to come in the future of square case machines. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line.
Fire breathing Ducati
These 1975 machines are fire breathing Ducati square cases, they doubled up as race bikes and many became just that. Very few would survive such a fate and were completely written off or had engine swaps. When these motorcycles were unleashed on the public, almost no one bought one and decided to keep it as an investment. Buyers of these Ducati motorcycles were enthusiasts who rode hard. Any that are brand new or very low mileage are best treated with suspicion, as a handful probably do exist but they are very difficult to find. Any buyers who owned one would have been inspired to ride it at great speed, as they inspire greatness in the rider. Once warm, they are not a motorcycle to commute on because every journey turns any road into a race track. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line.
Bevel drive Ducati
Every bevel drive Ducati offers the opportunity to travel back in time to an era where the motorcycle engineering will never again be repeated. As I’ve said in previous articles and as Ian Falloon points out in my interviews with him, when these motorcycles were built, they were sold at a loss. The Italian government wrote this loss off every year and subsidised every Ducati owner to buy their machine were ever they were in the world. The bevel drive was an incredibly expensive engine to produce and allowed the road going motorcycles to rev out to over 8,000 RPM. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line.
Italian classic motorcycle investment
These Ducatis are an under-valued Italian classic motorcycle investment which are under estimated as well. These bevel drives will eat a highly tuned Vincent without batting an eyelid. They are becoming very collectible with a lot more headroom for future values, but only investment grade examples will deliver sky high profits. The 1975 Ducati 900SS and 750SS are half the price of a green frame, yet they are rarer, a better machine and will match the green frame as far as future values are concerned. They are a delight to own and ride and wonderful to just stare at, as they are a work of art. When you ride a properly set up bevel drive, you can easily see how Mike Hailwood famously won the TT on one of these. The 1975 Ducati 750SS and 900SS square case has all the ingredients to grow into a very expensive and highly desirable classic motorcycle. It has race history, is the first generation of the square case series, is incredibly rare, a direct and sole descendent of the green frame, rides like a dream and is a work of art. This under the radar classic Italian motorcycle couldn’t have more ingredients to deliver unimaginable profits and immense riding and ownership pleasure. However, only investment grade examples will deliver the profits required by classic motorcycle investors. If you are thinking about an investment grade 1975 Ducati 900SS or 750 SS, contact The Motorcycle Broker. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
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