"Lower Maintenance" on Ducatis?

[st ryder]

What surprises me a great deal is the one word that no I do not think has been mentioned in this thread and that is PASSION!   As a Buell Lightning owner, I check the oil level, adjust the tire pressure and ride vigorously.  Very simple, very enjoyable, and very, very fun.

However, my heart beats to the Ducati Drum and I am proud to be a Ducati aficionado!   I love the brand, their bikes, their gear, the whole thing.  The 2009 Streetfighter S rocks my world in a way that is definitely not suitable for a family website!  Does this make me elitist?  Does this make me foolish because I will one day pay more for a Ducati than for a brand from either Japan, Germany, or America?  Absolutely NOT, because Ducati stirs my passion and that's more than enough for me.  There are many great bikes and some pretty crappy ones out there, but motocycling is passion and not transportation for me, so choosing the brand (Ducati) that stirs my soul is more than enough reason for me to lay out my hard earned cash regardless of the quantity.

Elitist!  

[Orson]

Elitist!  

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

[dagor6]

It's like owning a Ferrari over a Corvette or a Stealth. Respective owners can argue stats and featues ad-nauseum, but the biggest difference is intangible. Anyone who cannot understand, can (and probaboy does):

Drink wine out of a box.

Buy their clothes at Walmart.

Play a Squier guitar.

Celebrate something by having a Steakhouse Burger.

Wear a Sears suit to an important job interview.

I hate that kind of thinking, I buy Ducati's because they're better. It's the kind of thinking that kept ducati making 749/999 POS's for so long, thinking it was "good enough" for a ferrari. Sorry, only one ducati I've ever owned reminds me of a ferrari, and it's not intangible. It's kick-you-in-the-nuts and come-to-jesus tangible. It's wanting to give the bike a hug and a kiss every time you get off of it.

First of all, that bill seems high, google and there's a great article by someone as to the correct prices and what dealers try to deviate. 90/hr is reasonable for good work, it's high because they do so little volume and have such poor parts margins that they're barely in business.

The valves are a work of art and vastly superior to Japanese valves in terms of high-speed performance when perfectly adjusted, see: MotoGP. For the street they are only a liability. The belt drive systems sucks and the valves constantly get out of alignment, which causes the bike to run rough and/or stall. It's pretty time consuming to shim the valves and if you do it wrong, well god help you.

My advice is this, air cooled 2v head, ride it 10K miles minimum between adjustments, don't hit the rev-limiter (the surge worsens the valve shims). You can probably go 12,500 to 15,000 between intervals and pay 300 for the service. Water cooled 4V superbike engines, follow the book or push to 10K. Be sensitive to running rough as being valves out of alignment.

Ducati makes great bikes that are vastly superior to Jap bikes, let me know when the Japanese factories build a monster or a hypermotard or a multistrada. In general the Jap bikes are made better, nicer, cheaper. But they won't build a lot of the great bikes Ducati will. It's reasonable to say a GSX-R1000 is a better bike than a 1098. But what compares to a monster that's even close? All that Suzuki crap doesn't even come close.

[ducatist2]

well, i will opine on this.

have a 98 ducati st2 and a 2005 hayabusa.

with re: to ducati maintenance hassles the most tedious part of it is getting the fairing off and back on.

truth is if you run synthetic oil (i run mobil1 car oil in all my things) and don't beat the engine too hard the valves will stay in spec to maybe 40K miles after the first adjustment. (i change oil on bikes every 2000-2500mi, with new filter every 3rd oil change)

the belts are easy to change and i think i've got about 15k on mine now (i have 35k on the ducati now).

the only problems i've had with the ducati is i had to update the charging system and changed the clutch slave cylinder to aftermarket, and changed to updated cs sprocket keeper.

put brake pads on it recently, a set of plugs, and another set of tires. it doesn't use oil, starts and runs good, and is just as reliable as a jap bike.

but it is a slow, boutique poser type bike. it is no way near as well engineered as my hayabusa which has been totally maintenance free other than changing oil. and there is no comparison in terms of performance.

i would say a duc is for someone who is interested in the mechanical aspects of riding bikes and enjoys fiddling with them. if you don't the duc is probably not the best bike to own. this is my 2nd ducati, you do have to monkey around with them to keep them running good.

