What is it worth- in the USA?

[mongo]

Got my title from my uncle, my bike is a 65, model 250 D 3 according to the tag on the headstock, and is mostly original. Needs some rotten wiring replaced, and chrome cleaned up. Rear fender appears to have been bobbed. Runs, and rides fine.

Not looking to sell, decided I'm going to clean it up and put the original tank back on, not looking to restore it, just preserve it in as original condition as possible. Haven't seen another for sale, so trying to gauge it's value before getting an appraisal.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" Haven't seen another for sale, so trying to gauge it's value before getting an appraisal. "

____ I've seen 250Mark-3 models sell on eBay a fair number of times !
In running-condition with all original-model parts installed (along with a stock-tank), they've most always sold for over 2500-USd. _ And I believe their record-price on eBay (for a well restored 1966-version), is close to $8000.
(Keep in mind that with most all eBay-auctions, that there's a considerable amount of what I call "Ebay-Luck" ! _ Which is when a number of varied factors come-together to cause either a great end-price, or, a relative "flop" .
__ Did you or your uncle have any idea of that?


Mk3 DUKE-Cheers,
-Bob

[mongo]

Not really, as when I first asked to buy it from him the only other one I found for sale was a basket case for $100 (complete, and completely disassembled.)

Duc 250's in general, mostly Monza's, were all over the map over the years, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand. I've owned and restored a few British bikes over the years and have a good feel for the value. For instance, my 71 Triumph Trophy 650 in 90% original condition could get about $2000 to $2500, it has actually dropped about $500 with the soft market in this area.

Once I have it cleaned up I intend to insure it for collector value, but with no base idea of it's worth I would have no idea if the appraiser is accurate or not. (A friend lost a great deal of money due to an undervalued appraisal on an Ariel Square Four.)

All that, and it's nice to have a figure in mind when an onlooker asks the inevitable "What's it worth?"

[Teckhardt]

All that, and it's nice to have a figure in mind when an onlooker asks the inevitable "What's it worth?"

It's priceless. Got cash?

[Thevin]

just the Tach "set up" is worth $500 and then the carb is worth at least $200, give or take, I think I bought mine a couple years back for $1600, not in as good of shape.....

[JimF]

I hesitate to suggest to anyone the value of their bike for fear of saying a number that's lower than expected and turning a potential friend into a solid enemy.

Keep in mind this is my opinion only! Worth exactly what you are paying for it - nothing!

I would guess in today's poor market that your bike would fetch $2500 give or take $500 on eBay. As was mentioned already, the current economic climate is poor and that has softened the buying power of Americans looking to get into vintage motorcycles.

There are some great positives about your bike; the tach, tach bracket and tach drive are a pricey combination. You knew that from a previous post. Same for the carb if it's a SSI29, maybe a little less so if it's a SSI27. So from a parts standpoint you have a small treasure chest. When the economy was booming some bikes were worth more in parts than as a whole. I recall a Mach1 in New York that didn't meet reserve and was sold off in pieces...

Your engine runs - that's worth something. I think in another post you might have indicated that the engine lacks an M3 or M1 suffix, so that means the cam is probably not as lumpy and the valves not as big. That could be a small negative.

I don't recall any factory paint like what your bike is wearing - paint can be pricey. Is that rear fender bobbed? If so, that can be a negative.

Everything besides maybe the paint and rear fender looks original, and that's a huge plus to anyone looking to buy.

I don't think you are of a mind to sell the bike which is good, give the economy some recovery time and the value will climb regardless if you don't do a thing to it.

The jury is way out on which is better; a restored bike or an original bike - and I don't want to start a war on which is better. I think both are equally good. Some bikes are locked-up lumps of metal with rust holes in tanks and are almost worthless unless restored. Some bikes are runners and the patina from summers decades ago adds authenticity and to many people value.

What seems to be pretty true under normal economic conditions is that whatever you might sell the Ducati for, in a matter of a few short months you would almost certainly not be able to take that same amount of money and afford something similar to what you had.

The longer you hang on to it the more it will be worth, and the more fun you can bank into your life experience in the meantime.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

This is actually not at all a reply-post to Jim's post, I've just merely added some of his words to lead-into my thoughts which his words have inspired. .....


" I recall a Mach1 in New York that didn't meet reserve and was sold off in pieces... "

____ That simply had to have been done by somebody with no heart and/or didn't have the sense to know any better !!
What a terribly incredible waste to spend the labor to reduce the most desirable & rarest std.production DUKE-model of all, down into it's mere parts ! _ There's no way that all it's parts could've been worth any-where near the value of the complete M1-DUKE !
What a very GREAT-SHAME !
__ However such an occurrence does still have a Silver-Lining of sorts for all other remaining M-1 owners ! ... As there's now one less Mach-1, thus making their's even more rare & valuable !


" I think in another post you might have indicated that the engine lacks an M3 or M1 suffix, so that means the cam is probably not as lumpy and the valves not as big. "

____ I know that the early Mark-3s didn't have the 'M3' added to them, and I believe that Ducati started adding the 'M3' & 'M1' sometime after the Mach-1 started production for 1965,, cuz even 1965-Mark3s which were the first to employ the larger valves, didn't come with the added 'M3' stamping.
And while both the 1965 Mk3 & M-1 models shared the same cyl.head & head-parts,,
even though their shared 1965 (M-1) camshaft is indeed slightly hotter than the original Mk3-cam, that earlier M3-cam actually appears to be the most "lumpy" looking of the two, (as well as also when compared to all other std.production springer-cams besides) !


DUKE-Cheers,
-Bob

[mongo]

Definitely NOT for sale, but need a guesstimate for insurance purposes.


The tank is not original, the original tank has been stored at my mother's since 1967- still looks new aside from some dust.

The value to me is priceless, it's the very first motorcycle I ever rode on. I was 6 yrs old at the time....

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" the original tank has been stored at my mother's since 1967- still looks new aside from some dust. "

____ Funny-thing about the original Mk3/GT/M-1 fuel-tank,
back in the day, it wasn't much considered to be a great looking tank to have on a DUKE ! _ It was then thought to be way too big & bulbous looking for small cycles -(or "bikes" as the young'uns say these days).
Have you asked your uncle why HE switched the tanks?
But these days, that stock-tank is very highly desired and also quite important to the value of an old Mark-3 ! _ I'd say that in the condition it ought to be in (after storing that way for so long), that it should be worth at least 500-bucks, (and maybe as high as a thousand).


Lucky-Cheers,
-Bob

[mongo]

Well, the story goes he switched tanks because the original leaked....... must have sealed itself up in the attic over 40 years....doesn't leak now.


I think he swapped tanks cuz the peanut tank was cooler....