Hi all, I've had a fair few Honda's with my VFR750 being my only bike for the last 2 decades. Needless to say I was blown away by the character of a very nice condition 900 Sport ie I'm getting to look after for a mate of mine. He's looking to sell it too so I'm very tempted but another mate told me he's looking to sell his 1000 DS which is also in good condition. Only thing is it's almost twice the price, is up in Scotland and is the same colour as my VFR so will probably make my Honda look a bit faded whereas the 900 is probably my favourite colour of these bikes. What I'd love to know is if the DS is superior enough to make the compromises worth it and also if the more refined engine is less raw and visceral than the 900 which is the main thing I like about these bikes? I'm about 11 stone and don't plan on doing track days so the non-adjustable suspension of the 900 Sport doesn't bother me too much. I like the idea of the lighter wheels and swing arm of the DS but I guess they're probably not leaps and bounds better for road riding. Thanks in advance
In my opinion the answers to your questions are no and no. However, I think that if you keep it another 20years, and come to sell it, you will wish you had shelled out the extra for the DS. I would buy the DS.
Cheers for the input. The DS has quite a few mods on it including a tasteful Ducati based custom paint job whereas the 900 is pretty much stock apart from some Hawk silencers. I know the 900 will never be sought after but I'm not sure how much the DS will be either with it not being hugely original.
I've owned both and while the bigger engine gives noticeably more shove and the whole bike is a bit better it isn't worth twice the price, everything else being equal. The 900 is a lovely thing regardless. Visceral is the perfect word for the engine and I would say they both have it equally.
Apart from a bit of neck ache, I find this bike surprisingly comfortable. The seat's actually better than my VFR although that could be because there's more weight on my wrists.
The 1000SS is a very underrated bike, and I'd choose it over the 900 any day. I really enjoy mine, but purely my personal opinion was I couldn't stand looking at it: https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/1000ssie-ds-900sl-hybrid.84101/ The only thing I'd make you aware of, is that it's a step on in many ways from the 900, and that includes the electronics, so for example the Clocks are coded to the ECU, especially with regard to the Immobiliser, and it does make it a little more difficult if you like to modify your bikes.
Although the 1000 is superior it is a lot more than the 900 and I'm not sure how long I'd keep it. My main concern with the 900 is how much it's actually worth as the only other one I've found for sale is this one which has been reduced many times and now seems crazy cheap: http://suprememotos.com/ducati/4498...ake-great-donor-for-a-classic-cafe-racer.html So I wondered how much you guys would think a 2002 900 Sport ie in excellent condition with the matt black paint and about 7.5k miles would be worth atm?
I'll be selling mine, but it's not that cheap. The black ones aren't as desirable as the other colours. I think 2500 to 3000. I have a low mileage Senna 900 with Ohlins and marchesinis. I'm asking over £4k
