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Hi Folks!
I'm posting this only about 4 years late after telling our fearless leader here that I'd tell all I know about the Paso Limited.
Life does sometimes get in the way and for that, I apologize.
As I'm planning on selling my motorcycle, I thought that this would be a good time to tell the story as I know it.
My Background
During the period 1987 to 1993 I worked for a small Ducati dealer in an Eastern U.S. metropolitan area as a parts and sales person. We had very good communication with Ducati N.A. and it was a great time to be a Ducati guy!
My Paso Limited
I purchased the motorcycle in 1989. Our dealership had negotiated a deal with a finance company who had repossessed it from a failed dealer in the area. I was very lucky to find it.
The battery had leaked all over the swingarm, left foot peg and stock (small-hole) mufflers, that's why the aluminum parts are polished.
I do have the Silentium "big-hole" mufflers that were originally delivered with this bike, however they saw a great deal of service on a race bike owned by the prior dealer and they really look it.
I replaced the mufflers with carbon units from Yoshimura in 1990 (the only available at the time).
And as any good parts guy would do, I started to dig into the microfiche to see just what was different between a Limited and a Standard Paso.
What Makes a Limited a "Limited"
I'll start by saying that, in my humble opinion, the Paso Limited is the single most rare "Customer" Ducati produced in that period, or any since.
It is a U.S.A only model, made in numbers between 25 and 75, with extensive engine modifications not seen on any other model, including the legendary F-1 Montjuich and Santa Monica.
The mechanical differences include:
1) Ported Cylinder Heads
- Including special tapered Valve Guides
2) Flat-top Pistons (same compression ratio) allowing unique Combustion Chamber
3) 40mm Exhaust Header
4) Special "Off-Road Only" Silentium Silencers
5) Different Spec Webber Carb
This can be verified by looking at the Ducati Microfiche for "1988 U.S.A. Model Paso" This will list the separate part numbers for:
1) Cylinder Head, complete and bare
2) Valve Guides
3) Pistons
4) Carburator, complete and bare body
5) Exhaust System
Of course, we disassembled the motorcycle to verify what the rumors and parts microfiche were showing. In fact they were correct!
Here's a picture of the intake tract:
You'll note the tapered guides. It is difficult, however to judge the size of the intake port without something to compare it to.
The Mystery
So why were these modifications not more widely published and why was the Limited imported?
There my friends, lies the true mystery.
During the time, the Limited was sold as a "Special" by virtue of it's color and exhaust modifications. There was never a mention in official literature of the extensive engine modifications. However, rumors circulated among dealers and enthusiasts as to the true extent of the changes.
In fact, the 40mm exhaust is stamped with what I recall is the number for the Standard Paso part. Perhaps someone here could confirm this..?
The Number is also seen here along with the "Dimple" to clear the rear shock'
Very odd, indeed...
I asked a famous US tuner (Reno Leoni) at the first WDW what the story was. He seemed reluctant to comment other than to say that the concept was designed to provide Jimmy Adamo with a production based machine to race in U.S. Battle of the Twins Competition. Apparently they found the F-1 to be more suitable and the Race Paso concept was dropped.
Another oddity I have seen is a 1988, Pearl White Paso in Standard Spec. without "Limited" badging and also a 1988, Pearl White Paso in Standard Spec. with "limited" badging placed over the clear-coat.
So in relation to production numbers, I believe that the "Under 75" number we were told at the time was for the entire production in Pearl White, and that a far smaller number of true "Limited" Paso's were produced.
I suspect that the true Limited motorcycles were imported in containers with the similar, but not the same, motorcycles and perhaps were not really, you know, "exactly" compliant with U.S. DOT and EPA regulations of the time.
An official "Gray Market" race special, perhaps?
The Ducati of the late 1980's is not the same company of today, and the same is true with Ducati N.A., so we may never know the true story. But I've told all I know and can now move on with a clear concience.
Oh, and this in response to another post I saw here
The flywheel on a "limited" is the same as a Standard Paso. The lighter flywheel offered in the "Paso Performance Kit" was from the F-1 Montjuich.
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