Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > 748 advice wanted

[deej]

hi guys

ive been recommended to this site from r6messagenet.com as the r6 is going to be replaced by a 748 in the very near future. im hoping to be able to stretch the finances to a 748r but may have to settle for a S instead.

what extra effort is needed in looking after a italian bike over all the japanese bikes ive owned in the past. obviously im aware of changing the belts every 6k miles and regulary changing oil,filters etc but what else is required.

i'd be very grateful of any help and advice on this matter and any help on what to look for when buying second hand. would it be better to buy private or from a dealer,or eevn from ebay as ive seen a few clean looking ones on there and had some good communication from there

please help as all my heart is telling me is to buy buy buy but my heads trying to over-rule it for the minute

cheers

dave

[desmojen]

Hi there dave, theres no need to let your head over rule a perfectly good decision!
Other than servicing, theres no need to do anything special to these bikes other than ride them!!
Go for it

[Edited on 9-9-2004 by desmojen]

[Mr_S]

Deej

As Jen's already said other than servicing there's not a lot else to think about. But...with Jap bikes, you can be a little more relaxed about servicing, but with a Duc, you really do want to stick to the service schedule.

A lot of people do a mid term 3K oil and filter swap (about £40 all in)

Keep it clean, dry and ride it regularly (even in the wet ).

The most important thing to do is find a mechanic / workshop you trust.

BTW, in this instance, your heads wrong.

I've gone from R1's to a 748 and it's been worth every bit of the 248cc drop in size.

As Nike say,

Just do it


Jason

[Harv748]

See the thread below titled: Top 5 buying tips for 996...and especially shazams post. Same applies for a 748.

[antonye]

See these:
http://ducatisportingclub.com/xmb/vi...=9331#pid75962
and
http://ducatisportingclub.com/xmb/vi....php?tid=11552

but don't let them put you off!!!

Basically it just needs servicing at a Ducati dealer or specialist - any numpty can work on Jap machines but working on a Ducati properly requires specialist training and knowledge that most ordinary bike dealers won't have. Servicing is expensive, but just figure that into your costs.

Other than that, go for it! There wouldn't be the hundreds of DSC members and Ducati owners if they were really, really bad machines!

[chris99]

Hiya Deej,

I've seen you on the message net. Im also looking to get me a 748 Hope you get a Gud un
Chris

[ath748]

Deej,

I also came from r6messagnet.com !! Bought a 748S back in April this year - best thing I have ever done. The stability and precision just blows the R6 away.

Get one, ride it hard, and use it as much as you can!

Ade.

[khu996]

Plenty of knowledgable people on here mate, all willing to help, you can get all the advice you need.

Go for it...I am too!

[Nigel C]

just make sure it's a yellow one and you can't go wrong

[pj748r]

Hi Deej,welcome to the board
I bought my '00 748r in May last year and haven't looked back.Traded in a very nice Marlboro R6 for mine.
My heart deffo ruled my head when i seen mine.As Antoyne has said they cost more to service but there are a few independants who come highly recommended for servicing and are a lot cheaper and do a more thorough job than some bastid "official dealers"!!
'R's can be had for around £6k upwards from dealers,obviously a little less private.If buying from a dealer ask what sort of warranty it has(does it include the rockers!!!)if so would be worth getting them to pull the cams and check the rockers for peace of mind.
one last word,just do it you won't regret it!!final last word-- buy yellow!!!