Faults:

Faulty speedometer, only registered half the true speed

General Comments:

I bought this secondhand from a guy who had not ridden it for two years. I had always wanted one when they first came out and was glad to pick this up years later for a bargain prices as a boy's toy once I was married. Although not ridden, it had been stored in his garage so no rust. The owner before him had fitted chrome upswept megaphone silencers. Looked better and sounded magnificent. When you opened the throttle the sound was pure Ducati .... waaaaaahh. When you then closed the throttle the sound was just as good. Woooooor. This was the best handling bike I have ever owned. Went around bends cranked over as though glued to invisible rails. I rode it several times from London to Manchester and back, avoiding motorways and picking the most scenic route. This meant I could use all the available speed which topped out just over 100. As others pointed out, this bike loved revs. Once you hit the red line it grew wings and you were off.

Good brakes and comfortable to ride; would cruise at 70 without much trouble.

The only downside was, as everyone knows, it was an absolute pig to work on the engine even for relatively simple tasks. When I emigrated I had to sell it on for a song at only 300 pounds. The new owner grinned widely as I gave him the keys and he took off down the road like a scalded cat. That was the last time I heard those heavenly chrome silencers.

Faults:

Marked camshafts.

Failed thermoswitch.

Corroded radiator.

General Comments:

Think round bends, turns in on thought power alone due to the 16" wheel.

Very comfortable for a 6'2" 15 stone old duffer.

Needs to be revved for best performance, but cruises happily at 75 ish.

It is not easy to work on, compact and complex, 3 hours to check valve clearances. Once set they seem fine.

Some spares are gone, but others are relatively cheap and available.

I have two, my sons graduating to them after passing their tests.

Fast enough to be fun, frugal enough for an engineering student. Sounds pulls and handles like a little Duke. At 25 years old and £300 they are a bargain!