916 Buying Advice

Discussion in 'Newbies Hangout' started by Duke Dan, Jan 24, 2016.

  1. Hi

    I'm just in the process of buying my first Ducati, going to see a 916 (my dream bike) on Friday, what should I be looking out for? I have read of electrical problems if the battery goes flat (I know the one I'm looking at has just had a new battery), what potential problems could I encounter?

    Thanks,

    Dan.
     
    #1 Duke Dan, Jan 24, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2016
  2. Hi Dan.Theres the obvious condition of the bike/price thing to weigh up but I would say the most important TWO things are regular servicing with quality oil and regular use.Welcome by the way.
     
  3. I notice you mentioned the E word.Ive had my 916 for getting on 8 years now.I replaced the reg/rec not long after I got the bike,poor battery/cacky wiring.A good winter job is to check/clean wiring connectors.The charging system isnt the best on the earlier models but if the battery is kept up to charge and the connectors clean ,then it should be okay.
     
  4. As above plus belt service and rockers, belt service is every two years, have they been done recently and have the rockers and cams been checked as the rockers are known for flaking and can be expensive to replace, it is a known problem so be aware. You might be lucky it's pot luck some bikes have never had a problem.
    Steve
     
  5. Thank you very much for your replies. The bike I'm looking at is a 98 biposto. It was serviced 5 years ago and has only done 200 miles since so not been regularly taken out at all. What sort of bill do you think I would be handed should the rockers need replacing?
     
  6. Dan, rockers are around £100 each, however, the rocker problem affected 916s the least of that family of bikes particularly ones built in 95-97 like yours most likely was. On a previous forum we polled the issue and found less than half the 26 916s reported on had a rocker fail and none of those had more than 2 go, the bikes most affected were 99/00 built 996s and 748s. Chances are if you were unlucky enough to have them go they would have shown up by now (if the servicing is correct - why a service history with a good Ducati agent is essential).

    The Achilles heel for the bike is the ac plug with the yellow wires behind the battery, if this is less than 100% clean and tight the reg/rec will break down and you will either lose charge or overcharge the battery depending on the rectifier or regulator breaking, a symptom of this is the reg/rec overheating. Overcharging can melt the battery, undercharging just means you break down. Simple rule of thumb is if the regulator (located behind the v shaped right fairing lower air intake) gets quite hot to touch there is an issue which will lead to the regulator failing (unless it has failed already). Keeping the battery well charged 100% of the time helps but if that connector is not 100% on each of the connecting pins the regulator has only a short time before it will fail. Sensible owners will change that plug for a clamping connector with quite a high electrical current capacity. When you check the bike it takes 10 seconds to pop the fairing off (6 zeus fasteners) and you can see if the yellow wires are stained or burnt at the connector.
     
    #6 Denzil the Ducati, Jan 24, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2016
  7. It's worth taking a small torch with you and having a good look in the fuel tank also. Fuel filters are in tank and are often neglected at service intervals. Rust is not a good sign, obviously.

    You say it has been stood for the last 5 years I would try and negotiate a good service at least off the asking price (think £1000) minimum. Belts, valve gear, fuel/air/oil filters, fork/engine oil, coolant etc etc. Possibly new tyres as they can go hard/crack after a period of time. If the rockers need doing you can add perhaps half as much again, how long is a piece of string ......

    As always, good reputable history helps with making the right decision. As does a good test ride, I'm guessing you will be able to ride it? Dealer/private? If not, haggle hard and walk if you don't like the numbers etc ..... Better to wait for the right bike is perhaps my best advice if you're not 100% sure.

    Good luck
     
  8. Thanks for such detailed advice. I will be sure to thoroughly check the electrics and upgrade as required, the rockers however are a little beyond my capabilities i think. hopefully i get a good one where they don't need replacing
     
  9. Hi Greyman,

    I will be looking at and test riding on Friday. It is a private sale but from a colleague at work so I know a bit of history. For sure the bike will need a full service and I know it needs new tyres so I need to factor this in the price.

    It is a yellow one, i believe they are less desirable than red, do you find that the yellow ones generally sell for less money?
     
  10. Hey

    Was exactly the same boat as you Nov 2014 and asked loads of advice and forgot it all halfway through the test ride and bought it regardless of no service history and needing a service and not checking 1/2 the stuff I asked about as I fell head over heals in love.

