In 2006, Ducati launched the 749 Dark, a fully faired sports machine that debuted in 2003 alongside the base model. Over its production period, the Ducati 749 Dark version offered the exact visual, technical, and performance specifications without any significant modifications.
Compared to the base 749 models, the Dark version featured a blacked-out full fairing, graphite grey-finished frame and wheels, and black rider and passenger seats. Besides that, the bike was identical to the base model.
The Ducati 749 Dark was fitted with standard features, such as a full fairing with vertically-stacked small round headlights, a small windscreen, a two-piece dual seat, an exhaust system mounted under the seat, and Y-shaped 10-spoke lightweight wheels.
The wheels were managed by a 43 mm fully adjustable USD Showa fork and two 320 mm discs paired to four-piston calipers on the front. The rear wheel was operated by a fully adjustable Showa shock absorber and a 245 mm disc squeezed by a dual-piston caliper.
In the performance department, the 2006 Ducati 749 Dark had installed a 748cc four-stroke liquid-cooled V-twin engine fed by an electronically-controlled fuel injection system. As for the power figures, the bike delivered 107 hp at 9,500 rpm and 81 Nm (60 lb-ft) torque at 8,500 rpm.
The engine worked in tandem with a six-speed manual transmission with a hydraulic dry multi-plate clutch that spun the rear wheel through a final chain drive, launching the machine to 240 kph (149 mph).