749 dark-any good?
 

can't afford a 749/749S, but maybe a 2005 749 dark (maybe 2006 dark). do you think the difference between the dark and standard 749 would be noticeable?? Have read lots of problems with 749S and R on cutting out and idle, seems to be due to the cam timing, but does this happen to the cheaper models?? The spec for the Dark says the forks are Showa LC/RC 43mm upsidedown - - any idea what the LC/RC bit is and ......last question....i think the 2006 dark has the new swingarm and the 2005 the old swingarm, any difference here? I know lots of questions but just trying to do some homework before plunging into debt - and anybody want a good 2002 748E - otherwise it gets traded.
thanks

Have u seen the 749 finance deals on at the moment mate? Ducati pay £500 of your deposit,launched it a couple of weeks after i financed mine :mad:

Saw a dark outside Harrods recently and have to say it looks awesome in the flesh,on a par,and maybe a bit more,than/with my gloss black 749.

Drop a line to KB,....not me,the better looking one.
Marko and I had a little chat with her about a 749 Dark.She was'nt convinced at first,but now I think we can safely say,..."told you so!";)
Great bikes,... and very underated.

Even with the finance deal i am stretching things- yeeeeoooowwww. I completely agree about the gloss black - the 999S in gloss black is one sexy mutha' - so a lacquer job can't be too expensive - reminds me of a joke about a "fancy lacquer".

the steering damper thing......dunno if that is a big deal or not - got one on the 748, peace of mind i guess but a 749 dark is no zx10R now is it??

Do the forks have the same adjustments?

The only adjustment (afaik) is 1 degree on the S model,so think the regular and Dark are the same.

can't find a KB on the board. I think the resale is going to be rubbish, but if i hold on to it for 3 years and buy cheap enough the 3 years of fun will be worth it - i am on my second 748 now and fancy a change - multistrada is also possible but every secondhand one i have seen has got rusty fixings where the disc bolts to the wheel which puts me off - cheap fixings ! the MS 620 is different and weathers better by the look of it.

KB is kwikbitch.

++++ Go for it, I love my 999 and I'm sure you would enjoy the 749 in any variety.
Put it this way, I bought my 999 secondhand a few months back and already fancy getting a 999s, very addictive machines IMHO

I think it makes good sense-you can get the panels laquered (did that on a Monster Dark) and they look great.
Also heard there are deals on new ones at the moment at around £7000

Is the LC/RC "Left compression, right rebound"? i.e. one adjust on each? My 749S has rebound and compression on each fork.

The '06 model does have the new swingarm and the '05 will have the old cast type.

I think the base 749 (and therefore the Dark too) are fairly stall free. The S and R have more agressive cams which seem to contribute to the problem.

Differences between the 749 and Dark are obviously cosmetic and the quality of the forks. I'd go for the 749 purely for the forks. I chose the 749S over the base model for the higher quality suspension, even though I'm a pure road rider.

Now i was told by Will @ Moto Rapido the s and base have exactly the same suspension,bar the gold nitride coating on the S,and the 1 degree rake adjustment on the front forks.