If there was ever a bike ahead of its time, it was the Ducati SportClassic. There were several versions, all built around the air-cooled Desmodue 992 cc engine, starting with the Paul Smart Limited Edition and Sport 1000 ‘monoposto’ that went on sale in 2006.
In 2007 these were followed by the more comfort-oriented twin-shock GT1000, and the Sport 1000 was updated to ‘biposto’ format with a cowl covering a padded seat for a passenger.
Handling was good, especially on the Paul Smart—which had fully adjustable suspension and a higher level of specs. The classic café racer styling was on point too, but too far ahead of the curve.
Just over 13,000 SportClassics were built before Ducati closed down the production line. A few years later, the café racer trend was in full swing—and today, the bikes are highly sought after on the used market.
Planning to tackle the Dakar Rally? The 2026 KTM 450 Rally Replica has you covered. If modern café racers are more your thing, we have a Honda CB550 from The Netherlands and a Ducati SportClassic from Australia to sate that appetite.
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As a photographer, I’m always looking for strange and obscure things to shoot. I’d heard about this place in Brooklyn called Jane – a shop that had custom motorcycles, specialty coffee, and apparel – and as a moto enthusiast, I had to check it out. What I found inside was one of the most interesting…
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The Ducati SportClassic is the most beautiful motorcycle that the Italian marque no longer makes. It remains the benchmark for modern factory café racers, and it’s easily one of designer Pierre Terblanche’s biggest hits. But what if Ducati brought the SportClassic back—this time with proper superbike power? When it hit the scene back in 03,…
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The Ducati SportClassic range is universally adored, but some SportClassic models get more love than others. The limited edition, Öhlins-equipped Paul Smart is the pick of the bunch—provided you have deep pockets and can actually find one. At the other end of the spectrum, you’ll find the Ducati SportClassic GT1000. To the uninitiated, the GT1000…
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Like any good factory café racer, the Ducati SportClassic doesn’t beg to be customized. It’s stunning in stock form—and, with a 992…
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Like any proper cult vehicle, the Ducati SportClassic was hugely under-appreciated when it was first released. That’s probably because it was ahead…
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Ducati hit a home run with the GT 1000 as far as we’re concerned. Essentially a factory café racer, it had a…
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For a motorcycle that only sold in small numbers and was produced for just five years, the Ducati SportClassic generates a remarkable…
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The Ducati SportClassic was a bike ahead of its time—a machine that married retro café-style looks with thoroughly modern performance. It’s now…
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A stern test for established custom builders is how they handle the ‘budget’ job. Can they capture the flavor of the mega-buck…
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Way back in April, we showcased possibly the coolest Ducati SportClassic on earth: Chris Gorel’s ThunderDuc, a heavily modified and extremely rapid…
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