17000 milage ducati

[Romeo]

is 17000 miles a lot for a 2004 ducati 749
...and is $6300 a good price to pay for that bike

[Doc]

4250 miles a year? Give or take?


Is it a S, a Dark, Biposto or Monoposto?

[Manny]

How was it maintained is all that matters.

Get the history.

If its spotless, and you can negotiate a little, it can be a good deal but if the history is spotty you could be in for big maint expenses to get it up to par.

[scottieducati]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.5.0.77 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

+1, depending on location, there are quite a few resources where you can have it thoroughly checked out. That's not many miles for a later gen Ducati. Earlier ones had case / rocker, etc issues that were items to be weary of.. Much of which is no longer the case w/ Testastretta motors. Where's the bike located and where was it serviced? Those are far more important questions..

[Romeo]

its located in plymouth mass and before that it was used as a daily driver in brookline
and he says he has all the service records
ok but if he shows me the records, what am i supposed to look at to see how/where it was serviced. what specific details on those records will tell me how well the bike was taken care of.
thanks a lot guys
also...its a biposto

[burnham]

I sold an '03 749s w/8500 mi, half exhaust, and an 872 big bore kit for $8750 a few years ago. The "S" model is a little nicer than a biposto. Just something to compare to.

My engine did have to be rebuilt due the a problem with the cases, and one of the cylinder heads was also replaced at that time. In my case the work was covered under warranty because it was caught in time.

[Pestilence]

Check for mileage on the sevice reports and see what was done at each interval.
If it was me looking, if it's missing an "S" in the description.. Pass!!

[Doc]

$6300 is a good place to start. I would try and talk him down some.

[Manny]

Check for mileage on the sevice reports and see what was done at each interval.
If it was me looking, if it's missing an "S" in the description.. Pass!!

An s for a 749 doesn't really buy you very much. No ohlins and same wheels I think.

No significant upgrades like the standard 999 to a 999s or a 1098 to a 1098s

[Pestilence]

An s for a 749 doesn't really buy you very much. No ohlins and same wheels I think.

No significant upgrades like the standard 999 to a 999s or a 1098 to a 1098s

The 04 S offered slight differences like a few more ponys, 103 vs 110 and a showa shock vs the Sachs. Other than that and the "dark" model, you're right, there's nothing special unless you step up into the 999+ range bikes.

[number9]

Most important maintenance item on a Ducati is the belts -- they need to be changed at the specific mileage interval or you end up with an expensive handbasket. Not sure what the interval is on a 749, but someone on www.ducati.ms will know. Second most important maintenance item is probably valve adjustments.

17,000miles is pretty low in the scheme of things. I'd rather buy a bike with 17,000mi that had all the maintenance done properly than a garage queen with 1,700mi and a spotty history. And I've had two Ducatis already...

[Kurlon]

2 years of 12,000 miles for belts, whichever comes first.

[BCT748]

Most important maintenance item on a Ducati is the belts -- they need to be changed at the specific mileage interval or you end up with an expensive handbasket. Not sure what the interval is on a 749, but someone on www.ducati.ms will know. Second most important maintenance item is probably valve adjustments.

17,000miles is pretty low in the scheme of things. I'd rather buy a bike with 17,000mi that had all the maintenance done properly than a garage queen with 1,700mi and a spotty history. And I've had two Ducatis already...

I'd rather see the valves done than the belts. Valves out of adjustment can cause a lot of wear on the valve seats, rockers and cams. An old belt doesn't do any harm until it breaks.

The interval for valves is every 6K and belts every 12K/2 years. Normally the valves stay within tolerances for a long time after you set them at the first 6K tuneup but still need to be checked. The belts Ducati has been using for the past 10 years or so are reinforced with kevlar so they last longer and can take more abuse but they didn't extend the service interval on them (They might have with the 848/1098/1198 but I know they didn't on the last two gens)

[Kurlon]

After seeing the aftermath of broken belts on 748s/749s, I'd be religious about changing them on time. It's usually just before you up shift as you wind it up that they seem to let go... Right on about the valve adjustments though, for the most part you never actually end up adjusting anything, it's just a good excuse to get in there and eyeball things to see how they're doing.

[burnham]

The 04 S offered slight differences like a few more ponys, 103 vs 110 and a showa shock vs the Sachs. Other than that and the "dark" model, you're right, there's nothing special unless you step up into the 999+ range bikes.

you also get the adjustable tank/seat location, marchesini wheels, and an adjustable steering head.

[dankatz]

There is a nice review of the 749R in Bike (birtish mag). I would think that is a reasonable price. They were contending that the R was as good as the best 600cc that are sold now. From what I remember the R was much more expensive.

[whynot]

Belts.

If the service record does not have proof of belts being done around 12,000, negotiate the price down, and get the belts changed asap. For my money, I travel to Seacoast Sportcycles in Derry NH (exit 3 I-93) for Ducati amd Guzzi work. Some guys from the South Shore get their service done there. I travel 40 miles from Arlington MA. Others go to BCM in Laconia.

You could register and ask more questions here:
www.nedoc.org
I've seen several posts from people thinking of buying a Duc.

Something completely different:
2008 Buell 1125R new at $8995 at Sheldons (Auburn MA) and Manchester NH. This is a fabulous bike once all the campaigns and tweaks are done, which the dealers say they do before they deliver the bikes. I have one and love it.