Hi forum members. I have a Ducati itch I need to scratch! I've accepted a deposit on the Buell and am officially Duke hunting! I'm looking at the 749. Due to their much debated looks you can seem to pick them up for similar money to a 748 with similar miles. Having owned a Buell the unorthodox looks appeal to me! Apart from the obvious, is there anything I should particularly look for when checking the bike? What sort of things should I expect to be included in the sale? I hope to get one with owners manual, service book and spare key but I've read about Code Cards? Thanks for your help. Great looking forum. COH555
They are a pretty robust engine so apart from the obvious checks damage etc then in no particular order Service history always nice to see but as I always say a service history is only as good as its last service lol Red key although in all my days I have never needed it!
Good bikes..... My gloss black 749S goes to the dealer next week in part ex for an 848 but only because I really really need one of those!
Great bikes, what year would you be looking at? Although there are differing opinions on this I went for the 2005 model with the black swing arm, different fairings and i think there were engine mods too. From what i searched when looking at buying mine there were comments regarding some issues with the previous models (Grey swing arm), but maybe worth speaking to someone who owns this model. Had mine for nearly 5 years now and enjoy every ride and has been pretty reliable in this time. As JC749 said thought about selling mine, but i am unable to part with it. The best bike I've ever owned.
As an owner of a 03 749, they are beauts to have! Go for an 05 onwards, less issue with coils and ECUs. As I've learnt from experience and from this forum, preventative maintenance is the best maintenance: fuel pump relay. I've not had many issues with mine apart from a dodgy ECU. Getting a good battery is a must as it's a pig to turn over when in cold weather.
Thanks for the feedback guys. Just missed out on a 2005 this weekend so back to the drawing board. It was an '05, 4k, £3250. Also watching one on E-Bay which finishes in a couple of days. I'm a little wary as there is very little info, only 1 picture & the seller only has 2 feed backs! Here's the link: ducati 749 2005 only 2000 miles immaculate | eBay Also considering a late 748 though I'm a little concerned that reliability may not be as good as the 49.
After 10 years of 749 ownership the only things that have gone wrong are: Front stick coil - water ingress. Swapped for 2006 type with long lead Rear Sub-frame Cracked. Common problem with early monoposto, replaced at cost by Ducati. Paint on Headlight Casting Flaking. Easy Diy fix to strip and repaint. Flaky Engine paint. A Ducati "feature" Earth Lead. Run a 2nd earth to the engine, helps starting Starter Motor/solenoid +ve Lead. Clean and use silicon grease on all high current terminals, helps starting. Make sure you get one with a good history and recent service. TPS reset and valves set to tightest tolerance. Compared with the 748 the riding position is more relaxed with less weight on wrists, the engine is more refined and loves to be revved. Most of all enjoy it. Duke
Yes agree with all above, make sure before you buy you get to hear it start and tick over from cold. Check when belts were last done and check clutch for non slippage. If you have a chance take fairing of an check condition of paint, wires etc. if all clean it show a caring owner. Check rear shock as well it's not leaking. Other than that not much else can go wrong and enjoy the many hours of polishing, riding and tickering. Dead easy to work on.
Good point, but the 749 is a better "real world" bike. Handles slightly better imho due to the 180 rear tyre, better gearing for the road, and has a smoother more tractable engine.
But you have to cog down for overtakes. Had both but 999 defo wins for me. It's fast but not stupid fast (or I've just got used to it over 7 years).
The 05 on 749S with red frame/black arm/facelift fairing(also in gloss Black) has a bit more power at 116bhp(extra 8 horses over the base749) and better suspension(all showa same as base 999). They don't come up for sale very often though.
Thanks again for the feedback. Haven't totally discounted the 999 but the 749 is more than enough grunt for me & it will be cheaper to insure. Still searching!
With a 3.5k budget it might be worth waiting till winter? As before it might be worth getting the 05 onwards bikes, whether thats 749 or 999. £3.5-4k should get a nice 2005+ 749S in a few months time i'd have thought?
Mine goes to the dealers tomorrow and collecting the 848 Corse finally. Seems like an age since I agreed to buy it!
