All motorcycles are meant to be ridden and some are meant to be kept, but for this Paul Smart Edition Ducati from 2006, it became a bit of both. It appeared on Bring a Trailer a while back, and it was officially sold on August 16, 2023, for the hefty sum of $19,250 USD.
What makes this sale so special is that the Paul Smart 1000LE is one of just 2,000 examples built by Ducati. Made to commemorate Paul Smart’s victory at Imola in 1972, it’s one collector piece that an avid collector will definitely keep in pristine condition. One such example ended up selling for 42 and a half big ones, $42,500 USD, and that particular piece had only two miles on the clock.
With the rarity of this piece, it may be more surprising to see that the listed unit on Bring a Trailer had way more than two miles on it, try close to 20,000 miles. With a bike as limited as this, and as special as this, it’s quite refreshing to see one with a lot of miles on it. Ducati’s are some of the best-riding motorcycles on the planet after all, and the previous owners did not hesitate to rack up the odometer.
Gallery: 19,000-mile Ducati Paul Smart 1000LE - Bring a Trailer
To be precise, this bike has 19,000 miles on it, just about. The last owner of this bike acquired it in 2023. It was definitely a group effort to get the bike up to its current mileage as the seller only tracked about 100 miles on it before he decided to list it on Bring a Trailer. Still, it seems well-maintained with an oil change and battery replacement conducted in January 2023. The valves were last adjusted in 2015, the brake fluid was flushed and replaced under the last owner, and the timing belts were changed in June 2023.
It’s powered by a 992cc Desmodromic L-twin engine mated to a six-speed transmission, and finished in silver over a green trellis frame, fueled by Marelli electronic fuel injection, muffled by Termignoni damped by Öhlins, brake discs clamped by Brembo, and alloy rims that roll with wire spokes.
In terms of condition, the bike has definitely seen some wear. Fitting, as 19,000 miles will do that to any motorcycle, though the complete manufacturer-provided literature remains intact as well as the three keys, and the bike’s original tool kit.
As for the final sale price, we’re looking at almost 20 grand. Bring a Trailer listed the final sale price at $19,250 USD, which is still a hefty price tag for a bike that has seen a lot of action.
