Opinions on Ducati 748?

[aruhsv]

hi all looking at trading up to a ducati,looking at a 2000 748,anyone have one or ridden one have heard they not vey comfy to ride,handle well but hard on the back

[idleidolidyll]

you forgot an important one: expensive to maintain

go for a long ride before you even consider this idea, at least 100kms preferably 200km

[MsKABC]

A wise man once said...


A 748 is like admitting you couldn't afford a 996/998, and are totally fine with 600's giving you the learn - but hey, at least you look cool. It's a nice handling bike, but opening the throttle is a disappointment... The 848 on the other hand, better power to weight than a 999...

[tz tony]

Nice bikes, I agree about servicing, and yes not the most comfortable, Try a 749, not much more money and in some cases less, as they are not as popular.

It goes well, handles great, sounds awesome.

[timetoride]

Nice bikes, I agree about servicing, and yes not the most comfortable, Try a 749, not much more money and in some cases less, as they are not as popular.

It goes well, handles great, sounds awesome.

I agree I rode both and bought a 749 and its fantastic. (its also for sale cos I now want to get an 848) :Punk:

[hayd3n]

yes and the 749 is damm sexi!!

[Bleck K6]

I rode 999,998,749,748. The 998 was by far the best.
The 748 feels really gutless and you have to thrash it to make it move, I liked the 749 more than the 999. Ride them all and see wat you like.

[Marmoot]

To keep the water muddied, make sure you try the 848 before buying. Having tried both 748 and 848, I have to say they're totally different bikes :sunny: .

[mynameis]

748 Nope
749 Yeap ok
Jappa 600 Sensible choice
848 Damn sexy!

[scracha]

hi all looking at trading up to a ducati,looking at a 2000 748,anyone have one or ridden one have heard they not vey comfy to ride,handle well but hard on the back

Had a 748r. Great on the track, not very good on the road.
748s has quite a bit less power.
748 is a bit gutless and has ugly wheels.

Very confidence inspiring, especially in the wet....an old lady could get their knee down on one. Excellent brakes. Spectacularly uncomfortable unless you're 5ft tall. They makes bikes like FZR250's and CBR400's seem like tourers. Avoid riding at night..you won't believe how bad the headlight is.

Avoid 749 & 999, they're ugly, that's why they're often cheaper than a tidy 748/916/998 and as a result will keep depreciating. 998's are stupid money tho'. 749s I rode felt boring and almost Japanese in comparison to the 748. A LOT better in town and comfier though...but that's not the point.

Reliability...aside from some initial niggles mine never missed a beat and AFAIK it's new oner is happily caning the arse out of it in the VMCC winter series. If you can avoid buying OEM parts and do some of the servicing yourself then they're actually pretty cheap to run.

Don't be scared of high KM's either if they're serviced properly.

You gotta own one once IMHO. Criminal to have one without Termi's or equivalent.

Wouldn't consider one as only form of transport though :sunny:

[98tls]

Had a 748r. Great on the track, not very good on the road.
748s has quite a bit less power.
748 is a bit gutless and has ugly wheels.

Very confidence inspiring, especially in the wet....an old lady could get their knee down on one. Excellent brakes. Spectacularly uncomfortable unless you're 5ft tall. They makes bikes like FZR250's and CBR400's seem like tourers. Avoid riding at night..you won't believe how bad the headlight is.

Avoid 749 & 999, they're ugly, that's why they're often cheaper than a tidy 748/916/998 and as a result will keep depreciating. 998's are stupid money tho'. 749s I rode felt boring and almost Japanese in comparison to the 748. A LOT better in town and comfier though...but that's not the point.

Reliability...aside from some initial niggles mine never missed a beat and AFAIK it's new oner is happily caning the arse out of it in the VMCC winter series. If you can avoid buying OEM parts and do some of the servicing yourself then they're actually pretty cheap to run.

Don't be scared of high KM's either if they're serviced properly.

You gotta own one once IMHO. Criminal to have one without Termi's or equivalent.

Wouldn't consider one as only form of transport though :sunny: :gob:Bugger me,bout the best post ive ever read on Kiwi Bicker,nice,well put sir.

[crazzed]

don't un reliable. owned one that had full service history from new. one owner. broke crank with in a month of owning it. buy a japper.

[scracha]

don't un reliable. owned one that had full service history from new. one owner. broke crank with in a month of owning it. buy a japper.

I can't comment on stock 748. I think from 2001 the 748s used the SPS motor. I know early 748's/916's had lots of problems. Suggest contacting Flame (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/member.php?u=2173) as she's a walking Ducati bible.

[limbimtimwim]

A 748 is a great bike. Just understand it's a bit old-school.

A 749*S* is, in my opinion a better bike, I miss mine :(. More than my 999 I smashed into a thousand pieces anyway.

[YellowDog]

If it's Red and Shiney - Just buy it and worry about the outrageous running costs later.

[Taz]

Buy a later Japanese 600 or get an adventure bike which is even more betterer.

[scracha]

Buy a later Japanese 600 or get an adventure bike which is even more betterer.

