Change the springs front and rear, stick on a 17" rear wheel and you can enjoy it on the road. Be prepared to carry a bottle of oil with you if you are riding more than a few hundred miles, and be prepared for fuel stops every 60-70 miles if you don't get the tank enlarged. If you really want to enjoy it, get it on a track but you'll have to go to Europe where they aren't so sensitive about noise levels. The big circuits suit it best ... Misano, Mugello and Portimao were my faves
I'm so jealous, had a 125 in those colours and would love the 250. I had a regiani 250 for a few years and it was brilliant!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A bottle of oil every few hundred miles? Bloody hell. Worse than my 250! When you got the 15000 mile service done for free did you find out how much it would have cost had you had to pay yourself?
About as much as a new panigale... TBF we went to Germany and got all the way there and it didn't need oil oil the following day
Not a whole bottle every few hundred miles but it needs topping-up after a full day or two of riding :-/
No I didn't. I away from home at the mo but I'll take a look at the paperwork when I'm home next week and see if there are any clues there.
I was looking at one today which has a problem with sticking throttle bodies. Apparently a known issue with the earlier ones and if not covered by warranty costs in the region of £4000 to put right. Carole describes the costs of servicing and putting things right as "reassuringly expensive". Can't make my mind up if that is satire or cynicism. Andy
These bikes are something different from the norm. The shear sight of mine makes me tingle every time. If you're only going to do 1500-2000miles per season's riding, it's no biggy to worry about oil consumption/servicing costs as they are more or less the same as any other Ducati. Yes, the 15k service is big money, but you'd have 8-10 years to save for it - if you need to save for it... Yes, they are stiff as concrete and you notice it straight from pulling away - the gearbox is silky smooth too as is the power delivery - it's actually a comfortable bike to sit on and ride. Most folks change the front springs for 9 or 9.5kg rates, the rear is probably less of an issue as the stiffness of the frame is felt more through the front end. If you get one, take it to a specialist that knows their shit and have it set up for you. Rear tyres is an issue, as in you can't get them.. Swap the rear wheel for a 17" item and your issue is no more. Plenty to choose from: OZ, BST, Rotobox, PVM, Marchesini. Re: buying - be careful!! Some will have been ragged and never cared for - Yes these bike benefit from being ridden hard and they do thank you for it, but they have to be cared for. Early models have a number of issues: Failing ECU's (fires), sticking throttle bodies, broken return valve springs. Get all the history you can on the bike: Any dealer can search the Ducati register if you give them the chassis number. Check services are sensible with the mileage, if not get a very good reason why. Ducati HQ will verify the chassis/Engine number and make sure it's not been report to them as being stolen or had a new engine (not necessarily a bad thing). Also HPI it... Aim for bike after 800, as late as you can possibly get. Plenty on ebay just now - as well as SL's... funny that!! These bikes are bought with your heart. They have zero safety (other than brakes) or electronics to keep you out the crap and ride nothing like a traditional Ducati. That's cool if you know what your doing/getting in to, but these bikes will bite if you push them, and push it you will - the noise is addictive.
Ive considered one of these previously but the eye watering running costs vs performance TO ME isn't justifiable. Lovely though.
As I haven't used mine this year due to enjoying the 1098R so much, I pulled it out and ran it up for a while about a month ago. Just seeing and hearing it again reminds me why I keep it.
It is lovely. I bought it with just 700 miles "as an investment" but have already put about 1200 extra on in 6 months (as a second bike). Really fun to ride. Once I've put enough miles on it that it is no longer an investment I think I will do some track days.
Facebook just reminded me of this from 3 years ago. An enlarged tank made the bike much more usable ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I can't remember the litre-age (it is in a post on here somewhere) but it took the effective fuel range up to about the same as regular Ducati v-twin Superbikes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi, I see you've got your Desmo now, well done. Here is a picture of four of us this year at Pizza Italia. Mine is the closest one on the left and @Dave bike with the extended tank is one the right. Could have been an expensive accident when I was the last of the four to slot into the X downhill
Nice! One of those looks familiar. Good friend went to Goodwood a few weeks ago and sent me this picture (knew how much I liked the D16). Said he spent a while chatting to the owner who apparently used it as it was designed to be used!
Beater of Japan will make you a stunning alu tank to order. As far as I know, they are the same capacity as standard, but I'm sure you can ask them to do an increased capacity version. They're not cheap at around 2k, but you can probably get some of that back if you sell your OEM unit. DUCATI DESMOSEDICI-RR Aluminum tank | BEATER-JAPAN　- Aluminum tank -
