Hello, so been trawling the internet and forum for the existing wealth of information but I was not sure about the depreciation rates besides it being quite high. I am considering getting a 749, as I should be doing less commutes now so can have a bike purely for fun. I have never had a superbike before, so it could be interesting to me. Hence I was wondering what the rate of depreciation is? If I get one (a superbike) and find that it isnt what I am really after, I would rather not lose too much (if any) cash. It is part of the attraction for the 749 as they are affordable 2nd hand (within my budget). My safe option was to get a monster (always wanted one), as I am a fan of naked semi-faired bikes to throw around the A and B roads. My riding will now change (hopefully) from urban and A road commute (30mins) to pure riding for pleasure and commute in a tin box (new company perk). I will be relocating to Europe, so it is touring time with it too over the weekends, to pop into nearby towns/cities to have a look see. Which is where I am concerned about on the heat and poor mirrors as small country lanes in Europe, this could be a pain. And there are alot of traffic jams from my past German experience. Although, I think this may be a purchase from the heart rather than the brain!
One of the joys of buying older bikes is the almost total lack of depreciation and who cares if it means your bike has not got the latest hypersonic module variator anyway ? Yesterday`s technology tomorrow ! That`s my motto so just go and buy it.
You're looking at about the right age of bike... the 749/999 is a wonderful looking thing, it's a beauty to ride and feels "special" (not Joey Deacon special, kinda cool...). I was looking last year for a 749 and about £3k seemed the rock bottom price back then. I got my 2003 S for a deal, because it needed an ECU and has subsequently required that ECU repair, a fairing side, a pair of tyres, a major service, a battery and some repairs to the wiring for the rear indicators. I've also fitted Öhlins front, back and on the steering and converted it from biposto to monoposto. Some days I hate the bloody thing as it's a sod to start and is pretty much the epitome of the Italian highly strung prima donna ("I'm not coming out to play, go away!")... but when you walk in the garage and look at the shape, and take in the lean engineering... when you fire it up and it barks at you angrily and sounds better (by better I just mean more!) than about anything else, and when you set off and marvel at how it feels, how alive and flawed and how it both derides and flatters your abilities... you can't beat it. (disclaimer: I also get a similar feeling from the 748 and the 750... I think it is a Ducati thing - and the Scrambler I test rode felt pretty cool too... I just wanted to go around roundabouts and giggle like an idiot - but the 749 almost has this weird, science-fiction shouldn't-really-have-been-built feeling...). The only reason for not buying one is that pretty much anything will look and feel bland afterwards... and unless you're trying to run it on a very tight budget (you should budget for good quality servicing, tyres etc. as you won't want to compromise either the experience or the residuals - great if you can do it yourself but any buyer is going to feel reassured to see either a main dealer or specialist service history) then I cannot see that you'll be disappointed, if this is the experience you're seeking. They're not a GSX-R or a Blade or a ZX-9... I have a couple of Jap IL4's also and as fine as they are they are very different. Don't wait, summer is ticking and you'll have so much fun on a 749. Go into it with a light heart and read up on their foibles, and then enjoy the ownership experience. BTW: ignore all of the yellow/red/black slowest/fastest BS... buy on condition and service history rather than the shape and colour of its swingarm (although early yellow bikes are better and cooler than those late red jellymould things ). Good luck! (oh, and if the original mirrors are not to your liking, Ducati Performance versions are available with built-in blinkers that offer a much better viewing angle. Mine came with these fitted and I periodically pine for the iconic originals but so far have resisted! The heat thing is NOTHING like as bad as on my 748, that thing cooks my bum and legs in traffic!)
Cheers for the responses and additional info. Fire3500, you kinda sold it to me now Good point on maintenance cost, as I do most of mine now so that saves alot; not sure about Ducatis though. Never had one before. I had a look and decided the one that I was looking at wasnt worth the price as it was missing some history, key, and had some damage to it. There were much better quality ones for not much more. Have looked around abit more and seen another of interest although they tend to be abit at the higher price of what I was looking to spend. Having a debate with mates whether it should be a Benelli Tornado, 954 Fireblade, R1 or an early Multistrada. Still keen on the 749 (no real rational reason, aspirational goal I guess) .
My Tornado certainly gets more looks than the 999 but they're both very special and I wouldn't part with either of them. I'd say the Benelli makes a better all-round road bike whilst the Duc is lighter, handles better and mostly wants to do corners...
Running a ducati doesn't have to cost an arm AND a leg. My 05 999 is coming up to 30,000 trouble free miles, a lot of it 2up trips. It goes away when the salt comes out. I change oil/filter every spring. The belts are changed every 3 seasons, shims done every 6 seasons via top independant . I shop around for consumables and blinged it up via eBay. I don't count what I spend on it but it could be a lot more.
very nice bike! So after having a look chat and negotiations, we couldnt come to a price that worked for both of us so no 749 for me. Although, they are surprisingly cheaper in EU so might still pick one up in the near future. Cheers for all the help but looks like my adventure will be delayed for a few weeks, possibly months before I can pick up a fun bike.
