A good customer passed several months ago and left quite a collection of exotic motorcycles and parts in his shop. Most of them had not been run for decades and we are selling them as is, with absolutely no mention of mechanical condition or knowledge of road worthiness. Some of them he had owned for thirty years or more.

This 1970 Ducati Mark 3 250 Desmo is one of these bikes. How do I know? By opening the gas tank. It is bad, the fuel went off a long time ago. I kicked the engine over and it has compression, the brakes work when we pushed it around the shop, but it is in need of complete refurbishing. The paint and most of the finishes appear to be original. That does not make them good, it is just that the bike has not been apart before or repainted, so in the event someone wanted to restore it, you would not be searching for original colors or finishes. The more you look over the bike, the more it sucks you into the time warp of parts and accessories that came stock on it. There are a set of yellow Bilstein period Rear Shocks, they may have value to collectors beyond the actual bike. The Speedo shows 3,741 miles, so it is safe to assume it was sold here in the states new.

The bike has almost every stock part other than the rear shocks still with it. You can see from the images how complete it is. One of the nightmares restorers go through is finding missing parts on top of everything else that needs to be done. Does not look like this is the case here.

Just so that it is clear, we have not made the bike run. It does kick over. The tires are old, everything needs attention. It is doubtful a long weekend of fussing with it will make it run. The light at the end of the tunnel here is what the bike can be. Let’s hope it happens soon.

The VIN number is DM25097370. Miles showing are 3,741 and the selling price is $4,500. For other interesting bikes and collectable vehicles, visit our web site http://www.automaniagp.com 541 479 8888 or come by and see us at 895 SE Gladiola Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon, 97526. Oregon Dealer DA1287.

Automania is a Consignment Oregon Dealer selling quality, privately owned vehicles including Aprilia, Buell, BMW, Citroen, Ducati, Harley Davidson, Honda, Hummer, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Nissan, Ossa, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa, Classic Hot Rods, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, MG, Packard, Porsche, Rover, Shelby, Toyota, Triumph, Volkswagen and any other vehicle of interest