6k service on the r1 = 160 quid approx......12k service = 160 quid approx ..valves checked at 20k miles..

Dont know where you got your figures from..?....

...and the price for the 20K service is.... ?

better informed people than I discuss this very question here.
http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=701347

Phil, so you've chopped in a 748R for an R1 (in my spare time I am Hercule Poirot)? Any comments from both sides of the fence?

I've had bikes from Japan, Italy, Germany (East and West), India, England and Austria. Far and away the most reliable and least expensive to maintain was the one from East Germany.

Well i wouldnt have anything else

I've had 5 Ducati so far, all super bikes all post 1997 models. Only break down has been a snapped throttle cable on my first 748BP, thank fully this went on the yard before I went out for a blast.

I've had 2 x 749 (S & R), both have had niggling work done under warranty, but, neither let me down at the side of the road.

OK, Ducati have quirks and I accept these as the "price" to pay for owning an Itallian Superbike.

I'd rather put up with the the odd quirk and enjoy the reaction of the public and other bikers when ever I park up.

Before I got in to Ducati's I had a very nice, very clean Kwak ZX6. No matter how much I cleaned it or cared for it, I would be only 1 of dozens of ZX6 at any bike meet.

I pull up on the 749r and there may be 1 or 2 other Ducati's.

I like that kind of exclusivity.

mine is my first bike.
Right on cue, it broke just after i got it and now i am kinda paranoid it will break down and i tend to guestimate odd rattles and noises in pound notes.

I have considered swapping it in for some kind of jap bike, and ive even been to look at a few.

However..i have resisted.

i love the way it sounds, i love the nice comments i get when its parked or i draw up on it, or how people quiety hang around until it starts up.
Its weird cos its not a superbike or one of the prettiest ducatis - its a 97 ss.

In a perfect world i would love a 749 and when i win the lottery i will get one.
The servicing still scares me, mostly with a bigger engined bike.
But as with any transport i own i am willing to learn how it works and do stuff myself.
I think if you have half a brain and a toolkit, youre silly not to learn about it when dealers are up in the £40-50 an hour region.

Cy

Having ridden Ducatis for the last ten years, I'm often ignored by Jap bike owners when I nod at them on a run. However, I used my RC30 for the RTL trip, and I arrived in Glenridding on the Saturday evening - by which time the Lakes were booming to the sound of Ducatis.

Taking the RC for a last run over Kirkstone Pass before I hit the sleeping bag, I passed countless Ducatis heading in the opposite direction - bikes probably returning from Saturday's RTL run. I nodded at all of them (since I'd be meeting up with some of them the next morning) but very few actually returned the nod. Most of them blanked me. Blimey! 'Twas a shock to the system! And this despite the fact that I still had 'DUCATI' emblazoned all over my bike gear and helmet.

So... it works both ways methinks.

I'm sure if I added up what my cbr6 cost me in the first year of ownership, that it would outweigh what Max has cost me in 4 1/2 years.

I`ve just come off Ducatis after six or seven years of them,from SS`s to Monsters and Multistradas to 888s and I can safely say reliability has never been an issue.I came home on a recovery truck once in all that time and that was due to a puncture on an old 600ss,I had a rectifer fail on my T8 after 20000miles but was never left stranded(limped it home)

I do have "issues" with Ducati in some instances:mad: but I voted with my wallet and spent my money else were(time will tell if this was a good decision or not,but at the moment I`m loving it!)
But all Ducatis handle well and thrive on been ridden hard(And I was no exception:rolleyes: ) and to some extent that`s the problem,tracks are where these bikes come into there own(And big jap sportsbikes for that matter) these bikes handle and brake so well they can flatter a "lesser" ride and that can lead to trouble,I`ve seen it first hand,but been lucky enough not have had to phone someones wife or girlfreind and have that awful conversation,a lot of people in this club have ridden bikes since they were teenagers and are now in a position to afford these great bikes and appreciate them,so go careful fellas and ride as far as you can see;)

Getting back to the servicing,that was one of the reasons I swapped brands, as I wanted to service my bike,myself,without having to spend a fortune on special tools,shims etc.Having a "do it yourself bike" is fine,but with technology comes more speed and power and visaversa,my bike is now slower,but a lot more fun and I feel like I did twenty years ago,going for a ride on me bike cos I don`t like being in a car!!!
I don`t care if a rice burning bike half the size of my pushrod powered lump comes flying past and can lap Snetterton 5secs quicker than me,I really ****ing don`t,I can just grab me leather jacket and lid and go for a ride without dressing like a power ranger or feeling pressure to bury my knee into the tarmac at every oppitunity.
And when I order parts for my bike they are normally here in 10-14days not 10-14 months!!Take note Ducati,and from a lot further away!
My last 5000m service cost me £35,that`s Oil,transmission oil and a filter.and a couple of hours in the shed,fantastic!!


But hate Ducatis,

































Never;)

It's tribal. Get used to it. Most of the comments are amazingly ill-informed rubbish which is regurgutated 3rd or 4th hand from magazines and the good old "mate of a mate".

You get the same nonsense about electrics, belts, cylinder studs, chain adjusters, servicing costs.... blah blah...blah. Even when you put a service bill in front of people, or show them the parts prices they refuse to believe you or acknowledge that they're wrong. The bit I find laughable is someone with a Gixxer saying how maintenance intensive the Ducatis often are when he has a 4k interval as opposed to a 6k interval on the Ducati.

Life is too short to argue with unarmed people - ride the bike and have fun. Better still, learn how to ride a Duke well and show them your number plate :)