Agreed, that could be a possibility the frames are identical and other than frame number you would not be able to tell. There should be a silver sticker on either side where the rearsets go and If I remember correctly they do actually note the model as being an SPS on the sticker, of course if the sticker is removed then you would not be able to tell other than by what is in the log book\V5. Does that give the correct frame and engine numbers or do you not have the log book to check. Possibly Ducati themselves could help again by giving both frame and engine numbers of the bike as it was built originally and then if you give them the frame number of what you think has replaced it they could give the engine number that originally matched that. If it doesn't match as a cross check you should be able to figure what's been done.
Sticker is VERY faded but I can just make out the tail of the frame number which matches that on the headstock. Engine number and original frame number from the warranty booklet are with Ducati to check further. Vendor had lost V5 and is promising replacement-it'll be interesting to see way at number's on that! He's insistent it's an SPS but I'm not giving up
Hopefully it should match, but it should also say SPS on it but I guess that cannot be made out if you can only see the end of the frame number. I think you will need to wait on the log book and see what Ducati say. Several posts have cropped in say the last 8 months or so about SPS's that have appeared for sale and have turned out to be bogus. One person on the Isle Of Wight was advertising one on eBay as a genuine SPS, and it had been sold to him by a friend who said he knew the history of it etc. etc. It turned out to be nothing like a genuine bike but he just took the the friends word for it and paid over the odds. He was gutted when a forum member actually went to see it and pointed out all the wrong bits that were on it. For some reason they seem to been one of the most misrepresented models. I agree don't give up though, there's nothing worse than feeling cheated when something is not as should have been or has been misrepresented, fault or no fault of the seller, it leaves a very bitter taste.
As Blackadder said "The devil farts in my face again!" I took delivery of a headlight unit today - broken in transit! Hopefully I can get another from the same breaker. If you look hard at this picture, you'll see that the front mudguard mounting clamps are missing. That's another few £ to fit the new mudguard. Heigh-ho...
Very busy he has about three engines of various sorts for sale plus some nice 10 spoke Marchesini's plus various bodywork. Looks like he is having a clearout.
Ive used him before too and I already asked about saving it. He said the engine was dead and he'd already sold a few bits. He's the guy I got that carbon fairing from, that failed to mention the repairs/damage.
So he is not all that great and is asking top dollar then? Sounds like a few other eBayers that I have come across.
I'm hoping that the full headlight assembly he's sending me is OK, unlike the first light unit which Hermes broke in transit - it wasn't well-packed, mind. He may be top price, but still cheaper than the other options from abroad...
I start all my fleabay auctions at v low prices sell at what I get for bits. some people hold onto shite for ages at very high prices. I have another load of stuff to go on over this weekend, some stuff i have let go a very low prices, other stuff that i was tempted to give away has gone for v good money.
Parts have arrived so things are starting to go together, instead of taking them apart which has been the pattern so far. Assembling the headlight bucket/instrument panel etc. has been "interesting"-when I think I've got it right, I find something else to put in-the headlight has been in and out 4 times so far. Will someone tell me where the horn goes? A question: my bike has no relays for the lights. Is it possible/feasible/advisable to add some? Especially as I have the 2-wire alternator and want to spare the wiring as best I can.(it doesn't appear bad but I know this is weak area) Belt change coming up next, followed by fluid change, alternator cover and water pump on then hopefully, successful startup. At least when I finish I'll know how these go together...
The horn goes in the hole underneath the headlight holder. It is fitted by one screw which has a small top hat type washer the smaller bit of which goes into the hole in the back of the horn bracket. Once screwed in place it should be quite rigid. Make sure the fairing top has cleared the horn as if it is too close the metal face of the horn won't vibrate and therefore the horn won't sound because it is touching the fairing inside. Early bikes only have one headlamp on at a time when you switch from main to dip and vice versa one light goes out and the other comes on. Later bikes have relays so that both stay on when main beam is used. If you try and use the later type setup you will find that there is not enough power to run them, if you attempt to do this you will get potential overheating of the rectifier\wiring etc. I had the same idea with my SPS and was told not to attempt to do this. You can "upgrade" from one sidelight to two by changing the headlamp wiring to the later two bulb type and put in another sidelight bulb.
Get lots of pictures or go see if buying from him! Fucked me on quite an expensive item that was not as described! unch:
He's just sent a full headlight assembly (including lamp unit to replace one damaged in transit) which is OK (although not the cheapest)