Everyone should try the Ducati ownership experience at least once in their life. There's nothing like bouncing a 748 off the limiter through the gears or the chatter of the clutch or the boom of the termi's when you pass nice young ladies or the backfire when you back off :-)


It build character.

[crazefox]

fucking do it bro:Punk::Punk:

[StoneY]

Im only on my first Ducati ever, a 02 750ss - and love it

Unsure exactly how much the bike your looking at has in common with my own, but mine looks sexy, rides VERY well, and (with the baf's out of the carbon pots) it sounds farkin awesome!!!

If you like it and it rides like you want it to and it sounds good - screw the nay sayers, dude get it you'll never look back:eek:

[2wheeldrifter]

If you like it? it fit's your needs?... then get it dude...
Like Scracha said...
experience the sweetest V-twin sound with the right can's on it and you will never wipe that grin off your face! :yes:

[flame]

748's AWESOME fun bike! but if you can stretch the budget to a 749 then you'll have an even BIGGER smile.

Comfort wise....no probs for me and Im 5'8". If your up around the 6' mark then the 748 might be a bit crammy, the 749 has more room.

[I'm motarded]

Just buy it :niceone:

[Insanity_rules]

Sex on wheels, I had plenty of knockers when I was considering the move but am up to my second duc and they just get better. Just expect attention (I've had many lovely women threaten to play with my man bits once they've seen the bike). Keep it serviced and go hard.

[Kflasher]

hi all looking at trading up to a ducati,looking at a 2000 748,anyone have one or ridden one have heard they not vey comfy to ride,handle well but hard on the back

Yeah all of the above, you will be glad to ride it and glad you tank is only 13lts. Very playful bikes, lots of fun.

[popelli]

hi all looking at trading up to a ducati,looking at a 2000 748,anyone have one or ridden one have heard they not vey comfy to ride,handle well but hard on the back

personally I could never see the point in the 748, why not go and buy its sibbling the 998?

alternatively for a lot less money you could buy a 900SS which has great handling, less extreme riding position, lower maintenance costs, better real world perfomance on the open road - but less kudo's to pose with which is why a lot of people buy ducatis to start with

[748south]

I've just brought a 98 748 in mint condition, love it to bits, I had all the same concerns such as expensive to maintain, not compfy etc but I've got a totally shagged back and it hasnt really bothered me, wrists were sore for the first few rides untill I got used to the possition but to be honest it's not an issue for me. Tons of grunt, sure it's no 996 but I honestly couldnt justify the extra few grand and this has way more power than I will ever need. I fitted Termi carbon cans, geared it down and it has a after market clutch master cyl for easy clutch pull, I was told they were rubbish in town but mine's sweet as.

[scracha]

personally I could never see the point in the 748, why not go and buy its sibbling the 998?

Personally I could never see the point in the 916 I tried, why not go and buy it's sibling the 748. You can't honestly use the torque the 748 has on the road, never mind the 998. Caning the 748 through the gears feels a lot more "involved" I guess. Horses for courses...some people (moi included) prefer smaller engined bikes....it's a bit like the Japanese 4's 600 vs 1000 argument.



alternatively for a lot less money you could buy a 900SS which has great handling, less extreme riding position, lower maintenance costs, better real world perfomance on the open road - but less kudo's to pose with which is why a lot of people buy ducatis to start with
C'mon...I've got a soft spot for the SS' and SL's but 748/916/998 are just gorgeous looking bikes.

[johan]

I've just brought a 98 748 in mint condition, love it to bits, I had all the same concerns such as expensive to maintain, not compfy etc but I've got a totally shagged back and it hasnt really bothered me, wrists were sore for the first few rides untill I got used to the possition but to be honest it's not an issue for me. Tons of grunt, sure it's no 996 but I honestly couldnt justify the extra few grand and this has way more power than I will ever need. I fitted Termi carbon cans, geared it down and it has a after market clutch master cyl for easy clutch pull, I was told they were rubbish in town but mine's sweet as.

Congrats! Lovely bikes for sure!

One thing to look out for is the to make sure the cams and rockers have been checked. It can be an expensive first service if the previous owner skipped that part. (you have to lift the cams to inspect the rockers, a good mechanic will do that)

I've still got my 996's old rockers here beside me as a memory of the old desmo magic :)

[Winston001]

hi all looking at trading up to a ducati,looking at a 2000 748, anyone have one or ridden one have heard they not very comfy to ride, handle well but hard on the back

There are plenty of Ducati models to choose from. Ride a few and get a sense of what is comfortable. The air-cooled ones are cheaper to maintain but the water-cooled engines produce more power.

The Ducati ST4 is an effective way of owning a 916 - they sell for $1000 - 2000 less than the pure 916. I'm biased. :D

Apart from that the DS1000 would do everything you'd ever want.

[748south]

Thanks Johan, i was lucky enough to get 5 years service history with it, so belt, clearences, oils and filter etc have been done so should be all good. First road bike and wow...I love everything about it

[I'm motarded]

Thanks Johan, i was lucky enough to get 5 years service history with it, so belt, clearences, oils and filter etc have been done so should be all good. First road bike and wow...I love everything about it

good score, nice bike congrats

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Well done that man :rockon: