Buying A Ducati 848 Evo | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buying A Ducati 848 Evo

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DucatiDan said:
Ducati changed the 848 to the evo in 2010 I think? Odds are it shouldn't need much if the mileage is not too bad. Tires are an easy one to spot and aren't really that expensive, even for the good ones. Don't let internet people rain on your parade, if you got the bike you wanted enjoy it and don't worry about other's opinions. Those who purchase a premium product do so for various reasons. Sure there are cheaper bikes to run and if have one that you like, good for you. There are others who appreciate the engineering and history that go into Ducatis and are willing to pay to ride them.
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Hey thanks man! I am taking to my mechanic tomorrow after I go to service ontario to register and insure and probably a ducati dealership if it needs anything.
He had brand new pirelli tires (stock) on there he said he got all stock parts for the bike whenever it needed anything.

I don't mind the price for maintenance, the bike, etc. it was either a bmw or a ducati for me. I am glad I got the ducati, either way new or used I am sure the maintenance wouldn't have been cheap. Time to find out soon how much work needs to be done if any!
 
Actually it's a little known secret. Japanese bikes do require maintenance, and a full service with valves isn't much cheaper.
Congrats on the new bike, I'm sure you'll love it.
Ignore BigPoppa, he's been here all year talking about a bike he's gonna buy and crapping on everyone else that actually does buy one.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
I'm a ducati owner as well, monster 796. I know it's different than the 848 evo, 2v vs 4V, but the intervals are the same.
Every 12k km is a valve service, don't skip it. Luckily for me, 3 valve checks and they are still within spec.
Keep an eye on your belts and tensioner bearings as they are common wear items on Ducatis. Mine didn't need replacing till about 20000km, when I could hear the bearings starting to fail.
Also keep an eye on your front sprocket retaining clip that likes to wear quickly. I always keep one in Stock lol.
Learn to wrench on your own bike for simple things ie oil change, chain and sprockets, brake pads and you can save money that way.
Also there are many good independent mechanics and a few on this forum, other than dealerships, that service ducs for cheaper. I personally use George at corsa meccanica for valves and belts/timing and he's been great, has passion for all Italian bikes. Everything else I do on my own. Good luck and sweet ride.
You will be paying more for service, keep the bike happy, don't cheap out or skip anything, and the duc will be good to you, much like a high maintenance girl.
 
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Iceman said:
Actually it's a little known secret. Japanese bikes do require maintenance, and a full service with valves isn't much cheaper.
Congrats on the new bike, I'm sure you'll love it.
Ignore BigPoppa, he's been here all year talking about a bike he's gonna buy and crapping on everyone else that actually does buy one.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
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aww did i hurt someones feelings?


What did you want me to tell him? Sure kid its all gonna be alright, heck who needs a safety, ride without it, im sure its in perfect shape!
 
Iceman said:
Actually it's a little known secret. Japanese bikes do require maintenance, and a full service with valves isn't much cheaper.
Congrats on the new bike, I'm sure you'll love it.
Ignore BigPoppa, he's been here all year talking about a bike he's gonna buy and crapping on everyone else that actually does buy one.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
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haha, would be funny if he ended up getting a ducati ;)

dieselxx said:
I'm a ducati owner as well, monster 796. I know it's different than the 848 evo, 2v vs 4V, but the intervals are the same.
Every 12k km is a valve service, don't skip it. Luckily for me, 3 valve checks and they are still within spec.
Keep an eye on your belts and tensioner bearings as they are common wear items on Ducatis. Mine didn't need replacing till about 20000km, when I could hear the bearings starting to fail.
Also keep an eye on your front sprocket retaining clip that likes to wear quickly. I always keep one in Stock lol.
Learn to wrench on your own bike for simple things ie oil change, chain and sprockets, brake pads and you can save money that way.
Also there are many good independent mechanics and a few on this forum, other than dealerships, that service ducs for cheaper. I personally use George at corsa meccanica for valves and belts/timing and he's been great, has passion for all Italian bikes. Everything else I do on my own. Good luck and sweet ride.
You will be paying more for service, keep the bike happy, don't cheap out or skip anything, and the duc will be good to you, much like a high maintenance girl.
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Sweet, everything sounds in-line with what he mentioned, one thing I was skeptical about though was he said the belt wasn't changed in the 12k service, I read that it was close to $1k whenever it ends up going out.

