significance of date stamp under seat?

[Marky]

Does anyone know the significance of the date stamp in white on the underside of the seat? To the left of the toolkit holder.

I only noticed it on my M600 today when I had the seat off to fill up Scottoiler. It said 13 DIC 99, i.e. 13 Dicembre 1999, obviously 13 December in English. My M600 is a 2000 model.

I assumed it was the date the seat was made. If so then then why hasn't every part of the bike got a date stamp on it? Curiosity got the better of me and I checked the underside of the M1000 seat. It too has a date stamp in white, 19 GEN 04. January in Italian is Gennaio. My M1000 is a 2004 model.

Both seats are identical, indeed I tried my 2000 M600 seat on the 2004 M1000 and it fitted perfectly and vica versa. Which is why I don't think it's related to when the seat was made.

Could it be the date is when a Monster left the Bologna factory? The last thing I'd have thought a Ducati engineer does just before he/she gives the bike a quick test ride around the factory car park is to bung in the toolkit. Do they then stamp the date on the underside of the seat?

Anyone have any ideas on the date stamp?
Cheers!
Marky

[Mr Cake]

Its the date of manufacture and there are dates all over the bike if you look around (fuel tank, etc...). My M750 was registered in 2001 but is a 2000 bike.

Dave

[PaulS]

I bought a second seat for my bike and that has a date stamp on it so it can't be when the bike left the factory as it didn't leave the factory on a bike. I would go along with date of manufacture of the seat