Teach me some things about Ducatis

[Gixxer]

Wow, speaking of Ducati…. I just saw my first DessertX up close. It looks way beefier in person than this pic suggests, and the halo-esque headlights looked killer.

It was dirty and looked super old though, I thought it was some classic I never knew existed.





Edit: just googled it, 937cc, a bit more hp than the XE but way down on torque. And the hp is at 9100rpm!

[Gixxer]

“Window shopping” on the Ducati website. No new monsters with single sided swingarms! BOOOO

[Spooler]

Wow, speaking of Ducati…. I just saw my first DessertX up close. It looks way beefier in person than this pic suggests, and the halo-esque headlights looked killer.

It was dirty and looked super old though, I thought it was some classic I never knew existed.





Edit: just googled it, 937cc, a bit more hp than the XE but way down on torque. And the hp is at 9100rpm!

I was really into the Desert X at first, but the more I look at it, the more I hate its big, weird, blobby tank. I do hear it’s very good to ride, though.

As for the new Monsters, I bet they’re great to ride but they sure don’t look like much.

[jeantarrou]

Can you elaborate on them being easy to own? I feel like they always had a reputation for lots of expensive maintenance. I’m ok with maintenance I can do myself, but don’t love spending a lot of time/money at the dealer. Like, I assume I probably can’t do a desmo service myself and I thought the air cooled bikes needed it fairly frequently. Otherwise, I find the air cooled bikes very appealing.

For me I just love the lack of cooling system, obviously convenient for winterizing and whenever servicing the bike there isn't a radiator, cooling hoses, thermostat, etc. in your way, but if you aren't going to do your own service then this benefit isn't as significant. And while the "desmo" service (belts and valves) is more involved than changing your oil it's my opinion that its level of difficulty is pretty overstated. If you can get your hands on a LT Snyder service manual you'll be doing it yourself with no problem.

And maybe another consideration I haven't seen mentioned, there is some diagnostic software you can access for some low to mid level ECU servicing that might be of interest to you. It goes by a variety of names, jpdiag, ducatidiag, guzzidiag and more, and, there are only certain ECUs it works on (on the Hypermotard you could connect to the Marinelli ECUs but not the Siemens). This is another way to stay away from costly trips to the dealership for simple stuff like service light resets, TPS resets, or more advanced stuff like disabling the key immobilizer, fuel programming, etc...

[Spooler]

For me I just love the lack of cooling system, obviously convenient for winterizing and whenever servicing the bike there isn't a radiator, cooling hoses, thermostat, etc. in your way, but if you aren't going to do your own service then this benefit isn't as significant. And while the "desmo" service (belts and valves) is more involved than changing your oil it's my opinion that its level of difficulty is pretty overstated. If you can get your hands on a LT Snyder service manual you'll be doing it yourself with no problem.

And maybe another consideration I haven't seen mentioned, there is some diagnostic software you can access for some low to mid level ECU servicing that might be of interest to you. It goes by a variety of names, jpdiag, ducatidiag, guzzidiag and more, and, there are only certain ECUs it works on (on the Hypermotard you could connect to the Marinelli ECUs but not the Siemens). This is another way to stay away from costly trips to the dealership for simple stuff like service light resets, TPS resets, or more advanced stuff like disabling the key immobilizer, fuel programming, etc...

I haven’t owned an air cooled bike in 15-ish years, and have thought almost nothing about water cooling in that time (re: maintenance), but I do appreciate the simplicity. As for Desmo servicing, I kind of thought that required specialized tools. If it’s well documented and can be done with basic home tools I will totally do it myself.

[Paul_E_D]

Agreed on the new monster. That bike is no longer on the hot list.

[Spooler]

Should I start a new thread for non-Ducati options? Or just ask here?

What do y’all think of the Tuono? I rode a 2016 V4 1100 and liked it a lot (I’d need to find a foot peg lowering option to live with it permanently, but otherwise…). V2? V4 1000? V4 1000cc with low mileage seem to be VERY affordable, anyone have a direct comparison to the 1100? Also, Aprilia service/quality issues?

[whynot]

I haven’t owned an air cooled bike in 15-ish years, and have thought almost nothing about water cooling in that time (re: maintenance), but I do appreciate the simplicity. As for Desmo servicing, I kind of thought that required specialized tools. If it’s well documented and can be done with basic home tools I will totally do it myself.

