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Independent Ducati mechanic?

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Relax said:
I say this as a Ducati owner since 2000 that uses them as daily riders. They're great bikes, but if you don't know what you're looking for, and you can't get it inspected by either Ken or Giovanni, then you'd be crazy to buy it unless it's so cheap you can part it out for more than you paid. If he's the original owner, he should have the full service history. When were the belts last changed (the interval goes by years, not mileage)? Have you called a dealer to price out the Desmo service? Also, Ken has apparently stopped working on bikes older than a certain age due to parts availability.
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Thank you. As it turns out, I have reached out to both Ken and Giovanni. Both have replied to me, I tentatively scheduled to bring the bike by on Tuesday until I found out the owner and I were misunderstanding each other about his willingness to let me bring it to a mechanic while still retaining an option to decline purchase.

Maybe this is the right time to discuss price.

2011 Multistrada Touring.
- $4000. 14k KM, sold by private party
- one owner, no recalls on the VIN.
- original tires (date code says 2010 or 2011) so would need to be replaced
- throwing DES errors (dealer says it could just need codes cleared)
- Comes with Termi and stock exhaust,
- stock ECU and some other ECU (he said tuned to Termi),
- some big air horn,
- Ducati rear stand,
- two seats (one modified to sit lower),
- set of unused Pirelli Angel tires (but also 13 years old so probably not worth anything?),
- well-used BMW touring suit, some other things I can't remember.
- owner stripped and sealed (?) coolant drain bolt
- bike looks mint, no scratches, started up fine.


2014 Multistrada GT (replaced Touring model).
- $6000, ~43K km, sold by a (non Ducati) dealer
- History unknown, dealer says no service records.
- Quebec bike, would come safetied, so I ASSUME TIRES MUST BE GOOD?
- No recalls on the VIN.
- I have not seen it with my own eyes.
The 2014 GT also came stock with:
- OEM crash bars,
- OEM fog lights,
- supposedly more fuel efficient,
- slightly larger OEM windscreen.


Both come with OEM panniers and top box, centre stand.
 
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Beauty bike and a great price. But think through what you’re getting into. A 13 year old garage queen that’s throwing codes and has likely been maintained by an owner who can’t re&re a drain plug.

I’d be setting aside a a couple of stacks for tires, diagnostics, and miscellaneous services needed to bring her out of hibernation.

You have about 40 fillups before enjoying desmo and belts (another 2 stacks).

While plenty of euro bike owners have good experiences, not many have cheap experiences. Doesn’t sound like you’ll be doing your own service, so you can expect days or weeks of downtime and a stack should your bike need a repair to make it roadworthy.

But it is a killer deal! Maybe you should send me the owners phone number, maybe I can do a telephone evaluation for you?
 
Mad Mike said:
Beauty bike and a great price. But think through what you’re getting into. A 13 year old garage queen that’s throwing codes and has likely been maintained by an owner who can’t re&re a drain plug.

I’d be setting aside a a couple of stacks for tires, diagnostics, and miscellaneous services needed to bring her out of hibernation.

You have about 40 fillups before enjoying desmo and belts (another 2 stacks).

While plenty of euro bike owners have good experiences, not many have cheap experiences. Doesn’t sound like you’ll be doing your own service, so you can expect days or weeks of downtime and a stack should your bike need a repair to make it roadworthy.

But it is a killer deal! Maybe you should send me the owners phone number, maybe I can do a telephone evaluation for you?
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Yeah, you're right. I'm getting blinded by the beauty of the bike I've seen and maybe getting a little greedy. Could work out but probably won't.

What's re&re?

Telephone evaluation - so you can buy it yourself ? j/k. I appreciate the advice. Would you bite on the 2014 then, or any bike basically sight unseen (except for pictures on listing which is gone presumably because of my deposit)?
 
NuggyBuggy said:
Yeah, you're right. I'm getting blinded by the beauty of the bike I've seen and maybe getting a little greedy. Could work out but probably won't.

