Cheap Ducati wanted

[wolf.47]

Got my full licence today. :done:
Want to upgrade my little cruiser and have been eyeing up some ducatis and triumphs. My budget is 6k-7k.
What do you KB think of the older used ducatis, i need a fairly reliable bike (will be ridden most days)
I like the V-twin powered bikes the torque and sound awesome :Punk:
Want some thing around the 600cc rating.
Do they cost heaps to insure (im 23-24)
Or Would i be better of with another japper bike, nothing against em' just like the euro/american stuff better.
Need to get out there for some test rides i Think. :scooter:
Your advise is appreciated.

[Paulus]

Get yourself an SV650. Ducatis are expensive to maintain.

[MVnut]

No such thing as a cheap Ducati mate, some are just less expensive than others. If I were you I would want 2-3000 more in my budget if I was Duke-shopping, but in saying that, they are great bikes and I hope you find one. Try to get one with a good service history.:beer:

[yod]

suzuki sv650

kwaka er-6f/n

trx 850 might be a good option, they sound awesome and are very nimble and relatively light, heeeeaps of torque

[bounce]

hardly unbiased but...

...oh look. a 900SS good price too :yes:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=139729071

Seriously though, the SS was my first big bike and completely reliable although it isnt really that old. Not too bad to insure either since they figure you won't want to throw it down the road I guess. Kiwibike is $650 per year for me including track day cover (which I havn't taken advantage of) and I'm only a little older than you.

My commute is real short these days and the 900 takes a while to warm up + is a little heavy for carving through the queues in town etc so I;'m downsizing. Send me a PM if you want to know anything (even without a view to buying as well of course :niceone:)

[98tls]

The above SS looks nice,SV650 is another good option as well,the way SV1000s are depreciating hang in there for a few months and you will get one for that money.

[bigbad]

Parts are a little bit expensive comapred to the Jappas. They need more TLC as well.

[orangeback]

Get yourself an SV650. Ducatis are expensive to maintain.
i second that , and i own a ducati

[johan]

I've got one for you here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1421987#post1421987

[JimO]

I've got one for you here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1421987#post1421987

so you are willing to take 6 to 7 k:Pokey:

[Bullitt]

I bought my 600SS for less than your budget. Over 8,000ks and 6 months its been totally reliable other than consumables such as tyres/brake pads etc.

Im 24 and pay $450 for full cover, itll drop to $390 in a couple of months when I turn 25.

Of the couple of parts Ive had to buy (because they were broken when I bought it, not cause anything has gone wrong) Ive been amazed how cheap parts are for them. The downside is it took MotoMart forever to get them in and their serviced pissed me off enough that I only go there when I really have to.

Its probably the slowest 600cc sportsbike you can buy but they handle well and are really easy to ride. As well as sounding great.

It wont keep up with an SV650 in a straight line but I would recommend one to anyone.

[jimbo]

Dukes are awesome to ride,as are Trx yammys,If you go the Duke way a good service history is essential,Happy hunting:rockon:

[Hillbilly]

If nobody's told you, they need a major service every 10,000km's. with 23,000 kms I'd have to add an extra $1k for the service. Then there's insurance. It's not so much the parts, but the labour as it can take up to 9 hours to service those Desmo valves. Now, would I buy one? :yes:

For a little more, see if you can find a '01 - '03 620 Sport. They're rare though.

PIC 1: 1998 Ducati 600 SuperSport - yellow

PIC 2: 2003 Ducati 620 Sport - Red

Note: The seat height for the 600SS is 770mm while the 620 Sport is 815mm

[wolf.47]

Thanks for the advice, bullitt who have you got your bike insured with.
The service part dosn't bother me to much, im doing a motorbike mechanic course so could do most things myself hopefully. :crazy:
Will be keen on taking a sv650 for a test hoon.
Have seen a few of them 600 supersports around (trademe) they look good, if i do go for one i'll definitely check the service history.
Think i'll have a beer and ponder :beer::sherlock:
Any other thoughts.

