998 Buying This Week

welcome along'

 

good service history is a must with any ducati, make sure the belts have been done, whats the milage of the bike? valve clearances should have been done at some point, fairings come off real easy so wip um off and check for any crash damage and leaks under them. check the front of the head stock again for crash damage there be marks on the bump stops. Hard to tell sometimes as alot of the 916/996 bike have be refurbished now. Just go though it carefully and dont be blinded by the nice shiney new bike, just remember one thing....... you cant polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter.
But i hope its a cracker and wish you the best in your new purchase if its a good un

 

Congratulations, I'm sure you'll love it.
Sure you know already, but don't be too put off when you hear it for the first time running as the dry clutch makes quite a distinct sound. Once you get used to that, you will love the noise.
Other than that, just look out for usual things as already mentioned. I personally wouldn't get too hung up about perfect service history, the bikes are getting quite old now and many have been sitting in garages for extended periods - as long as you're buying at the right price and are willing to spend a little on the maintenance yourself.
Enjoy!

 

welcome.

got my 998 back in '09. since then the things I have learned are;

it will eat batteries of you don't get the starter cables upgraded (either bespoke items, such as what @Exige on here sells, or a DIY job like what I did after chatting to another forum member)

starter sprag is something that needs to be looked at to ensure it is torqued up

make sure the dealer is selling with a recent belt service

back brake may be temperamental (usually due to low useage, is easily sorted and will be ok so long as you use the back brake frequently)

battery tray is a bit flimsy

oil cooler especially, and rad slightly, subject to being battered by road crud

usual Italian electrics (check connectors at and around battery tray, ECU, etc for signs of exposure due to wear and tear)

I'm sure others will be along with their experiences.


Pete

 

Stick a link up then!

 

Nice When you say bargain , how much of a bargain if you don't mind me asking

 

Check the clutch slave,if that's leaking it will eat your paint work,engine casing and frame.Congrats on the purchase.

 

Very Nice! My 916 came with the same misted headlights - get in there with a clean rag and will look amazing! Whats the mileage on that one?

 

most of them get the fogged headlight. rag on a stick is the simple way (due to the opening from the back of the headlight being no more than about 2" across).

if you want to get a bit more technical, you could give it a quick wipe out with rag/stick, then get a clean cloth soak with some isopropyl alcohol and give another wipe around to get it totally clean on the inside of the glass.

Pete

 

Don't use anything sharp like a screw driver

 

If you don't like the noise, there is a way to eliminate it and the associated wear to clutch plates and basket.
Some people hear the Ducati dry clutch sound as music, some as a racket but you do have a choice.

 

I just used a bit of clean rag tied around a wooden spoon - sprayed a bit of window cleaner in there and it just wipes off - the right hand side is harder to get at, due to the smaller opening to get in at. But mine looked awful, now looks a lot better..

 

Now that's a well loved bike,got to keep reminding myself how old these are!

 

Just get it sorted so we can get out on them

Cracking buy