2001 748s rockers

[loverobot]

i have seen talk of 'new' rockers replacing old ones - when would the new ones have come in and if looking at the above bike should it have had them done - if not what is the likely ballpark ? thanks

[Harv748]

You can't really go by the year.

I had a '97 748 that never needed any doing.

My current '95 916SP has had one.

You will hear of other with newer bikes needing several more than that...whats important is how the bike has been treated by the previous owner(s).

Unfortunately there is no way of confirming things without having the cams pulled and taking a look!

If any need replacing...then it gets expensive, at approx £80-90 for each rocker, and then allow for several hours labour for fitting.

If you are buying from a dealer, DEFINATELY get them to include a rocker check/replacement before you take it away. If they won't, then allow for this in your budget/haggling.

If not, at your first service, you could get hit with a big suprise!:o

[loverobot]

silly question but if they all needed doing what would it likely cost ie whats the worst hit for rockers i could get? am looking to buy private you see

[dukess1999]

Unlikely to be all of them, but 16 x whatever you pay for them plus labour. You can buy them from the States for less than a third of what you'd pay here ($50-60), plus VAT and postage.

[loverobot]

16 = ouch!

is there any way i can be safe as regards rockers then if i buy private? the bike i am looking at is a 2001 bike with 2000 miles only

[rockhopper]

I know someone who need 12 rockers plus a cam shaft!

[dukess1999]

You could ask the seller if you could pay for a check-up at the nearest Ducati shop, shouldn't be more than an hour's labour.

[rockhopper]

Quite a lot more than an hours labour i would think. All four cam shafts have to come out for starters.

[loverobot]

so do people just buy and take the risk? how much of an issue is it and therefore how careful should one be? are loads of bikes affected or just a few? would it affect older bikes or is it specific to the 748 range?

[Harv748]

Despite what people say about the newer the better, I see no evidence to suggest that this is the case. It can happen to any age bike at any time of its lifespan.

Many have reported no problems upto 15K miles, and then suddenly 2 or 3 need changing. Other have problems after only a few thousand.

The key appears to be that the bike need to be warmed up properly. It has been shown that it can take upto 90 seonds for the oil to be delivered to the rocker surfaces on start-up, so if you have a habbit of getting on the bike and gunning it from the off, then the rockers get a bashing before fully lubed up. Not good.

To answer your question, yes, people do buy the bike and worry about it if and when. I would suggest that if it is a big deal to you, then perhaps you should be lloking at another manufacturer. The fact is you could buy a bike, have it checked and its fine. 2000 miles later it could need X amount of new rockers...you just never know.

But you'll also find that most peps on here don't really give a toss about that, and ride the bike of their dreams and put up with the 'problems' that may come with it:o

[loverobot]

cheers harv - i actually already have a 600ss and hence the question

if it is a rareish issue i am firmly in the dont give a toss camp tbh - if its a regular issue then thats different

i drive a lotus and anyone who knows anything about them knows that the 'dont give a toss' mentality is a must in the lotus camp too!

[Dibble]

I would regard it as a highly likely eventuality that a year 2001 748 with only 2000 miles on it will at some point need rockers, its highly likely the bike has been left to stand for long periods of time and maybe started and run every now and then, that would mean that in most instances the rockers wouldnt just be thin on oil, but bone dry .... and if it wasn't warmed properley then you will have troube.

I'd haggle the price but be fairly certain it will need them, if it doesn't, then you've had a result, if it does, then you were expecting it .....

And I speak from experience ..... all bar one of mine has been replaced .... and I still worry ...

It wouldn't stop me buying another 996 .....

[TP]

I concur with Dibs - you are likely to have to replace some at some point. I replaced 8 and had a cam lobe polished because I didn't find this club until AFTER I bought the bike. Still, it was a great bike!

If you're desperately keen to avoid it - get a 749 is my suggestion. You'll need a bit more cash than your £5k but I've heard suggestions on this board recently that you can get a 749 for around £5.5k - £6k.

This issue affected all desmoquattro engines so includes those fitted to the ST4; ST4s; S4; S4R; all 748 variants; all 916 variants, all 996 variants apart from the 996R. The 996R has the testastretta engine as does all the superbike range built from then on.

Or you could buy anything with a DesmoDue engine - such as the entire SS range, the Monster range excluding the S4 and S4R.