[lanci]

I bought a Monster 620 and have just completed the 10,000km service today. It set me back $680 but it's only every 10K so I'm not too bothered. Insurance for me is $600ish a year.

I reckon that the Monster 695 or 620 is a great step, not giving anything too much away on performance to the SV (695 may even be quicker) and you also get to be a little class'ier/poser'ish, sound better and have more people talk bikes with you when you stop. Go the Ducati mate, you won't regret it if you buy a good history one :niceone:

[lanci]

Has anyone ridden an SV and a Monster? What handles better/feels nicer?

[SixPackBack]

Has anyone ridden an SV and a Monster? What handles better/feels nicer?

Ridden a 'sorted' SV650 and owned a 750 Monster.

Monster wins by a margin.

As a contrast the SV1000 naked and sports while having a heap of straight line grunt are IMHO well behind a Monster/SS900/1000 in the handling stakes.

Ducati feels far more planted, flickable and confidence inspiring. Down side is maintenance cost and odd riding position on some Monsters.

By and large Ducatis are a reliable bike, but more expensive to maintain.

To be honest I still think about my Monster all the time, even after owning three new Jappa's over 750cc. Monsters are a special bikes that's for sure.

[JimO]

To be honest I still think about my Monster all the time

[McJim]

I found parts for a 10 year old 600cc Ducati were much cheaper than parts for a 250cc Honda. The service interval on the Ducati is 10,000km the service interval on the Honda was 6,000km.

The myth about Ducati reliability starts and ends in the 80s.

I won't buy Japanese ever again.

I bought a 1998 600ss for a little over $6,000 insurance is cheap coz it's not balls to the wall performance and generally the kind of person that buys a 600cc Ducati doesn't tend to be the kind of rider that rides like the Kalamari Kid therefore they are less crashed and insurance premiums are lower.

[DUCATI*HARD]

DUCATI HARD!!!:headbang:

[98tls]

Was lucky enough to have an old man who after owning/restoring/modding many English offerings went on to first an 860 then a 78 900 SS followed by an 80 900 SS,the years went by and still enthused by the sound of bevel driven,conti barking Ducs i bought a later model one minus the character,sold it quickly and ridden Jappas ever since.Strange as it may sound when i venture out to the real world and ride real roads on real everyday world days the majority of them dont actually seem to do anything much quicker than i am,in saying that chances are maybe i am lucky enough to just happen across Duc owners with poor skills.....go figure.

[Hillbilly]

Here's the technichal data which should help give you a clear picture of Ducati Desmodue performance. Please keep in mind that these bikes are all powered by air-cooled 2-valve engines.

By comparison, the new Monster 696 due to be released around April this year has 80hp!! Still an air-cooled 2-valve motor too! The "DS" you may read about on some 1000's stands for "dual spark".

[Bullitt]

My bike is insured through AMI. I rang kiwibike and they were marginally cheaper (and also do a breakdown service that AMI dont) however dont change at all when I turn 25 so will become dearer. Also there was another reason I didnt go with them but cant remember what it was.

I did a 10,000k service awhile back. Did it all myself except for adjusting the valves. Boyles checked them for me and said they were still within tolerances and didnt need adjusting...total bill from them $90 (it included something else minor in that price too)...cant remember the price of the other parts I used myself but the total cost was stuff all.

It had a 20k service (where the belts are replaced) just before I bought it and I have the invoice for a little over $400.

At those prices its gonna hardly break the bank, I spend more than that in tyres and theyre certainly not Ducati specific.

[AllanB]

For the 650 - SV

Ducati - save, then trade the SV for a real one :devil2::devil2::devil2::devil2: and go for the larger cc Duke.

Hmm Monster S4 thingy - on the lotto win list.

Mind you I do not like what I see in magazines with the 08 restyled Monster 600(something).

