1988 Ducati 851 KIT Tricolore homologation superbike No. 206 - rare limited edition

Genuine 1988 Ducati 851 KIT Homologation superbike in Tricolore trim. recently serviced. will ship WORLDWIDE

This is bike number 206 of the 207 that were built and as the final one went into a museum. this is the last KIT 851 to leave the factory. The bike was purchased by a collector and early in its life was briefly used. The factory have provided confirmation that this is the genuine 851 KIT limited edition article in original condition and that letter will be provided to the buyer.

The bike was then left in a collection belonging to an Italian hotel magnate where it sat until the global recession bit in 2008. Falling on harder times. a proportion of his collection was sold. including this bike which came to the UK early in 2012. On arrival in the UK it was re-commissioned and MoT'd. That saw it having a full service. new belts. new fuel pump and fluids all round. I bought it later that year and have not yet ridden it. The bike's patina is 100% original. it has never been restored or "tarted up" in its life so you have here a proper 1988 time capsule. It has been thoroughly serviced by JHP Ducati Coventry in late December 2013 at a cost of £1000 for a major service including a new regulator/rectifier kit. new battery. and fitment of many smaller parts and sundries at my request. Following that service it runs like a dream. it's loud. proud and snarly!

There are few of these correct KIT bikes left now and they are hard to find in genuine unmolested condition with an estimated 50 left worldwide. Unscrupulous sellers have even tried to palm off 851 Stradas as a KIT bike and you can see examples of this on auction sites regularly so a genuine bike with factory provenance is a rare thing indeed with many having ended their lives on the race track already. This bike has all of its registration papers and log book for UK ownership. The last two I saw for sale went for 42.000 euros in Belgium. and the second. Bonhams have just sold in the Vegas January Sale on 9th January 2014 at a hammer price of £24.537 GBP plus buyer's fees on top. The price of this one is therefore very competitive for the bike that began the four valve superbike lineage for Ducati - a real piece of history.

All of the special irreplaceable KIT parts are just as they should be right down to the moulding impressions seen on the seat foam as mentioned in Ian Fallon's book on the history of Ducati where a fault in the mould for the seat foam results in a dark ring on the seat pad of the first 207 KIT machines and identified it as a genuine KIT bike. The 851 was the first production desmoquatro with previously unimagined power and this KIT bike is still a beast with 119bhp out of its race tuned engine. a power figure that was not really bettered until the much later 888 Corsa race bikes came along.

The tubular steel frame was F1 derived. with an aluminium swinging arm and rising rate rear suspension. The wheels are exotic 17" racing magnesium Marvics. brakes are full floating Brembo. The model was factory supplied with electric start. headlamp and tail lamp but is basically a race bike with lights.

A horn has been added to make it road legal in the UK but this can easily be unbolted for other countries as the law requires. The detailed differences between the Strada and this Superbike "KIT" are shown below in full.

It comes with a couple of original spares including a rare rear Marzocchi shock for spares (cracked mounting eye). a spare used rear light for parts and a new spare gear lever plus all receipts and documentation in my possession including the Ducati factory provenance letter. A fast appreciating limited run model. this will grace any Ducati collection and will surely return dividends in the future. or will be a fantastic full blooded head turning road bike.

The KIT bikes came from the factory with and without engine numbers. they always had frame numbers but being race built engines they did not always have engine numbers. The early race 851s had a tendency to crack the rear cases around the swing arm pivot because of the forces put through them in a race. Some racers modified the cases in this area so you can usually tell raced 851 KITs. at least those raced regularly as they have the bodge or the cracks. Finding one with neither cracks nor bodges in original trim like this bike. is now very very uncommon.

The "A" hand stamped on the front cylinder head denotes that this is a true KIT motor and refers to the two sets of modifications that are made to the engine and the chassis. The kit parts list for those modifications comprise:

Ducati modification kit - 912 7 003 1A
94mm cylinder head gasket
94mm piston replacement manifolds
29mm exhaust valves
Race ECU
new horizontal header exhaust pipe
new vertical header exhaust pipe

and

Modification kit - 912 7 001 1A
Lightened clutch basket
new starter motor flange seat
starter motor seat gasket
New oil breather joint for RHS
plug for the motor breather joint seat
cylinder cover for battery support fastening
plug for the cooling sensor hole
gasket for the sensor plug
180w 12v alternator
rotor spacer
alternator cover gasket
race stand spacers
new flywheel
relay assembly
vibration dampers
saddle support for sub-frame
wiring loom
battery support
battery belt
new injection wiring
power and battery supporting plates
expansion tanks

The bike is currently SORNed and is out of MoT but given the service completed on 17/12/13. both of those are mere formalities to complete for a UK owner. The bike can be shipped worldwide fully insured. at cost. an example price is £1100 to ship to Seattle USA or £1550 to Christchurch NZ but please contact me for any more information or shipping quotes. I am happy to arrange the shipping from the UK - you will be responsible for receiving the bike from the port of your choice along with all local charges and import duty. Payment is by bank transfer or payment on collection where I can pay into my bank and have the funds cleared before the bike is released along with its title. For Australian buyers. this is a 1988 bike so is not subject to the usual import restrictions which apply to later models.

These very rarely come up for sale now and when they do they are snapped up by collectors so seize the opportunity. You have the chance - for the true Ducati collector. this will be recognised as an important piece of Ducati history and a special opportunity to buy the bike that started Ducati's World Superbike Dynasty and dominance.