Craigm
Hi All,
Firstly, I'd like to thanks everyone for their encyclopaedic knowledge of the topics. I have been on the forum for almost a year, reading intensely and it scares me what some of you people know (you must be a strange bunch and a lot of fun at parties).
For someone relatively new to the brand and the 851 it has been invaluable assistance in helping me setup a bike.
Now the questions.
I have a frame (ZDM888S*000790*). I have been told it is a Corsa Race frame. Not sure of the year (90?) It has no road related tabs so it definitely looks race related.
1) Can anyone confirm its origin? Following advice on the forum, I contacted Ducati direct but they refused to supply any information as they did not accept my proof of purchase (a hand written and signed receipt). Not sure where to go from here.
2) It is in good condition but the foot peg mounts are both damaged (one bent slightly, one cracked and bent). Seems to be a common fault. I need to perform the repair and was thinking of either repairing the existing mounts as best as possible or cutting them off and updating them with the later and obviously superior design mounts. If the frame does have some providence would modifications like this devalue the frame in any way (BTW I have no idea what a frame like this is worth ย any ideas?). Any advice on the best way ahead?
3) I plan on repainting the frame after any repair. What is the official white colour designation?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
griff851
1. They lost a lot of documentation, as mentioned here somewhere.
2. Yep they bend. I got mine straightened after my brother in law dropped it and had triangular gussets welded in behind. Seems to be holding up and it's fallen over twice now.
rodericb
What's the go with the VIN number with 888 in it?
nine16
I don't know about the VIN, but someone here will. It would help to have pics as well.
Yeah, wait to see if it does turn out to be a corse machine. If it is, then repair is probably your best bet. If it also has provenance with a well known racer, then you really want to repair and correctly preserve it.
I have one with some provenance, but not a genuine corse frame and so much of the bike was missing. I still probably should have repaired the early mounts, but I was doing other frame bracing anyway and decided to just update it all.
stiglarsenDK
ZDM888S*000790
S = either sp or racing.
As far as i recall (Maybe more accurate in older posts) the S started w tricolor kit ? , then SP2 (300 ish made) then SP3 (500 ish) ...hence the race frame you have is from the SP3 time period.. I would think itโs from 91.
As always fotos = 1000 Words.. lets see that thing !
Maybe Check w Baba, he has a 91 race frame, and can spot any details, Maybe he has the name of the welder (and his birthday) Who did it ;-)
marvin
Yes, when I did nine16's frame I did remove the old bent mounts and fabricate the newer style. I could have repaired the old ones but if crashed again they would just bend again!
MarkT
ZDM*888S*000790 is one of the four bikes that Ferracci bought from the factory for the 1991 AMA season. It was stripped down and sold for parts at the end of the season. The frame was sold to Roy H in NH who used it to rebuild a track bike his son had crashed- I believe at Loudon. He painted it red/white/green and it had a mix of parts on it. He used it for a track bike for many years. Last time I saw it was at Gratten Raceway at one of our Ducati track events back in the late 90's or early 2000's-- senior memory.
If it is the same frame, if you look closely at the front tubes by the headstock you should see dents where the front forks whacked the frame.
Of course, this may not be the same frame that I have the documentation for.
How it ended up in Australia is a story you can tell us.
griff851
Wow guys! Amazing.
marvin
Yes Griff, it is amazing! Mark is the man!!
It's ironic because Mark has 4 or 5 "spot on" full Corse bikes and can't even give them away. A POS "bitsa" bike comes up for sale and goes for big bucks!!!
P.S. But then everyone wants to think that they have the "Holy Grail" and are willing to believe the hype and bullshit that is thrown out by a good salesman.
griff851
Hi Marvin,
When I win the lottery (due statistically any time now๐) I'll be paying Mark and yourself a visit. ๐ i'll Bring the wine and cheese.
MarkT
Griff-
Please win the lotto- ---it would be a hoot to share drinks and stories.
Ducal
Forget the rest of the planet, take it to Gav Forbes at FME in Wangara, if you want it sorting. The guy is a perfectionist. You walk in and it is all over, talk to the guy for 10 minutes, and WOW.... Not cheap but 100%, 100% of the time. If anyone chooses to disagree they are a drop kick
nine16
marvin wroteYes, when I did nine16's frame I did remove the old bent mounts and fabricate the newer style. I could have repaired the old ones but if crashed again they would just bend again!