I think I might try learning to do a bit on my own bike, going to have to skip the brake pads though until I get quite confident, would be a interesting ride when the brakes aren't working. When I was riding the last bike I was even just afraid to clean/lube the chain.

I am definitely not cheaping out on maintenance going to get things replaced ahead of time just incase and keep everything changed new and running smooth.
 
..if you decide to start doing your own maintenance someday, there are two websites you should check out....desmotimes and california cycleworks.
both are a great source for tools, parts and manuals. the desmotimes guy wrote his own service manual, including how to adjust the valves...the instructions are much clearer than the factory manuals.
 
Dr. Luxurious said:
..if you decide to start doing your own maintenance someday, there are two websites you should check out....desmotimes and california cycleworks.
both are a great source for tools, parts and manuals. the desmotimes guy wrote his own service manual, including how to adjust the valves...the instructions are much clearer than the factory manuals.
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I'll check those out, I am definitely going to get some tools to do some small things and certainly some cleaning supplies. I am a bit nervous doing it on a ducati the first time, if I mess something small up it might become an expensive mistake.
 
Hi Don23, Ducatis are pretty reliably contrary to what non-Ducati owners tend to believe. I currently own two of them and no issues to speak off. When it comes to the declared value to the MTO, keep this in mind. I friend of mine bought a bike that came certified for $7000 cash, declared the value to be $1000. The same week he found a huge crack on the frame; we was only able to sue the seller for the amount he declared to have paid.

PS: I usually pay around $600 for the belt replacement and valve check.

good luck with your purchase.
 
veteq said:
Hi Don23, Ducatis are pretty reliably contrary to what non-Ducati owners tend to believe. I currently own two of them and no issues to speak off. When it comes to the declared value to the MTO, keep this in mind. I friend of mine bought a bike that came certified for $7000 cash, declared the value to be $1000. The same week he found a huge crack on the frame; we was only able to sue the seller for the amount he declared to have paid.

PS: I usually pay around $600 for the belt replacement and valve check.

good luck with your purchase.
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I have read that Ducati's started to get better in terms of reliability over the years. Ouch, I guess the seller had no remorse to do the right thing? I'm going to wait a couple days to register it in my name, I am headed to my mechanic today and he's going to check it out, then I am off to the service ontario in the next couple of days to plate and register.

Thats good to hear it was cheaper than expected, and thanks so much for the reply!
 
dieselxx said:
I'm a ducati owner as well, monster 796. I know it's different than the 848 evo, 2v vs 4V, but the intervals are the same.
Every 12k km is a valve service, don't skip it. Luckily for me, 3 valve checks and they are still within spec.
Keep an eye on your belts and tensioner bearings as they are common wear items on Ducatis. Mine didn't need replacing till about 20000km, when I could hear the bearings starting to fail.
Also keep an eye on your front sprocket retaining clip that likes to wear quickly. I always keep one in Stock lol.
Learn to wrench on your own bike for simple things ie oil change, chain and sprockets, brake pads and you can save money that way.
Also there are many good independent mechanics and a few on this forum, other than dealerships, that service ducs for cheaper. I personally use George at corsa meccanica for valves and belts/timing and he's been great, has passion for all Italian bikes. Everything else I do on my own. Good luck and sweet ride.
You will be paying more for service, keep the bike happy, don't cheap out or skip anything, and the duc will be good to you, much like a high maintenance girl.
Click to expand...

I know George at Corso as well as per the above quoted post. Solid guy, knows his stuff and runs a clean shop. If your interested I can get you into contact with him.
 
Last time I transferred a bike to my name they went by blue book value for taxes and it was lower than what I paid.

Don't they always use blue book value for taxes?
 
