Ducati 748 pro's & Con's

[Chinaboy]

Hi Guys & Girls,

I am thinking of getting myself a 748, possibly from a 2000 to 2003 model, about £3500's worth (or the best I can get for that money)

Just wanted to ask you owners past and present as to whether this is a good bike or a great bike to think about ?

Any comments on reliability will help, parts that need replacing, costs, anything like that.
I look forward to your comments, however you feel about them.

Steve

[killa]

Haven't owned one myself, i was interested but i've heard that they aren't for everday use.

www.google.com

https://www.epinions.com/review/2000_Ducati_Superbike/content_89541938820


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Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[Chinaboy]

Cheers Killa

[Rockhopper]

Everyday use is possibly the best way to treat any Ducati.

Things to look out for are:

Rockers - they need to be taken out to check the chrome isn't flaking. The effects all four valve Ducatis up to the testastretta engines. They cost around £100 each and there are 16 of them. My bike needed five at its last service.

Cam belts need regular changing, flywheels come loose, the connector from the alternator to the regulator burns out, cush drives can back out and mill the swing arm away, radiator header tanks can split.

Thats about it for the big stuff really. Personally i wouldn't buy any Ducati unless i had proof that the rockers had been recently pulled and inspected. The other items are easy to fix.

[neatbik]

Blimey, you're knackered if all 16 rockers need replacing at the same time
I keep thinking about getting a Ducati, but i just dont think i could be doing with the expense

[Wave2k]

I read up alot on the rocker situation, best thing to do to avoid is,
dont leave the bike for ages then start it, very bad on Ducatis.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Paivi]

Ask the good peeps here.
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My other bike's a Monster...

[St0rmer66]

Nearly got one myself but decided against it because of the rocker situation. Might save up for a 998 FE instead some day, got the 999 engine in it with no rocker problem..
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[garth]

Use it daily, take care of it, you'll have no problems.

I've had a 900ss for 3 months, 2 trackdays and 5000 miles and love it.

Why a 748?
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[Barry_M2]

The rockers aren't made of chocolate, they dont wear out after 5 miles. They go for thousands of miles before any wear, and most dont even show any wear at all.

There is always someone who will tell you not to get a certain bike cause of XXX problem thats 'really common'.

If you listened to every bad thing mentioned about every bike then no one would be riding anything!

Dont buy a 916, they break rocker arms....

Dont buy a ZX9, they blow head gaskets....

Dont buy a CBR, the wheels fall off...

etc....

The only reason everyone 'thinks' they are a problem, is because its been posted on a forum (bloke down the pub syndrome) and therefore MUST be true.

Or is it because people only post the bike problems on a forum and never post how well their bikes are running!

I bet the number of people who HAVEN'T have rocker trouble far outweigh the number who have, you just dont hear about it!


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CBR1000 RR4 - For the track.
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[Rockhopper]

I beg to differ! My bike needed five rockers after only 12,000 miles, i good friend of mine needed 8 plus a cam shaft in his low mileage 996. Another very good friend of mine runs a Ducati approved workshop and he will show you the rather large cardboard box of knackered rockers that he has collected over the past three years. There were several hundred in there last time i looked.

Ducati have revised the opening rockers 16 times since the four valve motor first came out. (Its the openers that fail most often.) The problem is primarily due to poor oil supply to the heads. The 'stretta engines have cured this by having an extra oil pipe feeding directly up to the head.

Ducati USA have acknowledged there is a design problem with the rockers and will pay for repairs, Ducati UK have not followed suit (i think due to the way the legal system works over here) although if you have a full dealer service history they often make a contribution to the repairs if you push them hard enough.

As much as I love Ducati's the rocker issue is a genuine problem that affects a large number of bikes. One reason that some bikes don't appear to suffer is that the only way to tell for sure is to take the cam shafts out and inspect each rocker. Believe it or not that is not part of the official Ducati service schedule so it never gets done! Yes the bike will go on for thousands of miles with damage to the rockers but what eventually happens is that the worn surface of the rocker damages the cam shaft. Once the hard surface is gone then the rocker/cam wears away quickly and your clearances will be all over the place.

[neatbik]

Slightly off topic but does the rocker problem affect the st3?

[Chinaboy]

Certainly going to have to re-think this then

To answer the why 748 question, I just liked the look and think that will be all I can afford.

Ok, so which models do not suffer the rocker problems that the 748 has, and that are still within my budget?

Steve

[garth]

I was looking at 748's, but in the end went for a 900ssie.

Not as outright quick, but I rode both and preferred the SS.

It's only an a/c 2valve motor, much cheaper and easier to work on, with a lot of grunt.

Cheap to buy, comfy enough, handles very well, top notch suspension.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[Barry_M2]

I was going to go for a 998 initialy, but decided to use the money to clear my credit card and go for the cheaper 916.

Verdict so far, absolutly love it. Done 2 track days and about 200 road miles on it and it so nice to ride.

Its off to have the fueling done this weekend on a dyno, and I cant wait to get it back.


____________________
ZXR750R (M2) - For the road.
CBR1000 RR4 - For the track.
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