That is a work of art! With the 853 conversion, Neil Spalding talks about that being the perfect balance between the lively, revvy nature of the 748 and the torque of the 916, 996.
If you have come from big IL4 Japs you may find the 748 under powered. I have just come from a '99 600 SRAD to a 2001 996BP and I'm not blown away by the power, although she is deceptively fast. I was never going to buy one because I could not justify the servicing costs but when I figured out my millage per year and factored in depreciation it made more sense to go for a 996 than a newer bike. And its the bike I had on my wall growing up so I'm finally realising a 20 year dream. Roll on fricking summer!
If OP has the budget for that very nice 748R then that opens up a lot of ducati options.Around the 8K mark you get 848 evo corse,1098S or the later supersport R.You might even find the odd 916SP or 916/996SPS for that money. Nice example and nothing to do with me . Ducati 749R 2004reg Carbon model with full engine race kit & close ratio gearbox | eBay
I'd rather have the 748R 853 the only thing that might trump it is a 998. Though with the R's and the SPS's you're talking more about collectables with very high servicing costs, don't think that's really the route the OP was looking at.
Thanks to everyone for such a comprehensive set of replies...... Too many to quote individually but I really appreciate all the input, certainly seems like you're a friendly and knowledgable bunch After much careful consideration (and plenty of wavering along the way), the winner is: 848 Although I was originally set on (and budgeted for), a "916 shape" for the design, the advice about maintenance, age, potential mechanical woes etc has convinced me to go more modern. I really dislike the 749 series so 848 it is. Budget won't really stretch to EVO prices so a nice standard well maintained example is the target. No contest on the colour, it has to be red (they are faster than the white ones I hear )..... Now the fun of the hunt starts in earnest Cheers again!
748R / 853R - Sigma Performance the 998R was out but it's a fair point things do move on, the 1098 etc perform better, just personal preference on it over the 999 and 1098 series, a 998 would trump it, probably a Panigale would too.
Enjoy should be easier to get on with after il4s and all dukes are very nice really.I would still test ride a few different dukes and make your own mind up.Dont let forum sway you too much as some of the info just don't stack up. 748 disaster waiting to happen and R SPS bikes are high service costs.Hmmm really.Ive owned a 916SPS for 7 yrs and spent about £2000 on servicing (over serviced and most of that cost labour) by official ducati dealers.Thats about £285 a year.Big deal.Its no garage queen either having covered 34,000 mls. If I was buying into ducati now id probably go the 848/1098 route also.Still new tech really, trellis frame and midrange grunt that the latest superbike dukes seem to have lost. Would the OP budget stretch to 1098 base model.Would be good to test ride along with a 848.
How the 999 Nearly Killed Ducati | Ducati News Today but I personally like them, especially up close. I was under the impression that after a fall in sales and moaning from Ducatisti they asked one of Terblanche's juniors to expand the designs he did for the 1098 after a competition in-house to replace the 999 series and boost sales, and it ended up looking like a smoother more modern Tamburini design. But probably in the grand scheme of things maybe they sold ok, just recall that being the story of the time.
there's this..... How the Ducati Superbike 999 Wasn’t a Sales Flop & Other Ducati Superbike Sales Statistics
Ah that old chestnut - the sales figures show otherwise, published figures for the launch year they out sold the 916
I don't think I have ever picked up a demo that has had more than a couple fluid ounces of fuel in it
