A friend called me this morning ans said he found an 88 Paso 750 for $1200. Being the collector of all bikes I lusted after when I was young and broke I told him to bring it by and bought it (more specifically because my motorcycle riding wife thought it was "cute")
The bike's a little tattered and dishevled and I don't like things in this state.

I've been doing customs and rebuilds for over 20 years (18 for a living). I'd like to know the level of difficulty in acquiring parts etc. I'm good with a wrench, airbrush, paint gun, tig welder, and just about any other device associated with repairing or making shiny motorcycles. I also know that I know nothing about Ducatis and what a money pit things you don't know about can turn into, in fact I wrote an Ebook called "Sh*t-box to Show Bike" that had three chapters on intelligently evaluating a potential project. Now I'm following my own advice and asking (I hope) the right people.

I'd like some input,Please. I have all the time in the world as we have 14 or so working bikes to use while the thing is being sorted.

PS. There's a dude on ebay at the moment that claims there were only 150 paso's in '88, is that true?

Thanks in advance

Hi,

that information is true and not true, depending on the way you put it.
According to Ian Fallon 560 were built in 1988 of which 155 were blue. This was the last year of production.
viewtopic.php?t=187

If you can do a lot by yourself the Paso is not a money pit. No longer available are parts like the instrument cluster cover, the rear light lens (at least the Euro light, not sure about the compltete red US version), clutch cover, mirrors or new tires. You`ll find a lot of info on tires here and all parts needed that your dealer doesn`t have will pop up on ebay sooner or later.

G.

It can be a money pit if you have no skills, which it sounds like you have plenty of. If you read thru the FAQ at the top of the page you will see most of what bothers the Paso.

2 biggies will stand out:

The Weber carb, if it still there is generally thought of as crap. The easy upgrade is Dellorto carbs or some Mikuni's from a 750 monster. You will need manifolds and cables.

The elctrics are crap also and need rewiring. It's an easy task and will resolve many problems from poor running at idle to hard starting.

This is the source for info. Keep us updated if you can!