Advice on Ducati 748

[Ken]

A local non-Duc dealer has a used 748 on the lot, a 1998 with unknown miles and is asking $6100 for it. I sat on it and was amazed at how little it felt compared to my ZX-9 and even my old GSXR750. Wich brings me mostly to my question. In the brief time I sat on it I wasn't able to really judge the ergos on the thing. I like the ZX-9 but the GSXR was too tight for me, untill I put a set of Heli Bars on it and then it was fine other than being a little cramped in the legs, but totally rideable. I'm sure that I'll be happy with the power as I prefer a lighter handling bike to a brute power one (after all 75 or 80 is the same speed on an EX-500 or a GSXR 2000). I have just been burned before by buying a bike I could barely stand riding. I like my ZX-9r a lot, but I prefer a twin and my boy is lusting after my green and purple booger machine so the sale is on. Other options are a speed-4, SV1000 (Naked or s) a Aprillia Falco and an older SV650. A girl friend of mine just bought a 600 monster and I love the thing, but a Monster big enought to haul my fat but is in the $7-8k range. It seems like I can get WAY more bang for my buck with this 748. FWIW I am 35 Y/O, 6 feet and 210.


Thanks guys

ken

[RandyO]

5 years ago when I bought my SV, the shortlist of bikes I looked at were

Speed Triple
Tiger
Buell Cyclone
Cagiva Gran Canyon

I took a drive up to BCM to talk to them about service for the Cagiva, cause that is what I had decided on. I had a chat with Bruce, he asked what type of riding I did and suggested I consider a Monster 750 with dual sport tires mounted. either way he would take care of me for service if I bought the Cagiva or Ducati. then he asked if I had looked at the SV650, he had heard good things about them....

Bang for the buck... go with an SV, the don't require as much service and can outperform the Ducati with minimal suspension upgrades..... a lot less money when you consider total dollars
I'm a little over 90k and havent had to replace anything you wouldn't expect over that many miles. still runs like new

but the Ducati poser value... a few fiber bits, the distinctive dry clutch & exaust note.

[Ken]

Ah, Randy O, legendary all-teraine SV rider form the north, I bow down before you and humbly agree with every thing that you just said. Here's the thing: the Hype is true. I never thought that I would fall ino the whole lifestyle trap, but those bikes that people calim "move" them realy do seem to have some magic to them. I knew that the second that I sat on Jen's un-running, too small Monster. I knew it when I rode a friend's two-gear-busted-tranny haveing Sportster. The Hype, I am afraid, is valid. Don't get me wrong, The SV is a GREAT bike, and if that little lesbian still has the thing in he yard (a sweet blue on that I looked at last year) I can probably get one for cheep, cheep cheep! The rest of the story is that they are letting that 748 go for way cheep. Dealerships don't do that without a reason.........

crap.

[PinHead]

My Ducati will put a smile on anyones face that rides it, period.
It is a fun bike and that is all there is to it. If your looking for long trip ergos forget about it, they do make mods to help ya out there too though like handle bar risers with different angles etc...
I love my 900 ss

[Ken]

Originally posted by kmf
Let me get this straight, you didn't like the ergos of the GSX-R so now you are thinking about buying a 748?

...er,ya?

I got Heli Bars on the Gixer and it wasn't bad.......

[Ken]

Originally posted by kmf
What is there not to get?

Riding the GSX-R is like riding a touring bike compared to riding the Ducati.

I don't get why I think a 748 might be more acceptably uncomfortable than a GSXR. You think that the GSXR is worse?

ken

[PinHead]

He thinks the GSXR is better.
The Ducati is worse.

I for one fit my bike pretty well so I consider myself lucky. I can ride for hours but my wrists will eventually start to ache. Mr Legalspeed hooked me up with a Kury Akin throttle boss last year and you would be suprised how much that helped on rides. Come to the track for a race weekend and sit on a slew of different bikes and ask the peeps what they think. The next race weekend and the start of the new season kicks off April 24&25th !




(btw. kmf is a closet Ducati lover)

[Ken]

crap

ken

What about Ed's 900ss. I can get one of them kinda cheep too, a '96 I think it is.........

[RedRider]

Sounds like a Tuono is your ideal bike, pay a little more for the comfort!!

I just bought an 02 R1 and the ergos are much more aggressive than my F4i. Thankfully, my body is adapting to the difference and beginning to like it as much as or more because of the superior handling and road clearance characteristics.

I would say go buy the Duc, it's not like you can't turn around and sell the thing for what you paid if you don't like it...

[cbrburns]

Originally posted by PinHead
My Ducati will put a smile on anyones face that rides it, period.
It is a fun bike and that is all there is to it. If your looking for long trip ergos forget about it, they do make mods to help ya out there too though like handle bar risers with different angles etc...
I love my 900 ss

I love my 900ss too! Spend some more time in the saddle and see what your wrists and knees feel like. You should be able to tell wether or not the bike will fit your needs.

[TheIglu]

Go try all the bikes your considering. I bought my old 900SS (now it's CBRburns as shown above) without riding it and was happy with it for short rides on nice pavement. After a year, I couldn't take it anymore and had to sell it. Some people are made to feel more comfortable on bikes of the like, I wasn't one of them.

Ducati sure is fun though, my 900SS handled GREAT. The engine is a thing of beauty. Imagine never needing or wanting to rev it about 7k rpms.....it is WONDERFUL! The sound is something a TL1000 can't quite reproduce either, it is it's own beast.