Yes, you did fantastic work and I'm glad we did it that way--while I'd like to think I'll never drop it, this bike gets a lot of use.
nine16
marvin wroteYes Griff, it is amazing! Mark is the man!!
It's ironic because Mark has 4 or 5 "spot on" full Corse bikes and can't even give them away. A POS "bitsa" bike comes up for sale and goes for big bucks!!!
Seeing Mark's collection in person was the highlight of that vacation. I'd love any one of those beauties, but even for the black one I can't scrape up enough for a non-insulting offer...yet.
MarkT
Marvin, Adam-- Thank you for your kind words.
It was great to meet you Adam--always love talking about 851/888 corses with a fellow passionate owner.
Any fellow 851/888 enthusiast is welcome to come and visit.
Craigm
Thanks Guys - I have quickly come to the conclusion that most of you guys are freaks (in a good way of course). It would be bloody interesting to meet all you blokes some time as I currently picture you all as Dustin Hoffman in rain man.
Mark is spot on. The frame is as he describes (even down to the dent in the front tube near the head stock). I don't have any pictures that I can access at the moment as I am at work (at sea in the Bass Strait currently getting pounded by 5-6m seas). I will post some when I get home in a few weeks.
A quick history on the bike as I know it - Australian history. Roy H had it for sale online. Mark seems to know its history pre ย Aus in detail (got any more info? A bored and cashed up offshore Oil & Gas worker (working in the Northwest shelf region of the Western Australia coast) saw it online and snapped it up. Not sure how he arranged freight but it turned up in Perth finally, around 2009, I think. All excited he took it to two track days after it hit the wharf. Not long after he meet the woman of his dreams, kids arrive, etc. I think you know where this is heading.
It turns out we have a mutual friend who just happened to be storing the bike while all his life changing events are ongoing. I see it gathering dust in the corner of his workshop and casually mention that if the owner ever wanted to sell it give me a call. I was hoping for a bargain.
8+ years later he finally realised that his life had changed direction forever and he was never going to ride it again. Finally, a deal was done. It was no bargain but at that time I had already done a lot of research and talked myself into getting back into racing (historics this time because it is cheap ย haah, it's still the story I keep telling the missus anyway).
I got hold of it in Mar 19 after almost 12mths of negotiations. All the fancy bits had to go (Ohlins USD, radial brakes, carbon wheels, etc.) to get it back in the Period class. It is still a work in progress but I have had it on the track a few times late last season. I have never had a Duc before so it has been a steep learning curve. This forum has been my primary source of information and for that I am truly grateful. I would have been totally stuffed with out the experiences and knowledge of every one on the forum (although when I starting reading it I thought I had joined a cult rather than having just bought a 851!)
Mark, you mention you may have some documentation? How can I access the info for my records and my racing logbook?
And getting back to my original queries, does the frames origins mean it has any real additional value? I have no plans to sell it, just race it but I really need a permanent fix for the foot peg mounts? Do I keep it originals and have the ongoing problems (and they look like crap) or do I just chop them off and update to 888 style mounts?
Thanks again for the info. Better get back to the job at hand.
Cheers,
rodericb
Craigm wroteThanks Guys - I have quickly come to the conclusion that most of you guys are freaks (in a good way of course). It would be bloody interesting to meet all you blokes some time as I currently picture you all as Dustin Hoffman in rain man.
Cheers,
Is where you are got a name like a fish? If so, I worked there for a few years, a few years ago!
Craigm
Yes Mate - Everything out here in named after a bloody fish!
Not on a rig. Doing some subsea maintenance and inspection.
Cheers,
Jafa
When you get around to repairing / replacing the foot peg mounts, you can also try Clyde Carstairs in O'Connor. He builds drag bike tube chassis ( among other things ) from scratch, and he fixed the swing-arm on my SP3 that was nearly cut in half from some halfwit previous owner not doing the rear sprocket nuts up tight and then just filling up the resultant massive gouge with epoxy resin. The swing-arm looks like new again, cannot see the repair at all, it's actually now the best part of the swing-arm and I will have to get the rest of the swing-arm up to scratch to match haha
PM me when you are racing next and I will come up ( or down if it's Collie ) and cheer you on.