Still plenty of good bikes to choose from. I would still buy a bike with a desmoquattro engine though - they have a character that you don't find in the testastretta engine IMO. And I have a testastretta engine ....

[loverobot]

ok so the big question - what is a 748s 2001 with 2000 miles worth? 5k?

[748IOM]

As others have said it's all down to how it's been looked after. If you ensure it's warmed properly before riding (allow 90+ secs before revving), then it should be less likely that you'll hit rocker problems, some have had many need replacing, others have had none.

I would say it should be worth more than 5K, if you can get it for 5K then it's either a bargin or there's something seriously wrong with it.

My 748e with 6500 miles on it was £4750. Really depends on condition as well.

[nelly]

The rocker issue has been pretty well covered in the above replies. It's also been mullered on the board. Try a search.
there have been several part revisions on the rockers, mostly involv improving the plating on them. It's this that fails.
new rockers are now over the £100 mark.
Regardless of mileage, it should have been serviced annually. Check the history to see if this is so and if there have been any rockers replaced.
At 2000 miles, i'd doubt there have been any replaced, but if it's been started and thrashed from cold then they'll wear just as quick as the next bike. The tip about watching what the owner does when he starts the bike is a good indicator. If he revs it hard from cold, then be wary.
IMO, £5k isn't bad money, but it's a buyers market at the moment. Ducati seem to be fetching whatever the buyer thinks it's worth. as mentioned above, £5k ish could get you a 749. The older bikes aren't falling in value too much as they are still revered by some as a "classic" but try and bargain...........you may just save yourself some £'s to spend on bling...........or rockers ;)

[Jools]

I've just been shopping with 5-ish K and I can confirm I've had a look at two 749S's, one at £5500 and one at £5800 before any haggling took place.

Bought an 888 in the end. It might have rocker problems too, although I'm told that T8's don't suffer with this as much. Heart over head ya see!

[moto748]

Originally posted by dukess1999
Unlikely to be all of them, but 16 x whatever you pay for them plus labour. You can buy them from the States for less than a third of what you'd pay here ($50-60), plus VAT and postage.



Could dukess1999 (or anyone else) elaborate on this, please?

[dukess1999]

This is what I posted previously:

"Much cheaper to buy in the US - getting on for £90 here, $54 per rocker at Section8superbike, $59 at Ducati Seattle. VAT and import duty works out at around £7 per rocker (if you're lucky the vendor may mark them as low value items),postage $75 with Section8, an amazing $13 with Seattle."

I found Section8 a little iffy to deal with (though others swear by them), Ducati Seattle very good. There does seem to be something strange about paying much less for items exported to the US from Europe than if they were purchased within the EU.

[loverobot]

Originally posted by Jools
I've just been shopping with 5-ish K and I can confirm I've had a look at two 749S's, one at £5500 and one at £5800 before any haggling took place.



where did you look and find these bikes ? any tips on best place to look? i am currently using mcn, autotrader and ebay?

[nelly]

Don't look at the price tag and assume you can't afford it ;)
It's a buyers market. the trade especially don't want a load of bikes in the showroom over winter ;)

[loverobot]

my prob is that the bikes seem to be going for allsorts of odd prices and i therefore have no idea what to offer

i am tempted by a 51 plate 748d with 2000 miles which is up at 5200 but what to offer?

[moto748]

dukess 1999>

Thanks.

[ath748]

Originally posted by loverobot
my prob is that the bikes seem to be going for allsorts of odd prices and i therefore have no idea what to offer

i am tempted by a 51 plate 748d with 2000 miles which is up at 5200 but what to offer?

What? Never heard of a 748d, is that the diesel?

If you don't ask you don't get. Go in at something like £4750 and haggle from there..... Come on, you must have haggled before.....

If you get stuck, remind yourself of the tactics by watching the Life of Brian and the haggling scene....

Ade.

[loverobot]

lol - yeah the diesel is the one for me - loads of low down torque and also reeeeally economical! rattles like feck though!

is the s version

i was thinking of going as low as 4500 but dont want to be rude to the dude - i am willing to pay what its worth but god knows at the mo what these bikes are worth because of the weird price differentials:lol::lol:

[nelly]

It's worth whatever you want to pay for it and as much as the seller needs for it.
If they need to get rid, then you'll get a bargain. There's plenty out there. Go look at a few, make an offer, give 'em your number, then leave it with them.
Go in at 4500........what's the worst can happen?? OK he can punch ya :puzzled: but at least they know whare you're coming from.