What jeantarrou said. Here's the link to L.T. Snyder:

https://desmotimes.com/

Here's another:

http://www.ducatisuite.org/basicmaintenance.html

Michael Heth supplies electrical upgrades and lots of other good stuff not on his website:

https://motolectric.com/

And everything you need to know at

https://www.ducati.ms/

The simplest and maybe best Ducati I owned was the 900ss, bought one new in 1997, and one used a few years ago (all sold now). Carb'd, air cooled, steel tank, low weight, looks great, performs great. 900ss with full fairing and 900ss cr with half fairing. They come up often enough, sometimes around $2K needing work, all the way up to $6~8K minty, with most sales around $3500-$4500 IME.

Just some of my opinion and experience.

No experience with Aprilia. I have gravitated back to Moto Guzzi.

[Paul_E_D]

Should I start a new thread for non-Ducati options? Or just ask here?

What do y’all think of the Tuono? I rode a 2016 V4 1100 and liked it a lot (I’d need to find a foot peg lowering option to live with it permanently, but otherwise…). V2? V4 1000? V4 1000cc with low mileage seem to be VERY affordable, anyone have a direct comparison to the 1100? Also, Aprilia service/quality issues?

The Tuono V4 is perhaps the most entertaining moto on the market right now. Brutal acceleration, smooth as butter shifts, all day long comfort, also a trackday weapon. The only downside is that same brutal acceleration makes it a chore to ride in traffic.

[MattR302]

The simplest and maybe best Ducati I owned was the 900ss, bought one new in 1997, and one used a few years ago (all sold now). Carb'd, air cooled, steel tank, low weight, looks great, performs great. 900ss with full fairing and 900ss cr with half fairing. They come up often enough, sometimes around $2K needing work, all the way up to $6~8K minty, with most sales around $3500-$4500

I’ve got a friend across town with one of these for sale
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/1...-3500.1559919/

[whynot]

The simplest and maybe best Ducati I owned was the 900ss, bought one new in 1997, and one used a few years ago (all sold now). Carb'd, air cooled, steel tank, low weight, looks great, performs great. 900ss with full fairing and 900ss cr with half fairing. They come up often enough, sometimes around $2K needing work, all the way up to $6~8K minty, with most sales around $3500-$4500 IME.

I’ve got a friend across town with one of these for sale
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/1...-3500.1559919/

I remember looking at that ad, bike looks good, reasonable price. Also says "withdrawn from sale" from what I see.

[Spooler]

The simplest and maybe best Ducati I owned was the 900ss, bought one new in 1997, and one used a few years ago (all sold now). Carb'd, air cooled, steel tank, low weight, looks great, performs great. 900ss with full fairing and 900ss cr with half fairing. They come up often enough, sometimes around $2K needing work, all the way up to $6~8K minty, with most sales around $3500-$4500 IME.

Maybe the coolest looking Ducati I have seen in person was a 900ss parked on the street in Austin. Had the fairings removed, round headlight, and a bar in place of clip ons. I could totally be into something like that if they’re really not too difficult to live with.

[Spooler]

Am I right in thinking the S2R engines are not loved? Or maybe problematic in some way? I’ve seen a few S2R Monsters that look fairly appealing, but I seem to remember hearing negative things.

In other news, I found my dream Speed Triple (an ‘11 SE, which was the last of the outgoing generation, with 4-5k miles) on ADVrider for sale in NC, but it sold locally before I could figure out logistics.

[OneCheekRider]

The Tuono V4 is perhaps the most entertaining moto on the market right now. Brutal acceleration, smooth as butter shifts, all day long comfort, also a trackday weapon. The only downside is that same brutal acceleration makes it a chore to ride in traffic.

I did the Aprilia day at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and wow that bike blew me away. My buddy ended up buying one after that test session.

Traffic shouldn't be an issue if you lane split

[Spooler]

I did the Aprilia day at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and wow that bike blew me away. My buddy ended up buying one after that test session.

Traffic shouldn't be an issue if you lane split

I really liked the one I rode in 2016, although I was last in line in a group test ride where all the other bikes were Moto Guzzis, so I didn’t get to ride it very fast for very long. It definitely had the highest foot pegs I could ever live with at this point in my life, and maybe they are even a little higher than I could live with. Really curious how the V4 1000 compares, they seem to be plentiful and cheap.

