| It's not the mileage but the time that causes damage.
A Ducati uses cam belts. The route of the cam belts is quite tight, and leaving the belts in this position for any amount of time, which a low mileage bike will, means that they can stretch around the tight pulleys.
A stretched cam belt means it can jump off the pulley ... and that usually results in a bill for a new engine!
Although the cam belts are not changed in the 6K mile service, you would be surprised at the amount of work (read: time) which goes into a 6K service as it includes a valve check and replacement of the fuel filter - both jobs are a right pain and take ages. It's not so much the cost of the parts but the labour that's the killer.
The one thing you need to remember when buying a Ducati is that it was built to be ridden and not to be sat in a shed for 9 months of the year. It's also not a Japanese motorcycle which is built to cost with plenty of safety margins (read: compromise) in their engines so they last a lot longer.
The Ducati twin is also a very different motorcycle engine to your average UJM and thus it requires specialist knowledge and usually Ducati run courses before a mechanic will be competant to work on them - again this is where the money goes. Just think of it as the difference between a cook and a chef!  |