Assuming the worst case scenario on my st4s, and the gearbox is knackered, realistically what would be the best route to go down? Bearing in mind finances are tight! Get it repaired, which would be way out of my comfort zone, so would have to be a garage job (which I would guess could get very costly!), try and track down a replacement engine and swap that over (could probably do that myself but doubt I'll find an engine in good condition for not much money), or decide thats it as far as this bike goes, and either sell as is or break it for parts, and try and find another bike to replace it with. I am truly starting to love riding this bike, however it has had its share of negative moments in the short time I've had it, and I don't want to get into a money pit. It's on 53k miles, and although it's been looked after, is this a sign that it's past it's best?
Have you tried putting it in sixth with the motor off and seeing if there's any play in the output shaft?
There's no play in the shaft in any gear .Not sure if you've seen the thread I've got in the tech section, but it's got a lot more details on what I've done.
@Dansrockin Carl Harrison in Norfolk has a beautiful yellow ST4s with panniers fitted and fsh including belts and valve check , 26k miles at £2895. I`d be tempted to sell yours as spares & repairs and buy the yellow one. As far as I am aware they have a good reputation there.
I've seen it, and if I'd got the money to get it I would, but at the minute it's not an option. Just out of interest what sort of value do you think my bike has with the issue it's got? It's on 53k, FSH, due a belt Changc around may, but otherwise mechanically sound. It's got new chain and sprockets, fairly new tyres, 10 month mot, professionally modified exhausts, Sargent seat.
Depends if you can break it or not. If sold in one piece as spares and repairs then I guess somewhere between £1000 and £1500. If you can break it then a little more but lots more hassle. Maybe contact Carl Harrison for part ex ?
Out of interest what level Of mechanical skills do you have. If anything similar happened to my bike I’d be in a similar position so have been watching this and the other thread. I’m just thinking would you be able to do the work yourself with help from members on here ? Strip it and post photos along the way ?
I've got reasonable mechanical skills, I have always done my own work in the past, however splitting down an engine is probably pushing my luck, plus I have nowhere to do it. I've not got a garage, and there's no way my Mrs will let me use the kitchen table!
Shame about the space. I think I’d have a go at my engine if I had to ( got to service it etc over winter so when I get to it will post pics etc and hope for help from here) I wish you luck anyway.
@Dansrockin Can I suggest you take the panniers off and sell them separately ? I sold a set on Ebay for £200 a few weeks back and there were quite a few people after them. It wont take £200 of the value of the rest of the bike and no effort to do it.
Thanks for the idea. I guess I could do that with the exhausts too, as I still have the original ones.
Definitely do that. I saw an ST2 from 1999 sell on Ebay recently , spares & repairs , went for about £950 I think so if you can sell the exhaust and panniers prior you should do ok. Good luck.
I'd price up a complete engine and gearbox from a working bike, compare the cost to how much you would loose by selling as spares or repair then decide. The engine on these can be removed pretty easily compared to other bikes. You could change the gearbox alone but it's a lot more involved.
Hi all, thanks for all the replies, in the end I decided it was just going to be too expensive to get it sorted, so I managed to swap it for a triumph sprint st. Not as nice to ride as the Duke but still a nice bike. Fingers crossed I'll get another Ducati one day though! Thanks again
Hi guys, I purchased Dan's bike and decided to 'get into Ducati' having had zero experience with these bikes. I stripped the bike almost down to the frame, repaired a lot of minor stuff after cleaning things, which my dad always said was part of fixing it. Then stripped the motor and got quotes for the bits that needed replacing, simple stuff like bearings, seals, gears and it came in at a whopping £4.5k. So I trimmed it down to the 'absolutely necessary' which reduced the quote to £2.5k. That was obviously unacceptable so I replaced the entire motor with a used one in fantastic condition.... for £450 and she's back on the road!!!!! Thanks Dan for a super bike!!! Total fun has begun.
Glad you got it sorted in the end! Where did you manage to find an engine for £450!! I could only find one st4s engine for sale, and that was over £1200! Still, glad it's back on the road and being put to good use!