    My thread at the time:
    http://ducatiforum.co.uk/forum/threads/996-advice-please.28011/

    Re-rockers. I had 2 gone on my 2001 996 at the last service. I kind gent on here sold me both for £30 delivered and the garage fitted no issues.

    My service in December for belts/oil/oil filter/ fitting 2xrockers/valve check and adjustment/fuel filter/air filters/back brake bleed was £789. That was £60ph +VAT.

    You may want (probably should) add tyres on that and front brake fluid change and clutch fluid. I did them myself.

    You can drop that a bit if you supply your own belts from @Exige and get the garage to fit them.

    If the belts are 5 years old you can ask him to start the bike to hear it running before handing over the cash but i'd be taking it straight to a garage in the back of a van.

    The BIG service for the rockers/valves is every 6k mls, the belts are every 2 years (some say 3 is fine)

    Post up the service history it has, current millage, etc.

    Where are you? Would be worth taking along someone who knows the bikes.

    I also made a little list:
    Cush drives - replace them and buy better aftermarket carrier
    Rec connectors - as above
    Coolant bottle leaks - replace item from ducati
    Rockers - use good oil and if a problem newman cams can sort it
    Sidestand - use plastic puck to stop wear to bottom and keep a eye on sidestand bracket
    Fuel pump relay under seat - cover with plastic bag if you wash it good and spray a bit of wd40 in em
    Get service guys to check your alternator nut torque every service
     
  11. Apparently so, tho I'm not sure why really, they still look pretty good IMHO if they're looked after, but they can look their age if neglected, as can the red ones but no-one seems to mind!

    It's red, it's faster. :Sorry:

    ;)
     
  12. I would be taking the test ride really easy if it's been a long time since the belts have been changed.

    I would however start it with the lights on and Rev the engine and check for the headlights getting brighter and brighter as the revs rise, this indicates a potential Reg/Rec issue.

    Also yes, look for Cush drives and see if they have started to come out of the back of the Cush drive.

    Otherwise just budget for a full service from a specialist that knows what they are doing.

    Btw, I also ask the seller to start the bike to see how he starts it, if he is the sort that dials in a ton of revs on a cold engine etc. Colleague or not this can seriously hurt Ducati l-twins where they can take 90 seconds to get oil circulating properly around all parts of the cylinder heads.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  13. A yellow 916 is quite a rare beast, in 8 years of owning Ducatis I have only ever seen one. I will assume therefore that it is a UK spec MY98 bip, Falloon lists only 141 UK examples (40 built in 97 and 101 in 98). I would not say it was any less desirable than a red one and due to its rarity the opposite may be true.
    If you need recommendations for someone to do a service post up roughly where you are, there are some top non franchised specialists who do as good if not better work for much less than the dealers. Best in the SW is Rich Llewellyn at Louigi Moto west of Bath
     
  14. I didn't know they made yellow ones even, never seen one! A lot of 748's and 996's were red - and 998's of course which are worth more in yellow :D
     
  15. Will do Phil, thanks for your help
     
  16. I am just outside Cambridge. The closest place to me advertising Ducati servicing is St Neots Motorcycles - Suzuki Motorcycles in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire they say mechanics are factory trained
     
  17. Some on hear rate them very highly. I think I read the have just lost their Ducati franchise, or it may just be other Ducati franchise's are opening around that area soon. I don't think it would matter unless you are worried about the stamp in the book. Personally, I'd rather go somewhere who has a mechanic that has been working on 916's for the last 20 years and knows them inside out than a shinny dealership. But that may be just me. I can't see a new mechanic arriving at a Ducati franchise being trained on a 916 engine.
     
  18. Yeah, as others have said, don't go to a 'new' Ducati dealership, speak to a technician who has 20 years experience because they are very different bikes to the new stuff
     
  19. Welcome Dave :)
     
  20. Is BSD at Peterborough too far from you? Before I started servicing my bikes myself I used to always take mine there. Mark there knows Ducati`s inside out.

    Good luck with the 916 buy. As others have said, as long as you factor in what you need to spend then you`ll be okay. I bought my 996 in 2013 and dropped about £2k on it in the first 6 months. But I factored most of that into the price I paid. There were a few surprises though such as battery & clutch. But things like the belts, full service, brake fluid, pads, chain/sprockets & tyres etc I was happy to do as it meant I had piece of mind as I knew everything had been replaced new and ready to go.
     
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