I'm looking at buying a 748. Tips, hints, advice needed for a Noob.

N

Neisha

New member
Hello everyone. I'm brand new to the board because I'm looking at possibly stepping into the world of Ducati's. I've got an '86 Honda VFR700F Interceptor right now and I'm looking to add something a little more radical to my arsenal. I would LOVE a 749 Dark around the year 2004 but insurance, initial price, and finding one in my area is proving a little difficult. I really loved the 748 Special in titanium grey but those are even harder to find and expensive as well. However, right in my home town I found an add for a 1998 748. Here is the ad-

"yellow 1998 Ducati 748s for sale. The bike has just under 4300 miles and is in excellent condition. I just upgraded the factory clutch slave cylinder and changed all all hydraulic fluid. I plan on changing the oil in the next few days. Also included with the bike is a XXL HJC helmet, XL Power Trip Ram Air Jacket, Bike Cover, Biposto and Monoposto seat, stock exhaust system, and two repair manuals. Pictures available upon request. Email Andy with any questions. Serious inquiries only."

I have not talked to the guy yet as I'm still not 100% sure I'm going to buy a Duc. From what I've seen the mileage is very low and the price is pretty good and the extra seats are a big plus even though the gear might be a little big for me. I've got some questions for the brain trust here though

1. Does this sound like a pretty good deal?

2. What is the upgraded slave cylinder? (I know what a clutch slave cylinder is but was there a defect with original ones of this generation?

3. Is there anything specific to this generation of Duc that I need to watch out for or look at closely?

4. How much bike is this? I've riden my friends '06 CBR600RR a number of times, does this compare at all?

5. What maintenance items are coming up on this bike that I will need to be prepared for?

6. Any other things that an uninformed person like myself should know is also helpful.

thank you in advance and I'm looking forward to some good discussion.

-Tim
 
that seems like a decent price,

the replaced clutch slave is usually just to give the clutch an easier pull or to put a little color on the bike, not because of a defect.

if it is a 748 "S" that means that it will have upgraded suspension.

the 06 cbr is about 30lbs lighter and has a few more hp.,and is probably a little faster. the cbr is a 4 cylender the duc is a twin, the cbr will be a high rev to get your hp, the duc has alot of torque down lower.

as for as maintainance the next suggested maintainance would be at 6,000mi.

it sounds like he is including the "stock exaust" that could mean that he has aftermarket exaust on it, which would be good

the 748 is a great bike i've got one, it will not be quite as fast as most jap bikes, but it all depends on what your looking for, if your looking for the cheapest most powerful bike the duc is not it, if your looking for something with character and personality something unique with better quality components, that is the duc
 
Thanks for the reply Kerry. I decided to pass on that bike after a few emails back and forth to the guy. He just seemed sketchy. It has 996 fairings on it because his buddie's cousin wanted to paint his 996 and used his fairings instead...yeah... He had a close call on it so his parents are making him sell it...I'll pass...

But!!! I ran into a guy selling his '01 748 for the same price. It has 17,000 miles but has just gotten a big service and has a TON of mods to it. Open clutch cover with ferraci clutch components, arrow CF exhaust, carbon front fender, upgraded clutch slave, stainless brake lines, new sprockets and chain, a bunch of carbon on the tank and various other places and he upgraded to the Magnesium 5 spoke wheels!!! Its red with gold wheels, he says the gold 5 spokes are very rare, I have no idea. But it looks awesome and I'm going to check it out next monday and hopefully buy it if everything checks out. The last part of you're post is exactly what I want a Duc for. I've loved them since I was a kid for some reason and I'm just not into the inline 4 jap bikes. I.E. Ninja, R1 &6, CBR and GSX-R. They are just too common and I think they sound pretty crappy. Now, a Duc, Triumph, Buell, Aprilla; now THAT is a motorcycle. Is it the fastest thing on the street? No, but its the STREET! who cares?
 
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