Just to get back on topic, my '97 748 has been very reliable... Used to ride it a ton, now it sits a lot, but still starts up every time. THere are two problem areas that fortunately are cheaply fixed. 1. The clutch slave cylinder tends to leak. There is a back-date o-ring to fix this. 2) The Voltage regulator tends to go bad. THere is an aftermarket one for this, but I think Ducati may have rectified (pun intended) this (and the slave seal) in later models...
Get yellow though.
Chris