What's re&re?

Telephone evaluation - so you can buy it yourself ? j/k. I appreciate the advice. Would you bite on the 2014 then, or any bike basically sight unseen (except for pictures on listing which is gone presumably because of my deposit)?
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Re&re = remove and replace.

I might bite if I saw the bike, and met and felt some honesty from the owner, had a momentary lapse in reasoning (it’s happened to me more than once). But, I can fix and service a bike, have reliable alternatives to ride if there is downtime — so my downside isnt terrible, the cost of parts.

I don’t mean to dampen your enthusiasm, just some sober thoughts from afar.
 
I would be careful buying a bike out of Quebec. Especially if you have not seen it or touched it.
Those certs could mean nothing over here.
 
oioioi said:
I would be careful buying a bike out of Quebec. Especially if you have not seen it or touched it.
Those certs could mean nothing over here.
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Would that be true even from a dealer?

Now I've started looking into this and seeing that "title washing" is a thing. Is there something I can do to protect myself here? I have the VIN.

Unfortunately for the Quebec bike a PPI is not possible as it is prohibitively far for me. The dealer said they slashed the price because nobody in the area wants a Ducati as there is no dealer within five hours - that if it were Ottawa or Montreal it would sell much easier.
 
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NuggyBuggy said:
Would that be true even from a dealer?

Now I've started looking into this and seeing that "title washing" is a thing. Is there something I can do to protect myself here? I have the VIN.

Unfortunately for the Quebec bike a PPI is not possible as it is prohibitively far for me. The dealer said they slashed the price because nobody in the area wants a Ducati as there is no dealer within five hours - that if it were Ottawa or Montreal it would sell much easier.
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Yes.. a sneaky one.

No personal experience but I have hears od bad stories. Im sure there are tons of good ones too.

Look into it and I'm sure you can find examples.
 
Mad Mike said:
Re&re = remove and replace.

I might bite if I saw the bike, and met and felt some honesty from the owner, had a momentary lapse in reasoning (it’s happened to me more than once). But, I can fix and service a bike, have reliable alternatives to ride if there is downtime — so my downside isnt terrible, the cost of parts.

I don’t mean to dampen your enthusiasm, just some sober thoughts from afar.
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Thanks @Mad Mike. I appreciate the honest advice I've gotten from everyone here. I will say I trust the owner completely. I've met him, talked to him for an hour or more. He's a nice older fellow and would talk forever and a day with you about the bike. He said he developed arthritis, kept hoping it would get better and finally came to the realization he wouldn't be able to ride again. He was forthright about the coolant drain bolt being stripped. He also pointed out some scratches on one of the panniers - barely noticeable to me.

But I know that doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with the bike, whether he knows it or not.

When we bought our cottage, we bought it from the nicest old couple you could ever meet. I was sitting with them at their dining table and I asked if they ever had mice. They both looked at each other for a second or two, and then said "No". I knew they weren't being honest, because nobody in the country doesn't have mice, but I knew that wasn't going to be a deal breaker.

We still do have mice sometimes, but that cottage has been one of the best things we could have done for ourselves and our kids (even if my garage did just burn down a few weekends ago).
 
At that age , seals just get tired and dried out . Sitting can be a bit worse , you can start with a striped plug and two tires , so there’s $800-1000 to start , maybe brake seals or fork seals , getting it certified . The Error codes may need a reset , or not , something triggered them in the first place, they don’t go off when not operating.
It’s a deal but the care and feeding could be painful of your not a mechanical fellow. Nothing from TeamRed is cheap.
Yes I own a Ducati .


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
crankcall said:
At that age , seals just get tired and dried out . Sitting can be a bit worse , you can start with a striped plug and two tires , so there’s $800-1000 to start , maybe brake seals or fork seals , getting it certified . The Error codes may need a reset , or not , something triggered them in the first place, they don’t go off when not operating.
It’s a deal but the care and feeding could be painful of your not a mechanical fellow. Nothing from TeamRed is cheap.
Yes I own a Ducati .


