Ducati?

Climhazzard

Climhazzard

Climhazzard

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Joined
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119
Location
North East
Hey all, sold my R6 about 18 month ago but decided the time is right to jump back on a bike again and I quite fancy a Ducati.. im probs leaning towards the 848.

My only concern is the few people I have known over the years that have one have had nothing but trouble with them... surely that is a thing of the past ?

Anyone got a ducati? 848 etc that can fill me in? also, anyone who has had a ducati and hated it?

Regards.
 
I had the 848s bigger brother, the 1098.

The thing with Ducatis is they need looking after and are not capable of taking the sort of neglect a Japanese bike will handle with ease. If you get one, I'd personally say you need to do the following:

1. Keep it in a garage, preferably heated!
2. Invest in a good quality maintenance battery charger i.e. ctek mxs5.0
3. Get a set of paddock stands, be prepared to remove the fairings often and
clean, clean, clean!. Make sure you lubricate the chain often.
4. Hopefully be handy with a spanner a bit and keep an eye on corrosion of electrical
connectors etc. The more info you know about what things are, and where they are, the better when owning a Ducati
5. * Oh, yeah, stick to the service & belt change intervals religiously!

In all, great bikes but ideally need sympathetic care that your average rider probably doesn't want to commit to. They are very rewarding to own if you like to take pride in ownership and take care of a bike rather than having one solely for more practical reasons.

I don't own one right now because I don't have anywhere dry to put it & don't have the time really to look after it due to owning another Italian - an Alfa :D
 
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Well I think all that should be the basics, that was certainly how I looked after the R6! but as you say, it is often time dependant... I know how much of a balls ache it can be simply taking the fairings off!

Well will try get a test ride at local dealer... that said, I need some new leathers first (put a bit of timber on !)
 
Things like having a garage, maintenance charger & paddocks stands you can get away with not having owning a Jap bike, I was just trying to say they were pretty much essential for Ducati ownership. You sound like the right sort of owner for one going by what you've wrote.

The only thing to add is probably be prepared to do things twice as often (especially basic maintenance & checks) & expect it to cost twice as much!. Some of the major belt services are pretty eye watering, the accessories attract "Ducati Tax" too.
 
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I'll never forget the time I was laying on my tank pushing a dismall 138mph when my 2 mates roared past me on there Dukes, As the 2nd one swept in front of me I was hit by little orange things. :confused:

When I arrived at the Maccy D's we were heading for I found out that Craigs wadding in his back box had got so hot it caught fire & was making glass which was being fired out the back which is what was hitting me as he cut in front of me & roared off. :D

Another time Stewarts Duke just randomly caught fire around the airbox area & melted a load of ****.
Both of those examples are on older Dukes though.

On the other hand Agnes came 2 up to a meet on his late Duke ripped the **** out of it up my local race track & then rode home so hopefully the later ones are more reliable than the older ones.
 
4T5 said:
Another time Stewarts Duke just randomly caught fire around the airbox area & melted a load of ****.
Click to expand...
That only happens to Kawasakis these days :D

On a serious note, I think older Ducatis had a problem with their plastic fuel tanks, something to do with ethanol making them expand & leak?
 
MatteH Oxford said:
That only happens to Kawasakis these days :D

On a serious note, I think older Ducatis had a problem with their plastic fuel tanks, something to do with ethanol making them expand & leak?
Click to expand...

Not just older Ducatis, my uncles Aprilia RSV4 tank deformed due to ethanol. My RSV tank seems ok so far.
 
@ the op buy another r6 again,youll have a lot less grey hairs,just look at the ducatis,thats all there good for imo:p
 
if youd have asked me 6 months ago i would have said ive had no issues at all from my ducati but on trying to get it back on the road last week with a new battery the thing will not start so im a little naffed off with it. never had issues with other bikes laid up over winter
 
By an Aprilia instead. All the kudos, style, power and noise you could want in an Italian bike but with Japanese type reliability.

It's little wonder they became known a few years back as 'the Italian Honda'. :D
 
There really is a load of old twaddle talked about Ducati's, usually by peeps that have never owned one. In the 1970's to early 1980's they could be regarded as a bit unreliable, that's true. But since then things have changed beyond all recognition. There is an old saying that goes along the lines of, if you repeat a lie long enough, everyone will assume it's the truth.
They don't need to be kept in a heated garage, just somewhere secure so that some scrote dosn't nick it.
Keeping it hooked up to an optimizer when not in use is just common sense, just like it is for any other bike.
Modern Ducati's cost no more than any other bike to service, or, if you look around the net, cost no more in spare parts either.
I'm on my 2nd 1098s (first one was stolen), cold garage, hooked to an optimizer.................that's it. Starts on the button first time every time, oil and filters once a year, plugs and belts every 2 years......................job done.
So peeps, unless you have actually owned and ridden one, stop regurgitating that same old crap that you have read "somewhere" on the net, that itself was regurgitated from "some bloke i spoke to down the pub 30 years ago".
 