New Dukes from 07 now have 10k servicing - advertised as 50% less service costs. I do wonder if some shops have been creaming it on Ducati servicing in the past.

Of interest with my new Hornet the owners manual has 'proper' service intervals including oil/filter at 12,000 kms. the 6k 'to-do's are only chain and minor easy owner specific stuff.
However service intervals for NZ Hondas are 6k (cheap one basically a oil/filter, general look-over, then the 12k one). Valves do not get toouched until 24,000! Personally I'd always keep the oil/filter changes at 6kms, but its interesting that we slot in the extra one in NZ.

[wolf.47]

Sounds like the duc's aren't all that bad then, just need servicing a bit more but with the amount of riding i do 10,000km will be few and far between, Now i just have to find a dealer so i can take some for a blast. Also Whats any ones opinion on the Honda's 600/1000 seen a few today at a Honda dealer not to bad price wise, not to bad looking either, will test ride soon.
Also if you know anyone keen on my 250 let me know, Thanks.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Cruiser/auction-140833318.htm

[McJim]

At those prices its gonna hardly break the bank, I spend more than that in tyres and theyre certainly not Ducati specific.

Yeah, biggest expense is Tyres, chains, oil and filters (none of which are Ducati specific). Termignoni make budget belts that last like Ducati ones. Valves on the Desmodues are big and easier to access and fiddle with than multi valve japanese ones.

A basic aircooled desmodue is a great engine to teach yourself maintenance skills.

[Paulus]

Also Whats any ones opinion on the Honda's 600/1000 seen a few today at a Honda dealer not to bad price wise, not to bad looking either, will test ride soon.


Yikes! You aren't thinking of jumping straight from a 250 cruiser to a Fireblade are you? :gob:

[Bullitt]

Yeah, biggest expense is Tyres, chains...
When I bought my bike the chain was tensioned correctly, I didnt have to touch it till 2,000 ks later when the back tyre was replaced. Another 6,000 ks later I havnt had to adjust it. Thats with regular lubing but no scott oiler or anything.

Im not sure how much new chain/sprockets is gonna cost me but at that rate Im never going to need them:cool:

[DUCATI*HARD]

the majority of them dont actually seem to do anything much quicker than i am,in saying that chances are maybe i am lucky enough to just happen across Duc owners with poor skills.....go figure.[/QUOTE]

i could say the same thing about people who ride jappas

[DMNTD]

i could say the same thing about people who ride jappas

........+1

[Crisis management]

Stop trying to be practical about it.......if it turns you on buy it, otherwise it becomes boring and you're always disatisfied with your bike.

Seeing as I'm giving advice, buy a Ducati, they feel great, sound better and put the biggest grin on your face. See, it's really easy when you keep it simple. :2thumbsup

[Pwalo]

If you really want a Ducati buy one. Just don't buy a cheap one. Buy one that has a full service record. They're lovely bikes if you get a good one.

[wolf.47]

Yikes! You aren't thinking of jumping straight from a 250 cruiser to a Fireblade are you? :gob:

Its all in the right hand.
Took a yama trx850 for a spin today, thought it was awesome. frame sort of like a duc and v-twin motor sounded good. :yes: So the search continues.

[Zoolander]

and v-twin motor sounded good

Parallel twin actually. But don't let that put you off they're a great bike and very underated. Can be made even better by fitting a few different parts like Early R1 brake calipers. Would be a really good choice and good step up from a 250.

[McJim]

Hey I'll give you mine for a good price coz I want to buy this one http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/photos/a-140109933/p-59948968.htm

[wolf.47]

Yeah parallel twin sorry. Still haven't found any duc's in my area yet to test ride. (in my low price range) but i did take a cbr600 for a blat, and a vtr1000 for a Cain. F**ken awesome especially when your used to riding a xv250. Licence loosing machines, very fun got a big buzz.