I rebuilt a salvaged 1198 this year to race. Maintenance isn't that bad. You can get the cables and program to access the ECU for less than $200. Lets you activate options, reset service intervals and a bunch of diagnostics.
Not done valves and belt (not due yet), but it looks to be a pain. Most of the labor is taking everything off. Won't be as easy as a BMW boxer, if you don't do maintenance yourself, there are a number of places you can take it.
bike%20stripped.jpg
 
Maintenance intervals have definitely increased over the years, with the latest 821/899/1200/1299 era stuff being something like 30,000km for valves.

Mistake I made buying an '04 Duc was skipping checking the charging system. Be suspicious if the bike is always on a tender. Check the running voltage. Ducati has a history of putting reg/rec in stupid places. They're known for having poor electrics

dieselxx also raised a good point about the belt tensioner bearings. At least on the 696/796 they were a known issue and would go within 20-24k km. They start to make a noise that could be difficult to discern from the rest of the typical noisy Duc sound. I'd describe it as a sustained rattling that increases with throttle/heat and lags when the throttle closes.
 
I have a 848 evo and had 2 ZX6Rs before so as for comparison, Ducs are a little more expensive but not enough to be a deal breaker IMO.

I dont claim to have much knowledge since im a fairly new owner myself but ive talked to a few seasoned Duc mechanics and it seems like theyre much more reliable than their reputation suggests.

You will need to do your belt. They call for belt change every 2 years or 12k (whichever comes first). Even if your bike sits for 2 years, they call for changing the belts because they sit under tentsion and with temp changes they can get old.

There are some who say you dont need to change them for a lot longer but the mechanics i spoke to said its not worth taking the risk since if the belt goes, youre in much deeper price wise.

From my nuderstaning, if the belts were checked at 12k and they were fine, you should be ok till your 24k maintenance unless its been more than 2 years again. Some say the original belt comes out even at 24k looking like brand new. Others had their belt going on them in less than 15k. So its a risk you probably dont wanna take.

Im taking mine in for my 24k service. Valve adjustment and belt/plugs change is gonna cost me aroun $900 all in. Not at the dealer of course. So its not too bad. It's worth looking for some good mechanics in your area. Graham in Burlington and Adrian (Ace Moto) from Milton both have a lot of experience working on these bikes.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys it's giving me a sigh of relief.

I think I am going to take the bike to either a seasoned ducati mechanic or the dealership just to do a run around, might cost a bit but I don't mind.

Update, my mechanic said it will safety, tires are close to new, brakes are close to new and no problems from a safety perspective. :)
He also told me the ECU was flashed to Ducati Performance, whatever that map is, sounds better than stock.

First ducati mistake: Theres a "P" (park) on the ignition you can turn the key into...it's not off. I usually turn the key to lock and didn't even know there was a "P". My mechanic asked me why i left my bike on since the lights were still on.

Oh and heres a picture, I think I am going to give it a full wash, clean, lube. Going to have to research the best soaps, oil remover, lube, etc. I saw some on the sites someone mentioned earlier.

212hkbn.jpg




Also to any one with an 848 or knowledge of any mods that are common on the 848? I read the suspension is super stiff and it's common to get an aftermarket spring to fix that. Also need a new sticker tank pad grip, he told me his was falling off a bit
 
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It's not a "ducati mistake", its for parking lights. Don't most/all bikes have this? Any bike I owned did.
 
There is a lock position and there another one (turn it more) for parking.
And as SpeeDemon said, most bikes have it. My Kawi has the same setup.

Also they do come stiff stock but you can dial it out with the adjustments. No need for aftermarket parts.

Beautiful bike btw.
 
Yeah I found my Duc turns into P a little too easily past lock, so it's something I'm always cautious of. I usually check my tail light after parking just to be sure.

* Might want to look at a more comfortable seat, I found mine like riding around on a sandwich board. Picked up a Sargent seat and couldn't be happier
* Tech spec tank pads are great if you need more grip for your legs

Also remember that 848 has wet clutch so don't go putting on an open clutch cover ;)
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