Didn't one of the bike magazines have a total engine failure on their test Panagale? (Performance Bikes or Superbike magazine I think)

Apparently 6 recalls so far on the Panagale too so I'm not totally convinced that the bad old days are behind them quite yet. Shame cos they're beautiful machines. Was very impressed when I sat on one at the NEC last year but not sure I could give up my Japanese reliability.
 
The Panagale has suffered a few engine problems, though it is producing a phenomenal amount of power for a V twin. No manufacturer is immune from problems though, look at the S1000RR, a German made machine that suffered from gearbox failures, and the cross plane Yamaha R1 that has suffered quite a few engine failures, the Suzuki GSXR's that had frames crack etc..
 
The main reason I mentioned it's good to keep them in a heated place (or at least one with a reasonably stable climate without too much condensation) is the issues of corrosion & damp getting into the electrics.
The major services are more expensive due to the belt changes, something you don't get with other makes, and the accessories are more pricy - a carbon pillion seat cowl was nearly £200 for my 1098, it's about half that price for a Honda.

Ducatis are better than they were, but they are still a way behind Honda reliability, finish and also being able to handle a rough winter like a jap bike. My Ducati started to rust a bit after a year, my old classic CBR900RRS has hardly any and it is kept outside under a cover & ridden in all weathers. No Ducati would be as tidy after 16 years, as it is currently (Former 1098s and current fireblade owner here).
 
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MatteH Oxford said:
The main reason I mentioned it's good to keep them in a heated place (or at least one with a reasonably stable climate without too much condensation) is the issues of corrosion & damp getting into the electrics.
Click to expand...

Absolute nonsense.

Firstly, hot air carries more water vapour than cold air

Secondly, it would take a lot of exposure to water, let alone water vapour, for a copper cable to erode to the point of destruction. That's why we use copper for you know, water piping.

Thirdly, how many uninsulated cables are there on any motorcycle?
 
Stripping and maintaining both old and new Ducati's for a while, I would say I'm fairly competent in what makes the new and olds tick.

Here is my feelings on Ducatis new and old, the 1098S I had was fantastic, was more than capable of long distance 2 up journeys (as 4T5 has pointed out). However... It was a pig to run below 80! Absolute pig, snatchy in low revs, aggressive torque and not comfortable. Once you went over 80 (not that I ever did...), the bike was something magical, truly. It handled like nothing I have ever ridden before, it went like the clappers.

Those on that meetup 4T5 is talking about knows all too well just how quick and capable that bike is haha. Way above my limits!

But, it was expensive to buy, insure and maintain! Yes, it had a longer gap between services, but still pretty expensive. Plus, hard to maintain your self (like I did) because the garage would need to reset the trip counter for the service. Oh, and the new Ducati's have plastic tanks, older have metal.

Now, older Ducati's, that is what I fell in love with and still am in love with. My 748's were not powerful, not crazy. But jesus they were fun to ride, a ton of character to boot as well! Dead easy to maintain, simply because up until the 749/999 and the new Multi/Monster era. Ducati's were built by people, you could strip the bike in 15 minutes. Without fuss. It was a wonder to work on.

I found my self on weekends when it was raining simply stripping the 748 of everything leaving just the engine in the frame to clean and care for everything. This was both enjoyable but also plays a big part in my next motion.

Maintenance. Older Ducatis require a **** ton of love. Not a weekend toy or commuter without a lot of love. I commuted for 2 years on my 748S. Sunshine, rain, sleet and snow. At the end, I had to get the engine rebuilt. The crank had gone, rockers were worn and a few other bits had given way. Nothing I could have prevented. Well, I could have rode like a new born every day... But I worked in the country side :P

So, my advice would be, a new Ducati, 848 would be ideal if you just want fun, little character and maintenance free. They are fine. Infact, on par with IL4's if I'm honest. Look after it like any other bike and you will be fine. The electronics stuff is just a bad omen due to older Ducati's. It's no longer an issue.

If you want something to love and cherish for years to come, buy an older Ducati, 916, 998 if you have the money. I prefer a 748 as it revs more. They are not powerful at all compared to todays bike. But it's more than enough for the roads of today. I had so much fun on my 748, nothing has come anywhere near close to putting such a smile on my face.

Any questions, just give me a shout.

Also, to what Matt is saying, is right. Ducati's, while the newer ones, even the 1098S I had, don't require much attention, it's probably more than your average rider will put in. So many times my mate was confused by our conversations:

Him: Plans today?
Me: Clean and lube bike up, check the usuals
Him: You did that last sunday
Me: 80 miles done in that week...

You need to know what to look for, when I sold my 748S, the guy who came to saw it was with his mate, a mechanic. And no word of a lie, both their jaws dropped at my bikes. Particularly the 748S. Both of them had never seen a older Ducati look so pristine and well preserved. Even more shocked to see how many miles on the clock. Then even MORE shocked to see blisters on the tyres. Knowing I wasn't a mantle piece owner. Owning a Ducati will mean it has to be looked after a lot. But it will show :) They turn heads.
 
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