The bike sports the Lucky Explorer livery but it is NOT an Elefant 900ie – its original colour was dark blue and it was painted in its current colours around 2019. Even though this was a professionally done paint job, the bike does look a bit tatty so to speak, due to having been parked outside (under covers).

The odometer shows 36,300 km and has done so for the last few years due to a faulty cable which I stopped trying to fix after having done so twice. My mechanic decided to put it on the MOT as having 36,300 miles at the moment, and the reality is probably somewhere in-between 36K km and 36K miles.

This bike is propelled by the 904cc Ducati SS engine fed by a pair of BDST38 Mikunis. The engine has been meticulously maintained since I bought the bike in 2017, including 2x belt services and one bottom-end rebuild in this time-period. The last belt service was done in early 2025, approx 1,000m ago.

We’ll start with the cons:
- odometer and speedo not working as stated above
- tyres at the end of their cycle (the bike is still in regular use and I aim to replace tyres soon w/ Mitas Enduro Trail)
- paintjob and decals not pristine anymore
- tail lights/indicators and plate holder not original
- front indicators not original (these and the above were swapped for aftermarket units by the previous owner and I never got to replacing them with the originals)
- seat cover not original anymore, but a decent reupholstering done locally
- front forks needing replacement. This is really the main piece of work the bike needs doing soon. The forks are tired and I haven’t figured out a replacement solution yet (there are options, such as potentially a KTM 690adv full front-end as an alternative). Any work here would probably need to be looked at from the perspective of future-proofing the bike if the intention is to use it regularly, as it has been these last 10 years. Trying to get an original replacement will be difficult.
- the fuse box cover and dash cover were damaged in an unsuccessful theft attempt a few years ago and never replaced.

The pros:
- full and extensive service history since I bought and imported the bike. Receipts for every trip to the mechanics are present.
- mechanical maintenance done regardless of cost or issue (and to be fair, the bike is not that expensive to run)
- emulsion tubes replaced in the Mikunis a couple of years ago (this is a known issue for the carb’d version of this engine)
- bike sounds amazing and pulls very well at any gear
- rear sprocket replaced for a slightly ‘taller’ gearing to bring the revs down a bit at high speeds (done in 2017)
- aftermarket exhaust installed, but the original is present and is included in the sale of the bike
- the bike has been run all these years, it’s not a ‘garage-queen’, but obviously that shows in its not-concours condition. Only E5 goes in its tank.

This bike is one of very few remaining registered and running of the big Elefants in the UK. I’m probably running out of steam now to keep up with its maintenance, and the bike would benefit from at least being parked in a garage – something I cannot provide for the bike.

There are fewer and fewer of these around, both in the UK and in Europe, so it’s difficult to put a price on it. I’m open to sensible offers, though no swaps please.