Mileage for a Duke
 

Looking at buying my first duke(748 Most likely) this year and wondered what sort of miles a duke can handle, several of the bikes I have looked at have had mileage of 12,500 miles and more. I know the belts need to be changed 1 a year or around about 6-8000 miles. If I buy a duke I will be keeping the bike for years and so I have been looking for the newest bike with fewist miles. I notice some of them have done well over 20K miles, is this about right
Cheers

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by TTJez]

Yep, mines done 15500 in 18 months, ridden everyday through winter etc. Been told that the more you ride em the more reliable they are!

I've seen a few creeping up to 20k. Mines done 18.5k.
I know a 748SPS with 42K on it!!

Look after them well enough and they'll go for a long time. Not always the cheapest but certainly the most grins per £ :roll:

Duke Mileage
 

Cheers guys, that means I have been far too harsh in ruling bikes out because of the mileage aspect. Excellent that opens the market up for me now.

Cheers

Mines done 17500 miles and its a 1999 bike. When i booked it in for its MOT the girl was stunned at how many miles it had done! Its not for looking at i told her!

I do about 6000 a year and thats all pleasure riding, i dont use it for work very often.

So would it work then that the larger capacity engine ie 998 can cope with more mileage than the 748?

42K on a 748SPS Cant get over that
:roll:

well mines a Feb 2000 996 and on Sunday it clicked onto 18000 .... although most of it has benn replaced ...!!!! :o

My ST4s (996 engine) has done 17,000 miles with nothing more than a clutch, apart from of course routine servicing.

The most essential thing is get them serviced by someone in the know rather than any old mechanic.

You'll find lots of good reccommendations here (depending where u live) including Nelly from Cornerspeed.

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by bigdaftgeordie]

22 or 23,000 miles on MW's 916 since 1999 and never once had a problem (tempting fate or what:D). Original clutch, original pretty much everything else, including all original rockers. He is mechanically sympathetic though, no revving it from cold, etc.... and it has the disadvantage of my extra weight on the back maybe half the time...

Jez,

Mine's a Sep '01 748R and it's now got 21k miles on it. Bought it new and ride it whenever I can.

Keep it serviced by someone you know/respect, change the oil regularly with a decent brand and above all else, ride the damn thing.......it's such fun....

My 99 748 Bip had 31,500 miles on the clock when I sold it last year.

Always serviced, only on second clutch, had one oil pressure switch and one neutral light switch.

The new owner is on 35,000 + and has only put tyres on it.

Just knocked the mileage on my 916Bp over the 20K mark earlier this evening, do my own servicing, changing the belts every 6k and oil and filter every 3k using Silkolene Comp4, looking into making a test lead to monitor fuel pump current draw to try and determine when best to replace the fuel filter.

I've a '99 996Bp and now on 26,000-odd.

Same story as the rest, regular servicing by someone who knows what they are doing and you should be largely trouble-free.

And ride it, lots - that's what they are for. I definitely think they improve with age ;-)

Just to balance things up a bit; my Feb 2002 996s has nearly 20k on the clock. But, it had the engine rebuilt under warranty at about 9.5k and problems started long before that. Only non-engine problem I have had with mine is the rear brake master cylinder.

I suspect that, if a 99x/74x Duke gets beyond about 6/7k trouble free, then it will probably stay that way for a long time.

Happy hunting:D

My '96 748BP has 66000kms on the clock (41250miles)......current engine has been fitted for last 12000miles (16K total) since first motor expired at 29500miles (big end failure entering Donington Esses...not covered on warranty:o)

The way to gauge it is that any bike looked after will keep going - as long as you keep it looked after!

Servicing is slightly more expensive than Jap bikes, but Ducatis retain their values much better. What you lose on one you gain on the other, so to speak.

Most Ducati problems arise within the first two years or 8K miles, as most people seem to experience. Any Ducati that lasts over 12K without fault has obviously been well looked after!

My mate Neil, who write the Used section in Bike mag (and owns a 750SS with some horrendous mileage on it) says that he'd rather buy a Duke with a high mileage on it that shows it has been well looked after than one with a low mileage but no servicing.

Good advice if ever I heard any!

For houses it's "location, location, location" - with Ducatis it's "servicing, servicing, servicing" !!

well apart from rockers ... mine has been fine, 18k now, new rockers all round and whoever gets it next will have a well cared for and sorted bike ( I have a wad of bills to prove it .. :lol:)

And they love to be ridden rather than kept as ornaments ...

P