I have bought a bike I believe is an F1-S, it looks like an F1-B but with twin mufflers and a different looking belly pan. It was imported from Japan late 2013 to Australia. Built 11/87

My questions:

Were these sold in Japan? (I have heard of three in Japan with km/h speedos so I think maybe they were).

Is the poor fitting belly pan with different white paint to the main fairing correct for this bike?

Should I replace the timing belts before attempting to start the bike? I have no history whatsoever, other than 3000km on the odometer.

Thanks Gents.

Beautiful bike. While I do not have the answers to most of your questions, I can confidently say changing the belts is a must. They are cheap and easy to install. It will also give you a chance to check the idler and tensioner pulley bearings. Changing the belts was the first thing I did when recommisioning my Pantah.

Dave

Hi Mad Max,

Great bike, 3000 km only, you still have to run it in.
I have a similar bike & bellypan, mine's an originally American model, but I am the first registered owner.
MPH Speedo and 2-1 Silentium are different.
No idea on Japanese models.
Would check the condition and tension of the belts before attempting a start/turnover. Obviously would need new oils & filters first

Cheers,

Jurgen

Hello , BEAUTIFUL THAT YOUR BIKE , it is NEW ! I believe that our friend Dave is absolutely right , I Solitro me to behave in a way .

First check the state of affairs of the timing belt , I can assure you that the timing points are in place and in the right position , I take off the candles , and I run the engine without the spark plugs screwed , only with the strength of the starter motor, this raises the engine oil in all parts of the engine block , then take off the cap covering the cylinder exhaust rocker arm horizontal , and I make sure that the oil has arrived and that running out.

At this point I can see if the belts run free on its bearings, make sure to start the engine block are enough , and you can change them at a later TIME.

A timing belt Ducati , to be able to rip, the problem is not the belt , but it will be a rocker distribution that hangs or another type of problem.

However, it is always best to replace first , I wanted to dispel this problem of timing belts that tear easily.

I have ventured in a speech very difficult to be able to explain , excuse me if I said anything that could offend , it was not my intention , my speech is only done inside a garage with old friends.

Ciao dall'Italia

Japan was the biggest market for 750 F1 bikes in the 80s. So I doubt that anyone in Japan would bring in a bike privately. So yes your bike would have been delivered by the authorised Japanese importer at the time. Which is a handy thing because you will find that your headlamp will dip to the left on low beam. European and USA models dip to the right.

Let's see a picture of the RHS muffler, that is something I don't think I have seen before!

Nice bike,
Cheers,
MikeA

Thanks all, photo of RHS attached.

All of the F1s Ducatis were made for and only sold in the USA. Ducati ended up with a warehouse full of 1986 F1b's that they could not sell as street legal bikes in the USA. They were no longer competitive in racing, so they decided to modify them to meet DOT/EPA standards and sell them as 1988 model year bikes.

They put the wide mirrors on them, dual exhaust with different belly pan, K&N air filters, and other modifications to meet the standards.

If you look at your bike, you can see the USA emissions and DOT compliance stickers that were installed on the right side of the fuel tank and frame tube. These stickers would not have been installed on a Japanese spec bike. A Japanese spec bike also doesn't have a 17 digit VIN number as a USA bike would.

Since the bikes were imported into the USA as 1986 race bikes with multiple stickers on them stating that they were for off-road race use only, they could not be sold as street legal bikes with the original VIN number that were stamped on the headstock tube. Ducati welded on plates with new 1988 (letter "J" in the 10th digit) model year VIN numbers over the original VIN numbers and then painted them with a red paint that didn't quite match the original frame paint.

If you look at the photo below you can see part of the original numbers stamped on the headstock tube under the new VIN plate:

Your bike looks nice. And it looks to me like an S model.

I think all that MotoBee said is correct. I am the original owner of a 1988 750-F1S. It has the same plate welded over the original F1B vehicle identification number and the same DOT frame stickers.

Other information is the "S" model was sort of a homolagation model for AMA racing in USA. The AMA changed the rules for Pro-Twins GP1 & GP2 classes to GP & Modified Production classes. In the late 1980's the F1's ran mainly in the GP2 and Modified Production class. Since it was supposed to be a street bike availalbe to the public, Cagiva North America took unsold 1986 B models and converted them to 1988 S models, making the required 50 street legal bikes (or 150 bikes sorry I can't remember) required for homologation. But eventually it did not matter because the AMA ruled that previous A and B models were essentially the same as the S and allowed all of them to race in the new Pro-Twins Modified Production class.

For your reference, my VIN stamped on the plate (welded over the original VIN) is ZDM1AA3LXJB751811.
There was a tag rivited to the frame which was printed ZDM750R/2 & DGM51787EST01.
The engine number is DA3J7502213.

From these numbers and the fact that it has a Kokusan ignition, according to Ian Falloon's book "Ducati Belt-Drive Two-Valve Twins" page 203, I believe my bike was one of 50 made in 1986 what Ian called F1 Code 06700730.

You could compare the numbers on your bike with mine and also look in Ian's book which is a good reference. Most people didn't like the dual-seat and dual-exhaust of the S model compared to the B model. But after I retired my S model from racing it was amazing how many miles my wife rode on the back while street riding around the western hills of Massachusetts. (She's a small girl)

I asked Ian Falloon about this and he confirmed the same... except that he was at pains to point out that the terms F1-A and F1-B were never used by the factory.

Max, if your headlamp (still) dips to the right that would confirm the bike started out life in the USA.

Cheers,
MikeA

Thanks all, my bike does have the new 17 digit VIN and must be one of the 50 'S' bikes, but the headlight does dip left. I guess a fastidious owner might change the headlight. I understand there are quite a few twin muffler F1's in japan with km/h speedos, it would be good to know what did happen here.

Regards