This Ducati Supersport 600 Facebook Advert is Genius

I have a confession to make - I spend quite a lot of my free time looking at cheap, old Ducati motorcycles I really ought not to buy on Facebook marketplace. The latest one I’ve come across has me reaching for my wallet like never before, and not just because this Supersport 600 looks surprisingly brilliant in black instead of the de rigueur red. No - it’s because the advert is very persuasive, and also bloody funny. 

I’m used to Facebook Marketplace adverts having all of a handful of words. Sometimes just one, like ‘yellow’. This guy, however, has gone to the trouble of writing over 400 words on his pride and joy. And each and every word is worth reading. 

“Ah Ducati. The name alone conjures images of soulful, expensive and exotic race-winning machines, red flashes of beautifully hand-crafted motorcycles being thrown headlong up the mountain passes of the Dolomites at terrifying speed,” is the strong opening. 

It continues: “Except, you’re in London, on the A12, in the rain and you’re late for your office job.  And you’re riding a Ducati 600ss, not a 900. Or even a 750. It’s also the wrong colour. ‘Christ!’ you think: ‘I should’ve bought a Gladius.’”

“And yet, as you peer out of your fogging visor, you admire the beautiful Veglia dials, the shapely tank stretching out in front of you, you begin to crack a smile against the damp chill of midwinter. 

“Then: you hear the basso profundo of that timeless L-twin echoing down the Blackwall tunnel as the induction noise from that pair of Mikuni BDST38s rises in a Verdi crescendo. That’s when you realise you’ve made a choice. A choice to embrace the unorthodox, to be a brilliant spark of continental sophistication, elegantly scything through the rush hour drudgery.”

It goes on further, but we’d urge you to go over and read the advert in its entirety, as it’s wonderfully crafted. But it’s not all an emotion-led sales pitch to convince you that, yes, you do want a Ducati Supersport with all of 53bhp in the “wrong colour” (for the record, I’m rather partial to the black) - we get all the key info as well. And as mentioned, that’s hardly a given in Facebook marketplace. 

We’re told it’s a cat N write-off, the only damage that consigned it to such a fate limited to “smashed fairings”. The advert also states that the crucial belt change for the dinky, air-cooled V/L-twin was done at 26,000 miles, and the bike’s done just 2,000 miles since then. It’s had oil changes every 2,000 miles along with a whole host of fresh parts including brack pads, a fuel pump and front and rear sprockets. 

And it really is ready to go for London commuting, as it’s ULEZ exempt  - a Supersport 600 wouldn’t normally be, so presumably the work to clean up its emissions to avoid the £12.50 charge has been done. 

The price for all this is £1,500, which seems pretty fair for a Cat N Supersport 600 with what’s described as “rough and ready” paint finish. Please buy it before I do. 

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