[Desmo Demon]

but it is a slow, boutique poser type bike. it is no way near as well engineered as my hayabusa which has been totally maintenance free other than changing oil. and there is no comparison in terms of performance.

I'm guessing you must be talking about straight line performance.....

[st ryder]

...but it is a slow, boutique poser type bike. it is no way near as well engineered as my hayabusa which has been totally maintenance free other than changing oil. and there is no comparison in terms of performance....

Apples and oranges comparo, but tell me, why isn't the Busa a poser bike?  

[atadaskew]

The St2 is a slow bike compared to an St3/St4/St4s.

Unless you pump it up like some have done....

[Desmo Demon]

The St2 is a slow bike compared to an St3/St4/St4s.

Unless you pump it up like some have done....

The 3's and 4's may have more get-up-and-go in a straight line, but that extra power doesn't really help in a curve. That is where, comparing stock-to-stock, the suspension of the ST4s really shines.....and even the early ST2's with more tunable suspensions do better than the 4's without adjustable suspension.

Usually, it's all about the rider, not the bike.

[atadaskew]

I agree with you on all points.

[Rogue]

 Absolutely NOT, because Ducati stirs my passion and that's more than enough for me.  There are many great bikes and some pretty crappy ones out there, but motocycling is passion and not transportation for me, so choosing the brand (Ducati) that stirs my soul is more than enough reason for me to lay out my hard earned cash regardless of the quantity.

Yet you have not plunked ANY of your hard earned cash on a Ducati have you?  

I'm waiting with anticipation because you keep talking the talk but haven't really walked the walk.  

[Rogue]

You really need to buy one bro.   I mean, hey, if Ducati gets this much of your attention and energy just by you looking at them and reading about them, imagine how enthralled you'll be by actually owning one.  

I much prefer Aprilia over Ducati.  Their owners are not so blinded yet their motorcycles are very innovative and reasonably prices in the US.    

[IvanJ]

I much prefer Aprilia over Ducati.  Their owners are not so blinded yet their motorcycles are very innovative and reasonably prices in the US.    

I own an Aprilia and a Duc.  The Duc is much more of a thoroughbred.  The Aprilia is like the Italian version of a Honda.... its very comfortable, requires less maintenance, its heavier, it provides less precise handling, the engine is not as responsive, and its not as exciting to ride.

[atypical1]

I much prefer Aprilia over Ducati.  Their owners are not so blinded yet their motorcycles are very innovative and reasonably prices in the US.    

Reminds me of Buell and VFR owners. We all drink some flavor of kool aid.

james

[burnergold2B]

The 3's and 4's may have more get-up-and-go in a straight line, but that extra power doesn't really help in a curve. That is where, comparing stock-to-stock, the suspension of the ST4s really shines.....and even the early ST2's with more tunable suspensions do better than the 4's without adjustable suspension.

Usually, it's all about the rider, not the bike.

Dude, nice stable.

[Rogue]

We all drink some flavor of kool aid.

james

Absolutely.  Case in point is this thread right here.  

[atadaskew]

I much prefer Aprilia over Ducati.  

No you don't.

[Desmo Demon]

Dude, nice stable.

Thanks.....for my wife and me, there is no "one" bike for us. We value variety because each day our mood or our desintation (or lack of one) may differ. If I had to choose one bike to keep and the others had to go, I'd keep the Ducati ST2. It is a bike that does everything for me quite well.

[Rogue]

No you don't.

And you know this because....

[burnergold2B]

Thanks.....for my wife and me, there is no "one" bike for us. We value variety because each day our mood or our desintation (or lack of one) may differ. If I had to choose one bike to keep and the others had to go, I'd keep the Ducati ST2. It is a bike that does everything for me quite well.

Right on, we're nearly in the same boat, stable-wise. Very cool.

[atadaskew]

And you know this because....

It's inconceivable!