Alex,
First off, a bit of historical information about one of the most unique motorcycles Ducati ever made:
Designed by renowned Massimo Tamburini and named after road racer Renzo Pasolini, the Paso was originally released in 1987 as a fully-faired, air-cooled, carbureted 750cc bike with 16" inch wheels. Borrowing styling cues from the Bimota DB1, (another Tamburini design from the same era), the Paso's fully enclosed fairing design evoked strong criticism, both pro and con. Some loved it; many hated it. In addition to controversial styling, the Paso suffered from some significant mechanical design defects. Notably, the carburation system, (which utilized an automotive-style dual barrel Weber carburator), never worked properly, and the 16" inch wheels caused poor handling and body works that dragged during hard cornering. Additionally, the air-cooled engine ran hot inside the full body works.
In 1990, Ducati increased engine capacity on the Paso to 904cc, upgraded to a six speed transmission, and switched to water-cooling. Notwithstanding an engine displacement of 904cc, Ducati named the new Paso "906" rather than "904" in recognition of the new six speed transmission. (An alternate theory holds that Ducati went with "906" rather than "904" because "906" was more symetrical and looked better on the body works. A numerical palindrome, if you will.) With increased displacement and water cooling, the new 906 Paso was more powerful and ran cooler, but still suffered from carburation problems, bad handling, and body works that dragged in the turns.
After only one year, Ducati discontinued the 906 and released the 907ie in 1991. This was the final evolution of the Paso and was truly a huge improvement. Responding to customer complaints as well as road and track test data, Ducati abandoned the unworkable Weber carburator used on the earlier Pasos and replaced it with electronic fuel injection, (the "ie" designation standing for "iniezione eletronica"). Additionally, the 16" inch wheels were ditched in favor of 17" inch three spoke Brembos, and the front brake calipers were upgraded to 4 piston Brembos, (the Brembo parts being taken from the 851 parts bin.) Other upgrades included an improved exhaust system with equal length exhaust manifolds and improved suspension, front and rear.
The new 907ie was significantly faster, handled much better, and ran much better. Gone were the carburation glitches and bad handling. With the 17" inch wheels, clearance was no longer an issue and body works no longer rubbed in hard cornering. And with the same body lines and inovative styling as earlier Pasos, the 907ie gave up nothing in looks to the previous Pasos. Unfortunately, the upgrades were too late. Owing to the design defects of earlier Pasos, Ducatisti had turned their back on the Paso by the time Ducati got it right with the 907ie, and after only three years, ('91-'93), and a total production of 2,303 units, the 907ie was discontinued.
Now, with regard to the 907ie TriColore you're looking at:
I've been following all the 907s sold on e-bay for the past three years. Almost all sold for between 4 and 5 thousand dollars, depending on the milage, condition and after-market upgrades. The following upgrades are common:
exhaust cans
air cleaner
racing chip
bar risers
chain wheels (sprokets)
braided brake and clutch lines
corbin seat
euro taillight
fender elimination kit
clutch cover
These upgrades alone cost a couple of thousand dollars, so factor their presence or absence when shopping.
Other less common, (and more expensive), upgrades include:
dzus fasteners
rear suspension
master cylinder
brakes/rotors
marchesini rims (2 grand minimum just for this!)
clutch and/or slipper clutch
high compression pistons
944 kit
Obviously, the presence of any of these upgrades increases value significantly. Also, if upgrades have been made, the original OEM parts should be included in the deal. Their absence decreases the value of the bike.
Generally, red is the most desirable color, and red 907s typically sell for more than black 907s, even though black 907s are much rarer. Re-paints and custom paint jobs decrease value significantly.
Milage is important. Under 15,000 is good; under 10,000 is great. More than 30,000 is high and decreases value.
'91s are the least desirable; '93s are the most desirable. After model year "91, Ducati upgraded the brakes/rotors and switched from black to silver exhaust cans.
Check the condition of body plastic carefully. Older bikes often show stress fractures at or near the fasteners. Replacement body plastic is hard to come by and expensive. And even if you find it, the paint may not match well.
Check the condition of the paint. The painting process for the 907 is complicated and not easily replicated. It's not a simple matter of buying touch-up paint or ordering paint with paint codes. Paint problems decrease value substantially; conversly, good paint enhances value.
Mechanically, check for maintenance records. Pay attention to valve and timing-belt maintenance. Ducati recommends that the valve timing belts be changed every 7,500 miles or two years, which ever comes first. This job is expensive. If the bike you're considering needs new belts, this decreases its value. Make sure the bike idles and accelerates smoothly, w/o back fire. Fuel mapping problems can be difficult to diagnose and expensive to repair.
Finally, consider who the current and former owners are/were. There are always exceptions, but generally speaking, 907s owned by "mature" riders haven't been ridden as hard, have fresher engines, and probably less repairs and headaches down the road. Young bucks tend to ride harder, causing greater wear and tear on engine, suspension, brakes, and chasis.
Alex, the bike you're looking at is priced low for a 907ie. One of the issues is the "Tricolore" repaint. If you like that, (and I admit, it looks pretty darned nice!), then you won't care about the fact that it's a repaint. But from a value perspective, this non-original paint job signifcantly decreases the value of this bike.
Also, what is the milage on this bike? And when were the belts last done? Timing belts have to be changed on the Paso every two years, even if they have little or no running time on them. Expect to spend upwards of a thousand dollars for this job. (The belts themselves don't cost that much to swap out, but once the mechanic is in there, it makes sense to adjust the valves, and what the hell, change the oil, clean the air filter, etc...trust me when I tell you, you'll spend a grand when all is said and done!)
I like the Staintune exhaust, but make sure the bike has been re-chipped for the exhaust. 907ies running aftermarket cans without the EPROM chip and free-flowing exhaust usually have fueling/idling issues. If this bike has the Staintune cans but the OEM chip, it'll probably run poorly. And you'll have a Hell of a time finding an EPROM chip for this bike!
Good luck with your purchase! If you're interested in a red one rather than the Tricolore you're currently looking at, pm me and we'll talk.
Here's a pic of one of my 907ies:
Elton
