I've never done it with my Ducatis (my work Harley, however, is another story), but the guy I sold my 900SS did it...in my garage.
I detailed the bike and it did look fantastic. I staged it in the garage so that when he arrived, I would open the garage door and there she would be, at the perfect viewing angle, and positioned so the lights would hit it just right. It worked. He was drooling! He said he had looked all over the southwest for that model 900SS in a meticulously cared for condition, with no luck. Under my watchful eye, he sat on it, started it, and gave it a once- and twice-over with a critical eye. He loved it. He ran to the bank to get the rest of the money, and handed me the stack of bills upon his return. He returned to fawning over the bike as I counted the money. I no sooner said, "Yep, it's all there", and I heard the crash from behind me! I spun around, and there was my beauty laying on her left side! The sound of the broken clutch lever skittering across the smooth concrete floor echoed in the garage. The poor bastard was a little guy, and was immediately up and straining to lift the bike. My wife, who had come into the garage to witness the transaction, snatched up the stack of cash and disappeared into the house. Good girl.
The guy was choking back the tears. He had known about the auto-retracting side stand, but had momentarily forgot about it in his giddiness. He went to lean it back onto the side stand that was no longer there, and...well, you know. I wanted to rip his head off for dropping my bike at first, but then remembered he had already paid me. He had dropped his bike, not mine!
I'm sure he had a looong drive back to Texas. But, he sent me an e-mail a few weeks later saying he had replaced the broken turn signal and clutch lever, buffed out the scratches, and it was as if it had never happened.
Hearing his love for his machine that was my love for several years consoled me. I had sold her, but it was going to be okay.
