thank for that;)

i had a bad one, but i loved the ride. and im thinking off geting **9 one:)

I bought the 1st 749s back in Oct '02. It's had a couple of very minor recalls (but so has every new jap bike I've bought/ owned) & I had to replace the battery in the 1st year of ownership (due to the dealer threading one of the terminals & it never really getting fully charged). The only other problem is the rear seat plastic has developed a stress crack :flame:

Other than that, it's been 100% reliable, including a couple of trips to the Nurburgring. I'm off to Italy in July :cool: :burn:

Servicing has been reasonable too as I don't do many miles. Minor at £180, belt service at £300'ish. One service/ year.

I've never kept a jap bike longer than 2yrs, so the fact I've still got it after 3.5yrs speaks volumes. The only bikes I'd consider selling it for.....a 749R or '05 999s.

I say buy a used one (to avoid the depreciation) & if you end up with a ' Friday afternoon ' bike, sell it on & you won't lose much. If you end up with a good'un (which most seem to be)....just enjoy it!

That is so much bollox. See TWO magazine for a sensible review of the 749. The 749 has so much more grunt and torque than a jap 600 that is is easier to ride fast - overtakes are a cinch and you can maintain very high speeds with little effot.

My 80bhp 800ss has no trouble at all staying with any of my Jap riding mates because it has shed loads of grunt right where you need it. It only ever starts to feel a bit pushed on the very fastest roads with lots of long straights - up to 120mph it stays with most things. People who say they need more on the road really do talk out of their backsides. :lol:

I feel sorry for Ducati at times. The other week MCN slated the 749 saying it was slow blah...blah..blah. But IIRC the performance figures were only marginally behind the 4's. So marginally behind you would never notice, especially on the road. I mean...tell me who can really detect the difference between something delivering 103bhp and something delivering 107-110 when so many people can't tell the difference between 33psi or 36 psi in their tyres and when so many aren't really all that good at riding. The 749 probably feels a bit slower simply because it doesn't have to be screamed through the box to extract the performance.

:rolleye:

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by twpd]

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by twpd]

I agree. I have a 2006 ZX 6R as well as a 749 and when I look down at the clocks of the 749 I am amazed at what speed I am doing,it may feel slower because it doesnt have the top end rush of an IL4, but its not.

The TWO review is an excellent read and the most accurate.

I have had a couple of warranty claims for a new shock, which i was allowed to upgrade to Ohlins, and also a couple of relays. The bike has never let me down, always started. I have made a couple of comments to my local kawasaki dealer about warranty claims and they are not interested. Ducati do it much more readily. Would def buy another Ducati, doubt I would buy another Kwak


[Edited on 13-5-2006 by 749er]

Good luck with the sale/trade though you aren't likely to get a good price out of a dealer unless theres something extra in it for them, ie monthly target needs hitting, its a bike they've got buyers waiting for. I'd advise punting on fleabay 1st set expectations with a reasonable start price if its decent bike it'll probably sell outside of the auction , note Im not condoning breach of auction policy :-p.
Went through a similar senario recently, dealer trade in price was not good as secondhand prices were affected by last year discounts this also affected the leverage I had on the price of the bike I was after (not able to budge) . I sold mine at a price between the shopfloor prices from dealers and the trade value offered this also made me a "cash" buyer so I could then get discounts off the list price on the bike i was after so it didnt turn out too bad.
unfortunately recent dealer discounts have dented 2nd hand prices of most ducatis so you need to check the market for example prices (asking price isnt always selling price too) and parkers (though 999 listed values on there need dropping a tad -read their review text for why, don't know about 749 darks). Also look around the dealers for old stock clearance prices of late 04's as you arent going to be able to get the prices they're asking , so aim a bit lower than that and adjust again if its out of warrenty.

I cant offer examples as mine was a 1000ss and I was after a 999.

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by IainMac]

Necro,

Seem like the rest of the muppets on the board have highjacked your post without answering your question mate.

Try speaking to a couple of recognised Ducati dealers and see what they can tell you over the phone

No prices probably offered as it not a hard and fast rule. I.e if the dealer aint interested they'll offer the bare minimum which isnt likely to be what the bikes value is (to a buying punter)
Just had a quick skeg on ebay and theres too little 749 activity to get a clue. Bike Trader only has one dark on it at £5600 private with bits.
BikeMart has a few more but they also have some new unsold '04 749s at arround £6500. Therefore resale of an 04 is never going to be higher than the a higher spec bike new unless you've got a captive audience where demand outstrips supply. Also just spotted a dealer sale 749(again not a dark) 04 4kish miles at £5.5ish
Easy guess sale value is somewhere between £5K and £5.5 dependant on location and demand, trade may be lower again.

Apols for going on, but its not easy selling without doing some research 1st. You have to be realistic and buying price usually has nowt to do with re-sale unfortunatelty.

can't help with the price but 12 months ago i tried pxing a 999s the dealers i tried didn't want to know because it was a ducati.

I've been watching 749/999 prices for a while. Seems if you are buying their are some bargains but if selling you are gonna get stung.
What did they offer you ? I'd have thought £4k to £4.5k ?

I feel sorry for anyone who has bought new and wants to sell after 2-3 years. Ducati residuals are crap but, as CC says that's great for use used buyers. :)