QFTOriginally Posted by ~Barn~
QFT
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Student Driver Racing / My Little Pony Racing
Aerobics instructor seeks optical illusion...#502, baby
Slightly?
Awesome.
Ducati=fashion
Tell that to Carlos Checa...
http://www.worldsbk.com/en/season.html
Do not put off living the life you dream of. Next year may never come. If we are always waiting for something to change...
Retirement, the kids to leave home, the weather or the economy, that's not living. That's waiting!
Waiting will only leaves us with unrealized dreams and empty wishes.
If you don't think $2k for the valve adjust isn't "slight" then don't buy the bike--there are cheap Japanese bikes for you. Get back in your bread line and leave the patricians alone, prole.
Which is why it sells.
Just one more fact to brag about when you're in line at Starbucks...
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
I've owned and raced Ducatis for the last 10 years - on the racetrack the cost to own is really only slightly higher. My bike has been highly reliable and really quite a pleasure to own and race. This year, on a 1997 model:
3rd - SuperTwins GTO
2nd - Modern Vintage GTU
3rd - Thunderbike
3rd - Modern Vintage GTO
The bike made every race this season, stood on the podium a bunch of times and had no issues whatsoever (that weren't user induced)
My street bike was a 2001 748 and again, once we got past the warranty covered rocker arm replacement, the bike was nothing but a dream to own.
I've never thought of the bikes as a fashion statement, they are well engineered designs that offer something that can't be gotten elsewhere. I really enjoy the 2 cylinder experience much more than I do the 4 cylinder one.
But that's just me
s
Like any bike, you'll have the guys that will defend it no matter what.
Scott, you're a guy who does his own work (am I wrong?) and has one of the (as I've seen) most reliable of the modern Ducati's.
Then you take the 1098 lineage. A certain dealer had every example they sold in the first year in the shop for issues at one time. I'm not talking leaking fork seals, electrical issues, or slight leaks. We're talking BROKEN trannys, ruined pistons, destroyed valvetrains.
This is one of those situations where you have the haters who will always hate, the middle ground who see no need for the headaches, and the fanboys who will defend it till the end. Have fun guys.
. Ducati is good for 20 or so hot laps. i dare Sjaak Lucassen or nick sanders to ditch their yamaha R1, and go on a world biking tour on a Ducati!
Worked for Paolo Pirozzi...
Do not put off living the life you dream of. Next year may never come. If we are always waiting for something to change...
Retirement, the kids to leave home, the weather or the economy, that's not living. That's waiting!
Waiting will only leaves us with unrealized dreams and empty wishes.
You make a valid point in that I have no "live in" experience with a more modern Duc. Also that I do the bulk of my own maintenance.
I'm a big fan of the brand, mostly because I've had a very good experience with them. So I'll defend on.
If you want me to try out the new bike, please feel free to get one for me. I'll convert it to race duty and report true and accurate accounts of it's performance both on and off the racetrack. I'll even buy you a crew pass for the season, so you can come and watch every round, list you as a sponsor and let the world know what a great guy you are. In the interest of preserving the experience as much as possible, the only changes I'll make to the bike will be those required for it to pass MRA tech, brake pads, tires and gearing. Other than that I'll leave it completely stock as a true test of the machine's durability....
come one, that's an awesome deal (for me) what do you say???
Scott, never meant to cause any offense and you're someone who I'm told is certainly qualified to make determinations on reliablility, maintenance, etc. "Fanboy" has a bad connotation but was the best word I could come up with.
Don't forget though, that as a well prepped racebike, your Ducati does or would (IF I could afford to buy you a new one) be subjected to some pretty rigorous and well above average attention and maintenance - hardly a bike on which to gauge reliability for the brand.
Honestly, take a modern Japanese 4-stroke MX bike as an example. A well prepped Honda 450 race bike will have during a say 12 race season with no practice:
12 oil changes
3-4 sets of rings
1-2 pistons
2-3 sets of retainers & springs
1-2 sets of valves
...and that's just the motor.
Take that same bike and make it your weekend track/trail bike. Lets say you ride 12 weekends. The bike will no doubt have more run time on it (1-2 days a weekend, multiple hours a day, more on trail days) vs a race bike a couple hours each weekend. Based on a fairly large sample of guys that brought these bikes in to a dealer I worked at the usual maintenance was:
Oil change every "couple rides"
Rings?
VALVES?!?!?
These guys can't figure out why their bike is so hard to start (tight intake valves) or uses oil (clapped out rings) or makes funny noises (piston slap) or why when put on a dyno it's 15-20 hp off spec.
I think the same would apply to a Ducati, fine as a race bike that's maintained as such, but too often the guys on the street find their ride is in the shop more than their posession.
People who buy Ducati's as streetbikes are welcome to their purchases. They're cool bikes to be sure...but I wouldn't own one until it was my 4th or 5th bike. Enjoy your Italian.
No offense taken - really I was just trying to be funny (and get a new bike).
STOP MAKING FUN OF ME!
I wants one. Might need to save a few clams first but definitely want.
2003 BMW R1150R - For Sale - PM for details
2007 BMW 328Xi Coupe - The Cage
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