For me at tickover its the repeat tedium of having to explain to concerned onlookers that 'they all sound like that pal'....... Everything else with a Ducati, you just take on the chin....
The way other riders think that WE think we're better because we choose to ride a Ducati....if that makes sense :smile:
Nothing really puts me off, however cost of set of testastretta belts is a fooking rip off. I don't subscribe to the 2 year 12k rule if the bike is used regularly no reason they wont last a good few years longer. (Cue the doom mongers) And this is coming from someone who has dealt with a main bearing failure. I'm sure someone on here has an S4R or S4RS still on its original belts!
On the subject of belts........I would have been happier with chains or gear driven cams; however, as I have belts, yep, I reckon they are a pain..... .....currently soon to check how a new set stood up to usage over 2.5 years............ The ones before them were changed because although I think they had been replaced inside 3 years, I wasn't sure; so examining them closely wasn't going to be the real story.......(they don't look worn at all....just a slight compression of the 'fabric pattern' on the tops of the teeth). ...........when I pull the current pair off, I can then do a comparison, with the earlier ones and the new ones.......but I doubt whether it will tell me if they could last for more than 2.5 years.......... AL
+1 on the belts..i wonder how much money ive squandered on having them changed...also due to the vibration you always have to keep your eye on all of the nuts and bolts...even the rear wheel will undo itself.. The other day one of my Ti sprocket nuts was missing! today my number plate is loose (which might come in handy)... Oh and my biggest gripe is Ducati bollock or Ducati helmet..you know what im talking about boys..Big Jim and the Twins take a right battering on occasion... The other thing about Ducatis is that you never really trust them..i dont really trust any bike..i dont trust the idiot lights.. That said, both 916's ive owned have never really given me much trouble in term of reliability or break downs..i had my chain snap a cpl of months ago, but that was the chain..couldve been fitted to any bike.\ Incredibly enough the most unreliable bike ive iwned was a blade..constant electrical gremilins right up until the point the after market metmachex single sided swingarm snapped at 120mph nearly killing me. loved the bike at the time..i look back now and shudder at what a twitchy piece of shit it was.
yeah, got nowhere.. SPR in ruddington have got some photos of what was left..they picked me up from the roadside..somehow i wasnt killed. Metmachex=Shit
Cost of belt services is a pain - ok so I take my bike to the dealer, rather than getting my hands dirty, but an extra-costly extra-fiddly service every other year is something I'd rather do without. The way Ducati is heading down the same "lifestyle-branding-route-to-naffness" as e.g. Ferrari (Ducati aftershave etc - see other threads) is also an offputting aspect of the brand. Neither is sufficient to put me off buying another Ducati in due course, assuming they continue to make little Monsters with low seats, or even a Diavel, when I finally have to replace the current bike. So far in the 4 years of ownership of my 696, it has been far more reliable than its Japanese predecessor (400 Bandit) which had various electrical problems over the years, and being a grey import, if it needed parts there was often a wait of a few weeks for bits to come from Japan, and a lot of garages wouldn't touch it.
As others have said the flip up side stand which is a nonsense (easily modded), belt changes every 2 years are a pain, apart from that nothing, everyone else seems to respect you for riding one, even non- bikers seem to love them.
If there's one thing that puts me off....yes there is and it terrifies me... ...not being able to afford to have one with me till the end of my time.
true...people with nondescript Jap il4's (who seem to change them whenever they can get finance for the next one) dont know what theyre missing. it isnt about the spec sheet for me.. As others have seen, no other brand would make me swap, however i would consider donating some garage space for a KTM.
