Considering buying an 888 Sp5.

RTD

Hello.

This is my first post as a new member of the Forum.

I am considering buying a Ducati 888 SP5, and would prefer a genuine bike with some supporting history that is near original at a fair price.

Any advice, tips or links from knowledgeable members would be much appreciated.

I have already had some helpful suggestions from persons who recommended this forum, which I am currently following-up; including joining myself.

Many thanks.

Tom.

Serjames

Hi Tom and welcome. I can’t really give you any specific SP5 tips - but from a general 888 perspective, I’d be looking out to make sure all the fasteners are intact and the correct types. Normal Ducati maintenance has been completed and recorded e.g. Desmo, Belts, oils, Fuel pumps and filters etc. Bikes these age can really suffer from bad fuel / ethanol in the tank, so bring a torch so you can get a good look inside - rust is recoverable… but pin hols and blown paintwork - more expensive etc

Good luck :-) with the search

mike

Hi Tom - I’ve have a SP5 for about 17 years or so, and I’m not sure that I’d recommend any specific SP5 related checks (other than the checks that you might do to confirm that it is indeed a SP5 - I suspect you’ll already have a good understanding of what differentiates a SP5 from a Strada. Some of them are obvious)

Brake and fuel lines are worth checking - with these bikes 30 years old, if the hoses haven’t been replaced recently, you’d probably want to make allowances for that.

Also - make sure you inspect the swingarm pivot clamp areas carefully for cracks of any 888 that you look at.

guillaume69

Hi Tom,

And welcome here. 👍️

Are you considering importing from abroad in your search ? If so, I will be looking out for 888 SP5s for sale over here in France and will ping you when something of interest come up. I know of a genuine one that belonged to the previous owner of my 851 SP2 (yeah, he was a « SP collector »), but not sure it is for sale by the new owner at this time. I’ll ask anyways. 😉

Here’s a SP4 for sale. Been listed for a month now. Seems to have some racing parts on it, but the (private) seller claims to still have all original parts.

https://www.leboncoin.fr/ad/motos/2944863980

Let me know if you have any questions or need help with translation from French.

guillaume69

Here’s #219 for sale in the Netherlands. Fair price.

https://www.marktplaats.nl/v/motoren/motoren-ducati/m2270120524-ducati-888-sp5-219

guillaume69

And #088, for sale in the UK. Quite a price difference… Lower mileage too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/202505072131827?refresh=true

RTD

Hello Guillaume,

Many thanks to you, and the others, for helping with this quest.

I would prefer an SP5 if a suitable bike is available, I have made enquiries about the two you have provided links to already.

The UK bike is a lower mileage example and is more more expensive as you say, but it needs some history clarification.

I agree about the bike in the Netherlands, and it is a Ducati confirmed example, but there is no service or other history with it, and with the higher mileage for this type of bike it would probably benefit from an engine refresh. Also, if brought to UK it would incur import VAT on the price paid and the associated charges, which could be up to 20%. I have already asked if they can identify any options, and will wait to see what they say.

Thanks again for all the helpful contributions, and I’ll report any progress.

Tom.