Hi everyone, I have been looking for a monoposto 998 for a while but the process so far has been a bit tougher than I thought. I have contacted several adds but there is always something that puts me off (the bikes has either been already sold or it does not fit my requirements or I can't get the price down...). There is an add that has been on eBay for some time, a yellow monoposto 998 which seems to be in decent condition, although the mileage is a bit higher that what I had in mind. Originally imported from Japan. The dealer is called Extreme Trading Ltd, not sure if any of you know it. I have emailed them already and I am waiting to hear back. The thing is I was looking for a red bike, the yellow colour is a bit of a dealbreaker, I want it in red. However, how good of an idea is respraying the bike from yellow to red? I would lose the factory paint and perhaps value, but I have been told that if the bike is professionally painted it wouldn't be that bad. What do you guys think? Is there any other thing to consider? Thanks in advance, AL
If you want a red one get a red one - preferably a UK bike. Don't compromise (apart from the red as 998's should be yellow)
I agree with Exi above. When you come to sell it, which will happen at some point in time for whatever reason, you will for ever not only be faced with the "but it's an import" but also "why's it been resprayed, has it been down the road?" Wait for a red one. I reckon you'd be better off getting a BiP and buying a mono subframe if you really want a mono without the footpeg mount showing. You can get an OEM sub-frame from Febur in Italy for about €400. On the import side, I really don't see that as a major issue but I know some do. You'll have to put an mph sticker over the speedo which will be in kmph and make sure the headlight dips to the left but that's it and I'd expect Extreme to do that; Japanese bikes were the same spec as UK/European bikes
Don't forget that if you're looking for a yellow 998s in particular, only 7 mono's were officially imported so they are very rare indeed.
Thank you all for your quick replies, you make good points. I try to tell my brain "wait and don't compromise" as @Exige pointed out, but after checking here and there for some months I can't help feeling a bit impatient. It might be even a wise decision to wait given the current situation, if the economy gets hit quite bad prices might go down a bit. @West Cork Paul I actually did not think about that, and it is spot on. Imported and re-sprayed, any sensible potential buyer would definitely find that suspicious, including myself haha The main thing of buying a UK bike in my opinion is the history, it would be easier to find out if the bike had previous issues or crashes I think. An imported bike on the other hand is a bit of a gamble perhaps? Anyway, I will wait for Extreme Trading's response, let's see what they come back with but I think that your feedback is quite sensible and makes total sense. I should stop rushing. Thanks everyone.
Actually on the point I made of the clocks, I may be wrong but didn’t the 998 have the dual calibrated clocks like this In which case the only thing that will inform if a bike has been imported is the V5, and after all they are all imported into the UK at some stage, so I come back to what I said about an import not being an issue IMO as long as it’s full power. perhaps @bettes can confirm either way?
I wouldn’t worry about buying from extreme. A few on here have bought bikes off him and all seem happy enough. These bikes are getting hard to find in decent condition so some compromises have to be made. If I were buying the yellow one, I’d get another set of fairings and get them painted red and just leave the yellow ones up in the loft and offer them with the bike when selling on. If it’s advertised as an S, make sure it’s got the deep sump, a bit of service history and you’re good to go. Hope this helps...
@998AL FYI I just checked in the ‘Bible’ aka Falloon 916 and there were only 57 red Mono’s sold in Europe and 11 yellow ones. These European numbers are not broken out by country.
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the info. @West Cork Paul I believe the monoposto 998 is a non S model, at least they don't mention anything on their ad. It would be a great plus to be an S but it is not a big deal. Not sure if I mentioned earlier that the bike is an S, apologies for the confusion. @bettes thanks for the info, that gives me some peace of mind. I dropped them an email yesterday but I have not heard back yet. I don't have much experience buying/selling bikes but yes indeed, a good example of a Ducati 998 (fully stock with no aftermarket mods) is quite difficult to find at the moment. I saw one for sale last month but someone had already paid the deposit by the time I contacted the seller. I did think about getting another set of fairings and problem solved, but I would have to buy another fuel tank as well I suppose.
If its of any help, there were only ever 27 998s Monoposto's imported into the UK, 20 Red and 7 Yellow. So as you can see the genuine ones are very rare. Many Biposto's have been converted though!
if you live in the East Anglian area and once restrictions are lifted its defo worth a visit to Extreme. mind blowing stock of imports. not bought off him but was looking at early monsters at the time and he was certainly nice guy who took time to show me his set up. incredible collection, much much bigger than what you can see on his website. very impressive. cheers
Hi, I am also looking for this piece and it should be in excellent condition or used with good price for a repaint. If you have find a monoposto seat to 998 in great condition but the priced has been to high can you point me in this direction please?
I would also wait and look for something that is “more”your taste. Pretty sure if you buy it two weeks later one is gonna show up like you want it in the first place. If you buy a yellow one i would also save the yellow panels or even sell them and get a nice red set. On the early bikes it would not matter that much to paint them as al yellow bikes where red first and they just painted them yellow. But would not be the case anymore i guess with the 998. Henk!!!
