Ducati 749s

famas

famas

famas

Soldato
Joined
12 Dec 2004
Posts
3,283
Location
the south
I'm in the market for a new (to me) sports bike and am seriously considering a 749s.

it's mainly for a weekend toy (no daily commutes) but will be going to the south of France a few times a year for biking holidays.

Any one had one and what did you think of it?
I know reliability is always going to be a concern but I've heard as long as you look after them well they should be sound. Other thing is servicing costs, I can do most simple stuff myself but I've read their not the easiest bikes to work on.
What was servicing cost like?

just after general opinions from people who've owned one.

Or should I stick with an r6? :)
 
biggest issue is belt replacement. they need done whether you ride it or not . rest of the stuff can be done at home
 
yeah just been doing a bit of research, seems they need changing every two years or 12000 miles.

Doesn't seem an overly complex job, I've done valve clearances on my old srad befor, is it comparable to that?
 
Slower than a modern 600 sports bike unless you get the S version, and servicing will be significantly more expensive (unless you can do it yourself). They do sound lovely though.

Adjusting valve clearances on a desmodromic head is rather more complex than the simple bucket and shim of a conventional valve system. Still quite possible to DIY it though.

If you want a robust Italian V-Twin with very reasonable running costs, look at the Aprilia RSV.
 
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Was looking at the S version over the standard, cant quite stretch to an R.

Have looked into an rsv, I just prefer the look of the 749.
 
ive got a 999s and not had any problems with it. but it is my summer toy and has only done 3200 miles. main thing i would say make sure the belts have been done and the battery is healthy as takes a lot to get them started.

belts cost around £220 to replace and its worth getting them done when you get the bike unless there is history to prove they have been done. have had mine for coming up two years now and only done about 600 miles on it, so cant really comment i suppose about how they stand up to day to day use.
 
So cool, sod the fact theyre slower than other 600's as theyve got miles more charm and their handling and balance is sublime. Plus they sound so much better than the anodyne inline 4 screech !
 
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