The Truth About Ducati...which is?

[Desolation Angel]

Ducati.  Cool looking bikes.  Are they any good?  BMW sells them near my house.  I've been told more than once that if you buy a Ducati, buy a bunch of new tools, too, 'cause you're gonna need 'em!

Is that true?  Buy a Ducati and be broke down a lot?

My favorite...

[jag]

That may have been the case of the Ducati's of the past.  I had a new 749 for a while and zero problems.  I have friends that have MS 's as well as newer monsters and they have had zero problems.  The new ones come with a 2 year warranty.  I believe as long as you do the scheduled maintenance you should be fine.  Ducatis have come a long way.

The same could be said about Harley's.  Harley's of the past had problems also.  A fellow employee has a 2003 sportster with 28,000 miles and zero problems.

I guess you could get a lemon, but if bought new you should be relatively safe.

Just my opinion.

[Vee Dub Nut]

yea all the BS you hear online is just that.. BS

if you talk to the folks who own them, the newer ones are just as good as any other motorcylce. now you will have to get used to spending a lot more money on anything like parts or service compared to japanese counter parts

[PaulVS]

Sounds like someones been sowed with the seeds of discontent.  

[oldandslow]

No firsthand experience, but (as others have mentioned) Ducati's quality has improved in recent years.

The comment about new tools could be relevant if you plan to do your own maintenance.  Desmodromic valves are a different animal, and need more frequent attention than a Bandit.  Or, you pay your mechanic lots of $$$ to do the work.

[B12Teuton]

I worked at a Ducati dealer of several years.  I don't recall a single one ever having a mechanical breakdown.
You hear some gripe about the desmo valves, but it's really a great system.  You just have to learn a different way to adjust valves and be sure to replace the belt when you need to.
When the ST2 came out a guy bought one and put over 40K miles on the first year.  He bought the FIRST bike we got of a totally new model (usually a no-no) and it was flawless.

Nothing sounds better or has more whip-appeal than a Duc.
I'm a big fan.

I do recall one guy brought his M900 (Monster) in for service because it "smoked a lot".  Turns out, he was riding wheelies for very long distances and oil from the crank breather flowed up into the airbox, got sucked into the carb and blew a huge smokescreen out the back every time.  Pretty damn funny, since he demonstrated his James Bond move up and down the road in front of the shop.

[rider123]

The truth about Ducati is they are operated by former Nazi members smuggled out with the help of the Vatican to Brazil. From there they heavily invested in Pro-Musalini fascist companies to one day control the world from the UFO technology they stole from area 51!!!

Now you know the "truth"!!

[Desolation Angel]

The truth about Ducati is they are operated by former Nazi members smuggled out with the help of the Vatican to Brazil. From there they heavily invested in Pro-Musalini fascist companies to one day control the world from the UFO technology they stole from area 51!!!

Now you know the "truth"!!

Mulder always said, "The Truth is out there!"  And Scully said, "I got your Truth!".  

Then they had a smoke.

[PitterB4]

Some day, I will have a Monster.  The look... the sound...  sexy.

[Red01]

I think they get bad press more from their more frequent maintenance intervals than from reliability. I hear the 4-vavle water cooled (Testastretta) motors are a real PIA to do valve adjustments on, but the lesser engines aren't as difficult. I guess there's a certain mystique to them since they have no valve springs, but in a day when valve spring engines are easily spinning to 17-18 grand without floating valves, what's the point in all that complexity? Just a recent Ducati history thing, I guess, because Duc's haven't ALWAYS been desmodromic.

The do build some gorgeous stuff though! And have a beautiful sound.

[KX5000]

Yeah, ya gotta love that rattlin dry clutch, no thanks I'd rather ride a TL 1000S

[solman]

I don't know about Ducati reliability first hand, but I recall reading an article in Cycle World (or one of those) and they took a ST3 and ST4 for a cross country ride.  I recall them talking about stuff breaking on the trip and they were new bikes.  I also recall that while a friend of mine met up with a guy with a new ducati 998 (I think).  Anyways, he had problems and they had to push start him every time they stopped.  Also I have heard of very high prices when it comes to having the dealership do work on your bike.  

I worked at a Ducati dealer of several years.

So what does it cost to have a dealership check the valve clearances?  Or how about a tune up?

[Desolation Angel]

Here's another one I really like...

http://www.ducati.com/bikes/my2006/ducatiModel.jhtml?family=sportclassic&modelName=GT1000-06

[Daytona]

Geez if the factory can't keep em on the AMA course do i need to try? These are for folks that GOT TO HAVE IT!!!! Like the Triumph daytona, looks like a Bandit with a bit of lime on it, to me. just to have the name! Check out the DUCATI site where is the price! if you got to ask the $$$ you can't afford it!!!!

[Bantana]

The DS1000 motor is very reliable as are many of the air cooled ducks.
The water cooled motors can be finicky and there have been some pretty severe problems with those powerplants. I have many friends with Ducatis and the 996 motors had problems with rocker arms, countershaft sprocket seals, swing arm bearings and electrical gremlins. Last year on the way to Laguna Seca from Alabama a friend had his ST breakdown after being serviced by the one of the most respected technicians in the Southeast. He was so dissapointed with the repeated problems he had with that bike that he left it in Oklahoma, took a flight to Laguna, had the bike shipped back to Birmingham and sold it for parts. With that said, I would like to have a go on the new concept bike from Ducati, the "HyperMotard".