I am looking at a 2014 (14 plate) 899, 3300 miles, which has a slight anomaly in the service record. The first service was carried out fine, the second was then due 12 months later, in May 2015, or at 7500 miles, whichever came first. So, the "timed" service, which came first and was due in May '15, wasn't carried out - the selling dealer assures me that the service they will carry out before sale will deal with everything and "reset" the service clock. I see the sense in that argument but just wanted to check I wasn't missing something. Sorry for the noob nature of the query.
I don't think I'd have a problem with that as long it's cheaper than bikes that have been serviced on the dot. Plus I doubt you would be able to claim on the warranty from Ducati if it's missed one service. That ends in May anyway though but same again it needs to be cheaper than alternative bikes.
It's a concern if previous owner has cut corners - what else did they do? Also I've had bad experience from a selling garage saying they'll do a full service only to find they cause more problems than fix. Now unless it's Ducati main dealer or a known Ducati specialist I'd rather not let a random garage touch the bike and get a discount appropriate to get it properly checked and sorted.
Thanks both, very sound advice. i too was uncomfortable with what else the previous owner had let slip and this, coupled with the fact that the dealer was not a Ducati specialist, put me off. I have now found, and put a deposit on, a similarly spec'd model, but with a full main dealer service history. A few more miles on it but some added extras and appears to have been much better cared for so happy times (I hope...) Thanks again for your help.
Good choice and good luck. Condition is more important than mileage - always. There is no correlation. I drove several hours to see a bike once which had only 800 miles on the clock and told was a "great example". The true condition was embarrassing for a 10 year old bike with 80,000 miles. I'm guessing driven on salty winter roads (or out at sea?) and never been cleaned and probably left outside as corrosion was so bad the bolts on the front of the block the metal on the threads was starting to flake off in chunks! It needed a nut and bolt rebuild to clean it up and it was still technically in warranty i think.
You could always nego with the dealer to get a price of a service at Ducati centre included, and them get them to check it over for any potential warranty issues given that it'll run out in 3 months anyway
You can bet your bottom dollar that whoever put that bike in for part ex took a hit from the dealer because a service stamp was missing. With dealers it matters when they buy but is not a problem when they sell.
Yeah, I bet I can picture the sales guy now sucking through his teeth and moaning about resale values Bet that cost the seller £500
Pfft! Fucking get it bought! How hard a life can it have had? If it has had two services within that time, at least one of which is with a dealer, use it as a bargaining tool and enjoy in good health
