how old is too old for a duke!
 

I love my 748, bought new in 2000 , and well looked after, but i have noticed every year the service bill is getting higher and higher, how old does a ducati have to become where is passes the line about being economical to keep on the road??:rolleyes:

Never

A reasonable question I guess.

Have you thought about doing some of the simpler jobs yourself?

They are very easy to work on in my opinion.

Get a 2 valver - three spanners, a screwdriver, and a selection of hammers (biggest to threaten it with, Basil stylee) keeps mine roadworthy .... :D

... oh and I'll take the 'troublesome' 748 off you for £50 if you want ;)

Whats wearing out?

There are a few items that wear out on a Duke but nothing I can think of is bad enough to make it uneconomical to repair.

The older bikes have hit the bottom and their value isn't going to fall further.

The older bikes are more expensive to maintain generally, but does it really make economic sense to throw thousands at a new bike to save a few hundred per year on service costs?

Ray

I wouldn't say my service bills are getting higher in any linear sense. It's cyclical. If one needs belts, or fuel filter etc, it costs a bit more that year; and if the valves need doing, a lot more, but that's irregular. So I don't see the correlation between age and cost myself.

I've owned my 1992 2-valve carb SS for 15 years and do all the servicing on it myself because (a) I got fed up of paying silly money to have someone I don't know do an average job and (b) it's dead easy. So it doesn't cost me that much to keep it on the road. It is tremendously satisfying to strip a bike down and then rebuild it, fire it up and ride it. Don't be afraid of doing it yourself. The only downside (in my experience) is that you get very attached to it and find it impossible to let go of...

Recon youve hit nail ont head Mr Zimbo, Dukes are one of those bikes you get so attached to that money is irrespective, but doing all your own work saves a wadge, and, IMHO is half the fun:D