I’ve never cared for the styling of the Ducati Paso and I don’t think what I’m showing you today is any better…but it’s definitely interesting enough that I had to share it!
Before Ducati had any of their own dealerships in Japan, the official importer was Murayama Motors (who also imported Laverdas and other specialty bikes). You may have seen the yellow “double M” Murayama logo on some Ducatis in the past, like on this Ducati 400 F3 (a JDM-specific baby brother to the 750 F1) that we’ll be auctioning off on Iconic Motorbikes soon:
In addition to importing and selling some cool Italians, Murayama would also create their own customs – like this Laverda that I’ve featured in the past. With the Paso 750, they created a run of nine (one was based on a 906), each with different liveries and some small individual tweaks, and they officially called it the “F750 Murayama Special”:
As far as I can tell, no changes were made to the frame or engine. The bodywork is obviously different, and one of the coolest parts is an opening in the aluminum tank which lets the rider better hear the intake noise of the Weber carburetion! There’s not much information about these online, but here’s a blog from someone who owned one for seven years (you’ll need to have your translator on). I wish I could find a better photo of the opening but this is all I’ve got for now:
Photo from https://ameblo.jp/ducati750/entry-10064290229.html?frm=theme
This example has 11,120 kilometers (6,909 miles) on the odometer and the yellow/blue livery is…a choice. There’s a few decals and a Rennsport dual exhaust as well. The running condition is unknown but this is being offered by my buddy Adam over at SODO Moto – he imports interesting cars/bikes from Japan all the time and can help get a Washington state title to transfer in your name (as long as you’re not in California). The bike is currently in Japan but he brings it over in a container for $1,500 plus import/customs fees and the title’s another $500 or so.
Find this custom Paso for sale in Japan (but it’s headed to the US) for $17,500 (plus the costs mentioned above) here at SODO Moto.