| The funniest thing for me was going into my local dealer (before it closed!) and ordering some simple parts which they had in stock - shear bolt, seat pins, those kinds of things.
There was a guy in there picking up some parts for his Kwak (it was a dual dealer) and was signing a receipt for over £150, for not much really.
They rang up my parts and it came to about £3.
He looked astounded and said "I thought Ducatis were expensive!"
I just laughed politely and walked off.
The thing with Jap bikes is that they need servicing half as often, but cost twice as much when it does need doing. The average Jap bike owner never sees this because they don't put enough miles on it or keep it long enough to reach the big services. They are very much a consumable bike - throw it away when you're done - and don't get kept and cherished like a Ducati does.
Obviously there are exceptions, but you're more likely to find that Ducatis are owned for many years compared to one-or-two years for a Jap bike before it gets replaced by This Year's Superbike. | 
23-Jun-2006, 16:15 
antonye
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