Hello people, I’m new to the forum and anything Ducati forthat matter so please be nice, :smile:. I’ve been riding bike for about 4 years now and all ways hadsingles or inline fours which are great in their own right but I’m after somethinga bit more involving. I’ve always like the look of the 748/916 but could never bringmyself to take the plunge and buy one as like many people new to the Ducatiseen I have come across to many horror storeys. But I’m beginning to think theycan’t all be true (can they?) So I come to you for your expert advice before I do the deed.I don’t have a lot of cash so ill be looking at an early 748. Is there anythingthat I should be looking out for, should I go for one that has been used regularlywith highish mileage or something that has low mileage but may be all seized up? Is there anything that is common to wear out or go wrong? Any help would be much appreciated as I really don’t want toget my finger burnt.
Welcome to the Forum Jay. Personally I'm not to bothered about the mileage so long as the bike has a good service record, my 748 has just done 33,075 miles now and it is well looked after, Most common faults are chrome flaking off the rockers which are expensive to replace at £125 each, mine has had 5 replaced in 33000 miles, the other common problem can be the regulator and the cables to it from the generator although I would imagine most early bikes will have had them upgraded by now. Generally they are a good reliable bike like anything else there is likely to be a few bad ones about. Keep asking questions on here until you are happy to make your purchase. Steve. PS Remember they are getting on in age now and if a bike has been kept outdoors or used regularly in the wet there could be the odd corroded connector in the wiring.
Thanksfor getting back birdie. So aslong as it has good service history and its not to scabby the millage is not soimportant? Is there any way of telling what state therockers are in from just listing to the engine or can you only tell if the topend is opened up?
I'd ask whether the rockers have been checked recently along with valve clearances. There is no way to check the rockers other than pull the bike apart.
Got me worried now. When they wear out do they not get muchlouder or course the bike to have difficulty in starting?
No , it is such a thin sliver of Chrome that it makes no difference to the running but will wear out the rocker and cam profile much quicker.
look for a post 1997 model as I understand that they have better electric's and have less issues .... I believe. I've had 6 Ducati from 748, 996, 749 & 999. Only 1 has ever broken down, a snapped throttle cable while on the yard getting ready for a ride. I'm a fair weather rider, and do not cover massive miles. Please don't be put off by scare stories from those people who have never owned a Ducati. There are good and bad Ducati, just like there are plenty of good and bad jap bikes. Use good common sense as if you were buying anything : Something owned by a few people, and not had new owners every 6 months Something that looks like it's been cared for Something with a reasonable service history
Ok I may have found a bike, would you say 30k miles withpart service history is worth a look or would you stay clear of it? Oh and its had a new owner just under every 2 years.
how many owners? if its a 97 bike that' a fair few every 2 years........ This looks clean and it's a R http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-W-re...5885808?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4ab813cef0
Unfortunately it is a factor in buying any 4 valvers around that time that managed to duck under the radar (luckily for Ducati) for a lot of first time buyers Jay . As said, initially it's very hard to detect any difference, a lot of owners could own a bike with chrome flaking or worn/matted up faces on opener rockers without even knowing. If left unattended the first alarm signal could be increased rocker clearance* which would manifest itself in deterioration in performance and slightly more difficult start up. *could also just mean it's coming up for a standard shim adjust.
Well I bought a bike, 30k on the clocks but it’s not long had a big service by a Ducati specialist, belts, shims, bearing and all that. I’m happy with it. Got it home and striped all the plastics and tank off it and had a good poke around all looks good. Stops starts and rides in a straight line. Finger crossed.
Well done jay it didn't take long, it sounds as though its been looked after by the last owner. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. Steve
Enjoy it, mate. Who did the big service? With any luck that should ensure you get some fun out of your new bike.
Where's the piccies then? What flavour is it? Strawberry or Lemon? You don't say whether you have any spanner skills but these things should be done fairly quickly for peace of mind. Shopping list. Oil (Motul 15-50 300v). Filter. Remove clean/inspect strain filter bolt... Plugs NGK Iridium's, Fuel filter & green tank seal (don't neglect this, it will bite you if you do, not a nice job but gives peace of mind, check/replace pump rubber pipes at same time) check air filters clean/replace as required. If you're feeling brave remove belt covers and inspect belt tension/condition. Replace brake/clutch fluid, check pads. You don't say how much MOT is on it so if you're concerned about anything cycle wise for the price of 30 quid run it up the MOT station and get the low down. Apologies if you know all this. Winter'l soon be here so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the nice warm sunshine! Enjoy.
I’ll get some picks up soon. The service was done by Ducati john upnorth. As far as skill go I’m a mechanic by trade so I’ve done the oil andfilters (Motul 15-50 7100), brake and clutch fluid and checked the airfilters. I haven’t done anything with the fuel system yet, what exactly should Ibe looking out for? It has 12 months MOT on it already but I gave it a good going overmyself just for peace of mind. The only things I could see was a little oilleak from the rear cylinders valve cover thingy, could do with some new brakepads, the low fuel light does not work and a little bit of corrosion on theengine.
Ive not used Ducati John myself,but he has a good rep,so that stands you in good stead.I just hope you havent wasted your money on a yellow one.....
Jay, the rockers fitted to the 748s around MY00 which were built when the 996 came out were from a component supplier suffering from QA problems and are the ones which have the greatest failure rate. These are the ones which really established the dreaded flaking rocker tales. Anecdotally, early ones and very late ones have much better rocker wear rates (when they are maintained at the correct clearances) but all are susceptible if they are not maintained. The advice has always been to let the bike warm up for at least a couple of minutes before using it and never put substandard oil it. My MY02 built in 2001 has had no rockers replaced and it just passed 30k miles BTW. Ducati John has a very good reputation and if he did the top end he would have spotted, noted or fixed them.
Thanks for the advice, as far as oil goes I try and always useMotul 7100 in my bikes as I have found this to be one of the best I came across. My bike is a late 98 model so fingers crossed with some loveand care it should be ok then.