I've ridden two SV650's. One was the S model with the fairing, the other was a naked (BenSV's old one). They were light, flickable, fast, smooth, but didn't make my hair stand up on end like the Duck did. If they could put that engine into a frame with nicer suspension (SOFTER, shit, i don't weigh 300lbs) and a REAL seat, I'd be all over that....

...provided I had a job.....

[Tarmac]

Originally posted by Ken
[B]A local non-Duc dealer has a used 748 on the lot, a 1998 with unknown miles and is asking $6100 for it. I sat on it ....B]

Unknown miles even after you sat on it? Was there a problem with OD?

Forget about justifying costs if your smitten with the Duc; it's all about the passion so if you're a sucker for the soul (and 'dem Italians in Bologna sure do milk the marketing benefits of "passion") then good luck trying to resist owning the Desmo...

Assuming the 748 was maintained, you'll be looking at valve adjustments every 4-7K, depending on how hard you ride. Don't worry so much about rumors of flaking rockers on the Desmoquattro; it's based on truth but if you start a relationship with a good Ducati service shop, they'll probably swap them out with factory replacements for free even though you bought it somewhere else(you'll still be paying for the valve adjusting of course). If your good with a wrench and have your own tools, you can learn to adjust them yourself, it's not as magical as they say as long as you do it with a pro first and take your time. In all fairness, the religiousness of Ducati maintenence isn't much different than any other chain-driven bikes, it's just that the specifications and clearances are so close and tight(aside from exhaust note and looks, the real value of a Duc isn't seen until you open its guts).

The 748 can be a "rack" to many, but that also depends on your posture and fitness. I've heard some bitching about riding 748/998's for any length of time, and others who'd happily ride from here to Daytona on stock rearsets & grips, so it seems personal.

...so that's the opinion of a Ducati owner who bought an MS4 cold after not riding for about ten years; and hasn't much experience riding anything else...I freakin' love this bike!

But those SV's are hard to beat for the price and reliability...I dunno nuthin' about Falco's, 'cept they're nice looking in photo's.

[Green Hornet]

from what i hear there is a really large dealership somewhere in N.H. that was selling left over 748s for like $6000.

[PinHead]

Originally posted by kmf

As for the the maintenance vs chain driven bikes, you not replacing cam chains every 6k miles like the timing belts.

Timing belts at 6k ! You have been huffing wayyyy too much of that carb cleaner in your shop. The recomended interval is about 16k mikes . And they are cheap money, I think it was like 30 bucks for the both of them last time I changed mine. Not to mention they are extenal and quite easy to get at.
Stop being in Ducati love denial kmf

[Ken]

Originally posted by Green Hornet
from what i hear there is a really large dealership somewhere in N.H. that was selling left over 748s for like $6000.

Oh yea....where! The only "dealer" that I could find in New Hampshire is BCM, and they don't seem to have any new/leftover bikes as far as I can tell from the web site. Used, yep., but I got a nice used Duck a few blocks from my house. they are supposed to be The Place for service though. People come up from like New Jersy just to have these guys work on thier bikes!! I'm starting to grow cool on the whole idea any way. Apparently $6k is not the great deal that I thought it was, just the best that I have seen. I think I'll buy a used SV for $3k and mod that up to 80-90 HP and call it a day.

(ya right: I was just at the shop looking for spark plugs and sat on Her for 15 min or so. She's so red and sexy and , and , and........

kien

[Ducrappy]

I too am confused about the "unknown miles" even after you sat on it. As far as the 748 blowout in NH, there is no such thing. There are 3 Ducati dealers in NH, one is just outside of Hampton(don't bother going here as they have maybe 3 Ducatis in stock that I could see). Another is in Manchester called Naults Honda Ducati. I practically live at this dealership and as of last week, they had one leftover 749 for around $9,999 or so. The third is BCM in Laconia and they have no 748's left over, just a few 999's and a monster.
As far as comfort goes on this bike, its not the most comfortable ride you will ever have, but it is tolerable. I ride a 996s which is the same exact body as the 748. If you maintain good posture and keep yourself upright with your back and leg muscles, you could easily do 50+ miles without any pit stops.
I would find out the mileage first though, because there have been issues with the valve train on these bikes. While it may be true that reports of rocker flaking have been blown out of proportion, the fact is that the surface of the rockers will flake after time especially if the bike is driven at higher RPMs as the 748 typically is because of the higher power band (they need to be wound up higher to truly feel the power of the bike). If you're that crazy about 748's, I think there are still a couple of used ones at the dealer in Manchester. Check in the basement, that’s where all the used stuff is. Good luck

[Ken]

I'm SO sorry, the thing has 14K miles on it (or 16K I can't remmber). Great Bay is a wonderful place and new to Ducati. That's where I was thinking about taking the 748 for it's inspection. It's good to see that there are other used ones around at omperable deals since Squirel is dragging his feet about the ZX-9 (which BTW I love and would be just as happy keeping as selling I just don't want to pay excise tax or fees on a bike that's going to get bought in a coupe of weeks). I'll have to check out Naults and MOMs. I really think that thier prices are inflated, but the owner seems to have a sweet spot for Ducatis and always seems to have a few around. I like to think that I can enter the Cult Of DIY Duc Maintaince, since I'm usually OK with a wrench for small stuff, but then again, I just stripped out the threads on my DRZ's back brake so I'm not so confident right now

ken

[Green Hornet]

Im going to find the dealer that some doods told me about.