Decisions decisions decisions.

[Asher]

Im currently entertaining the idea of what my next bike would be.
I was mostly looking at R1's, CBR's and daytonas, that was until i came across one of these:



I had never really consider ducati's as i always thought they were out of my price range but i have found several nice examples for less than $9k

Reading so many good reviews made me really start to put them at the top of my list.

Im looking to hear from past or current owners about the typical service and maintenance costs and what their reliability is like.

Thanks in advance.

[Edbear]

Reliability for these is good. Riding position uncompromisingly sports and a literal pain around town. Servicing costs very high, esp when changing the timing belts. Lotsa fun on a track but not on the road at normal speeds.

[Asher]

Ive read the riding position can be a bit uncomfortable and the dry clutch can be a bitch around town, but saying that im looking at sports bikes, practicality is not really of consideration.

I probably will do a bit of commuting on it but it will be predominantly a weekend bike / occasional track day bike.

How often do things like cam belts need to be changed? and how much are the typical services?

[Edbear]

There are a few Duc's down your way. Prob best to call your local dealer and speak to the workshop manager, not the salesman, for tips and advice. The 748 was always a great track bike, excellent for learning how to maintain corner speed.

[onearmedbandit]

Talk to Duane at Duanes Bikes and Skis on Waterloo Rd.

[carburator]

had a duke, you need to be a tall fucker for most of them.. or atleast 6'
running cost's the r1 is way cheaper..

riding, well there are two r1's in the barn so that answers that question.

[Asher]

Im 5'11" so that shouldnt be a problem.

Whats the reason for the higher running costs? Do you just have to be over the top with preventative maintenance or are parts/servicing more pricey for duc's?

As much as i would love an R1, i really want it to be a no compromise buy, and that would be a 2009+ crossplane model as im in love with the looks and sound. Unfortunately they are a bit out of my price range at the moment.

But the 748R has all i want (well so does the 998, 848 and other duc's but they are all $$$), the only doubt in my mind is if i can afford the supposed high running cost associated with them.

[Edbear]

OAB has a good suggestion as I'm not up to date with the current costs which may vary a bit between dealers. I know Classic_Z has done a few who's owners balked at their dealer pricing, but it is an involved job. That's why I like the air-cooled motors which are a piece of cake to change the belts on. The 750/800 SS's are nice bikes.

[Asher]

I work near Duanes so i might pay him a visit sometime next week.

[mulletman]

Ive yakked to Duane bout servicing bikes and about dukes, he'll suggest stuff like remove your own fairings etc (if ya can) cause its less of his time and can pass on the saving to you.

Alot of the broken engined dukes in bits there are caused from slack maintainence from equally slack owners.

[Asher]

I found this write up: http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Ducati-748...00000008433882

It doesnt make them sound so bad, especially coming from an old 2 stroke.

Just need the valves and rocker arms checked every 6000miles and belts done every 12000 miles. Doesnt seem too bad to me.

[300weatherby]

Ive read the riding position can be a bit uncomfortable and the dry clutch can be a bitch around town, but saying that im looking at sports bikes, practicality is not really of consideration.

I probably will do a bit of commuting on it but it will be predominantly a weekend bike / occasional track day bike.

How often do things like cam belts need to be changed? and how much are the typical services?

A standard 748 would be fun, but the R will not.

The R was homologated for world supersport rules and is different to a 748 under the bonnet, and is much less forgiving in the real world, it needs to be ridden hard, or just parked and admired as it sits, nothing in between.

Commuting, you will hate each other, on the track, if you set it up properly, you will love each other. If you do go down this route, message me and I will give you a base track geometry and suspension setup to start from.

Belts and shims evey 20k in the real world-and if you use Casbolts, you will not see any change from a grand, make it a full service and you will reach even deeper in your pocket.

If you want a bike that will happily commute, and will fang along on sundays out, but is still able to hang with (beat) your mates on their R1's and similar on a track day, get a 675 Daytona.

Everyone is different and has their own opinion. Mine is based on ownership and lots of mileage.
My Ducati history: 600ss, 900ss, 748, 748/853, 916, 996SPS, ST2, 999. Last is current aquisition as race bike.

[Dave-]

re: running costs, ducati parts are silly expensive. I priced out a brake light switch (the one on the lever) for a dude when I worked at hamptons, it was like $400, I priced out the same part for a similar honda and it was like $40 or $50 which I thought was up there for what is essentially a "switch", I expected the ducati part to be like $90 or $100 but $400 was silly.

[Asher]

Thanks, that's the type of advice I was after.
Honestly $1k every 20k kms doesn't sound too crazy, and I've read the belts aren't too hard to do your self.
So obviously you wouldn't recommend the R but what about the S? From what I've read the only major difference is the S has ohlin suspension.

[YellowDog]

Once you know what you need, you can get a lot of parts a great deal cheaper off eBay etc. If you find a good guy, who knows the bike well, he'll know where to get everything at a more reasonable price.

Though do take care. Sometimes the dealer is by far the cheapest option. Repairing the problems that others have already 'Fixed' is great business for main dealers