Ducatis and their lack of reliability - a myth?

[2WBRIT]

I have read numerous test articles on Ducatis and all too often the old bugaboo of reliability, especially electrical, comes up. What experiences do club members have?
Also, the dreaded desmo valve adjustment. Is it always as expensive as I've heard or do the various dealers do an "honest" job and only do as much work as is necessary in order to keep costs reasonable?
I'm really interested in 998/999 anecdotes but any info on the "Ferrari of motorcycles" would be helpful!

Thanks in advance! ;)

[Devaclis]

I was actually in the process of securing a loan for a Duc 3 months ago when I did a bit more research from Duc owners. The valve adjustment needs to be done to comply with the warranty and I was told it was @ $300 a pop. I did not want to get into that again (manditory dealer work or loss of warranty) so I passed. I have not heard much in the way of electrical issues with any of the newer ( the past 3 years) bikes. Wish I could be of more help.

[Desmo]

I have never had a problem with my bikes I own two Ducati’s.. a 996 and a monster 750.. so far so good.. yes your are going to have to pay for the valve adjustments at every 6000 miles. You can also do them yourself; I have seen several videos on the web. You are going to get a wide range of response to this topic. You have to keep in mind, if you own a Ducati you will have to deal with the expense of a Ducati. There are two type of Ducati owners, some that absolutely love them and others that totally hate them. Do your research.. is my best advice..

[rybo]

I have an 01 748 and have not had any reliability issues. It is amazingly fun to ride and has that 'unique' quality about it. Valve adjustments have to happen at 6000 miles. I've never done them myself and I've heard that on the superbikes they are a real pain requiring some major disassembly. The two valve bikes, like the monster, are supposed to be significantly easier to do. Also one of the big changes made with the introduction of the 749-999 series is that the bike is designed for easier maintenance. I have no first hand knowledge, but do know that was one of the design goals of the change.

Electrical has not been a problem, I'm told the weak link in the system is the voltage regulator, but have not had that issue.

My ducati experience has been a good one.