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
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Been a couple years since I owned my Multistrada but even though the mileage might be slightly under the service interval for desmo it might be due just because of age.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
Thank you. As it turns out, I have reached out to both Ken and Giovanni. Both have replied to me, I tentatively scheduled to bring the bike by on Tuesday until I found out the owner and I were misunderstanding each other about his willingness to let me bring it to a mechanic while still retaining an option to decline purchase.

Maybe this is the right time to discuss price.

2011 Multistrada Touring.
- $4000. 14k KM, sold by private party
- one owner, no recalls on the VIN.
- original tires (date code says 2010 or 2011) so would need to be replaced
- throwing DES errors (dealer says it could just need codes cleared)
- Comes with Termi and stock exhaust,
- stock ECU and some other ECU (he said tuned to Termi),
- some big air horn,
- Ducati rear stand,
- two seats (one modified to sit lower),
- set of unused Pirelli Angel tires (but also 13 years old so probably not worth anything?),
- well-used BMW touring suit, some other things I can't remember.
- owner stripped and sealed (?) coolant drain bolt
- bike looks mint, no scratches, started up fine.

Both come with OEM panniers and top box, centre stand.
Click to expand...

That price is pretty tempting on the 2011. Factor in the Desmo service, tires, and a new water pump cover and then see how it compares to one that's ready to ride (assuming everything else is good). Don't know much about the DES error other than reading that it's supposedly common and either requires a reflash or replacement ECU as long as the suspension components themselves haven't gone bad.

If you spoke to Giovanni, did you ask if he can inspect it for you at the seller's house?
 
Relax said:
That price is pretty tempting on the 2011. Factor in the Desmo service, tires, and a new water pump cover and then see how it compares to one that's ready to ride (assuming everything else is good). Don't know much about the DES error other than reading that it's supposedly common and either requires a reflash or replacement ECU as long as the suspension components themselves haven't gone bad.

If you spoke to Giovanni, did you ask if he can inspect it for you at the seller's house?
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I haven't spoken to Giovanni yet - he said he would call. I don't know where he lives, but the seller is about 3-h west of Toronto so that could be prohibitive.

Anyone have a Ducati guy in the London area ?

GP Bikes did tell me that sometimes bikes will throw DES errors if it has been sitting for too long and could just need a reset. Of course, it could mean other things too - I've seen mention of new shocks, new ECUs, etc.

I am thinking it is either an issue with the ECU OR what GP said, because the bike shows a variety of DES errors - Front Compress, Rear Rebound, Rear Compress, Pre-load, Rear compress, etc. I couldn't quickly find a comprehensive list of DES errors.

Owner says he has another ECU. I believe he has the aftermarket TuneBoy ECU mounted, which I think came with a tuning for the Termi exhaust, with the stock in storage.

Desmo intervals for the 2011 are every 24k km so it's not due for a while - sadly for me, with the limiting riding time I get only on fair weekends, probably a few years. Belt might need replacing. Owner said it was replaced, but I think it was more than a few years ago.
 
Pretty sure Inglis Cycle in London has a good Ducati tech.
 
Wingboy said:
Pretty sure Inglis Cycle in London has a good Ducati tech.
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Interesting ! I happen to know Mike Inglis but I thought they didn't sell Ducati any more. Their website still lists being able to service Ducatis. In fact, I think the owner of the bike I'm looking at bought his bike from them.

I just sent Mike an email to see if they still service Ducati and if so, whether I could pay for somebody to go and take a look at it. It's a great option actually since it would save me the hassle of hauling it to GP (owner did not seem to like Apex).
 
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NuggyBuggy said:
Interesting ! I happen to know Mike Inglis but I thought they didn't sell Ducati any more. Their website still lists being able to service Ducatis. In fact, I think the owner of the bike I'm looking at bought his bike from them.
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They might have some info for you.
 
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