[Gixxer]

I really liked the one I rode in 2016, although I was last in line in a group test ride where all the other bikes were Moto Guzzis, so I didn’t get to ride it very fast for very long. It definitely had the highest foot pegs I could ever live with at this point in my life, and maybe they are even a little higher than I could live with. Really curious how the V4 1000 compares, they seem to be plentiful and cheap.

Almost every time I get on the ninja it usually takes me two attempts to get my feet on the pegs and I’m still shocked how high they are.

[whynot]

Am I right in thinking the S2R engines are not loved? Or maybe problematic in some way? I’ve seen a few S2R Monsters that look fairly appealing, but I seem to remember hearing negative things.

I like the S2 and S2R Monsters, 800cc and 1000cc, I think, respectively. I looked at them new, but bought an S4R Monster, but in the end, the simpler air-cooled S2 would have suited me better. If I wuz you, I'd take a look at them [smilee]

[nick5446]

I didn't read any of these comments, but get a Speed Triple. I had an '06(?) when I lived in OR...it's hard to explain how great of a street bike that really is. It wasn't the fastest thing on the road, but it was the fastest thing you could actually use. I think I highsided that thing 3 times...it seriously demanded your respect. It's on the short list of bikes I'd love to own again.

FWIW mine had like 60k miles on it when I sold it, and it was running awesome.

[Spooler]

I didn't read any of these comments, but get a Speed Triple. I had an '06(?) when I lived in OR...it's hard to explain how great of a street bike that really is. It wasn't the fastest thing on the road, but it was the fastest thing you could actually use. I think I highsided that thing 3 times...it seriously demanded your respect. It's on the short list of bikes I'd love to own again.

FWIW mine had like 60k miles on it when I sold it, and it was running awesome.

Yeah, ‘05-‘10 Speed Triple is my first choice. It’s one of the first bikes I ever fell in lust with, that and classic Bonnevilles. I almost bought one years ago but ended up getting an ‘08 Tiger 1050 for practicality reasons. At the time it was my only bike and I like touring. Love, love the 1050 engine. I sold that running great with 50k+ and my older 955 Sprint had 65k+ when I sold it, neither had a single mechanical issue. The Sprint did have a lot of electrical issues, but none of my newer Triumphs have.

BUT I’m having a tough time finding one that is in decent shape, and if possible low miles, and is also (what I think is) reasonably priced.

[nick5446]

Yeah, ‘05-‘10 Speed Triple is my first choice. It’s one of the first bikes I ever fell in lust with, that and classic Bonnevilles. I almost bought one years ago but ended up getting an ‘08 Tiger 1050 for practicality reasons. At the time it was my only bike and I like touring. Love, love the 1050 engine. I sold that running great with 50k+ and my older 955 Sprint had 65k+ when I sold it, neither had a single mechanical issue. The Sprint did have a lot of electrical issues, but none of my newer Triumphs have.

BUT I’m having a tough time finding one that is in decent shape, and if possible low miles, and is also (what I think is) reasonably priced.

You got me looking as soon as I posted that, and these both caught my eye as potentially good purchases:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...f-0d4c23a4c3bf

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...f-0d4c23a4c3bf

I'm flush with bikes right now, otherwise I'd be going to look at that Braintree one.

[Spooler]

You got me looking as soon as I posted that, and these both caught my eye as potentially good purchases:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...f-0d4c23a4c3bf

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...f-0d4c23a4c3bf

I'm flush with bikes right now, otherwise I'd be going to look at that Braintree one.

Yeah, I’ve got my eye on those and a few others, but am hoping to find a more pristine one and would pay… maybe $7.5k if it was really great, preferably $5-$6k.

[Gixxer]

Another thing about Ducati’s is you have to buy green Dr Marten high boots, and spend a minimum or 2.5 hours at Starbucks a week.

[whynot]

Another thing about Ducati’s is you have to buy green Dr Marten high boots, and spend a minimum or 2.5 hours at Starbucks a week.

[Spooler]

You’re not *really* making me want a Ducati here…

[Paul_E_D]

Mine have all been very reliable with some quirks. I put 50k mils on an air cooled monster with no issues. My hyper has had no issues other than the grabby clutch and rear brake that is tough to keep bled. My 959 has had the water pump gear failure (a known issue). otherwise the bikes have been ridden hard, put away wet, and never let me down.