rearranging the garage....

[ducatiz]

Interesting! Then the three dealers I used at the time just never bothered with them.

Yeah, my 1983 TL has a Berliner plate and a 7 digit VIN.  I thought the full length VINs were required on motorcycles after 1981.... 

[Curmudgeon]

Yeah, my 1983 TL has a Berliner plate and a 7 digit VIN.  I thought the full length VINs were required on motorcycles after 1981.... 

Well..., with Berliner, anything is possible.  The place was just a hole-in-the-wall to begin with and was mostly empty unless they had just gotten in 50 - 100 crated bikes. Cosmo in Hatboro was similar, both mom-and-pops.  I can even see a case where Berliner might have just cut a plate for a friend to make DMV easier on a bike which was privately imported. Just one of those mysteries. Reno might recall because he was working there at the time but everybody else is long gone.

[ducatiz]

Well..., with Berliner, anything is possible.  The place was just a hole-in-the-wall to begin with and was mostly empty unless they had just gotten in 50 - 100 crated bikes. Cosmo in Hatboro was similar, both mom-and-pops.  I can even see a case where Berliner might have just cut a plate for a friend to make DMV easier on a bike which was privately imported. Just one of those mysteries. Reno might recall because he was working there at the time but everybody else is long gone.

I got a letter from Ducati for this bike after I got it -- they said it was a US spec bike from the factory.  There you have it...

I needed the letter because the seller had it registered as a 1976 model

[Curmudgeon]

Ya I will have to learn more and talk to some collectors and vintage owners. I think this would be a good investment for my tax return. I could have a lot of fun with one. Thanks for the input and let me know if you come across one for sale.

Good restorations can be sink holes, so I hope you have deep pockets if you want the end result to look anything like this! http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20478.msg959587#msg959587

[ducatiz]

Good restorations can be sink holes, so I hope you have deep pockets if you want the end result to look anything like this! http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20478.msg959587#msg959587

that Mk3 was sitting in DucatiSoho for about a year a long while back.  fully restored bike, beautiful.  i was there when the owner/seller came in and cranked it up out front once..  nice roar from a little scooter

[Curmudgeon]

Interesting. Did it have a VA antique plate on it then too? Did watch the owner ride it away. Sounded OK. Nothing like my fully faired 1965 Works factory road racer which ran with only a tail/brake light and a PA plate but nothing else!  Somehow never DID get pulled..., which was a miracle. (Frank Kiss who raced Triumphs bought it from me 6 months later when I bought an R26 for long distance. You do crazy stuff when you're 19.  )

[ducatiz]

No plate that I remember. 

[Monsterlover]

Nice collection.

When American Pickers come to your place, please post pics

[ducatiz]

Nice collection.

When American Pickers come to your place, please post pics

My wife is a devotee of zen/feng shui.  We have 1 TV in the house, no coffee or end tables.  She won't go into the garage because it wigs her out.

On the other hand, my garage is a vintage Ducati goldmine.