My local bike shop has a gorgeous Red Bull Replica 998 in the window and every time I go past it my hear tells me “You want this machine”
I’ve bitten the bullet today and went in to enquire. Its a stunning bike with all the right bits (marchesini wheels, termi carbon cans, all the carbon bits etc) and only 12000 on the clock .
BUT…and it’s a big BUT
There’s no service history and due to this it’s priced £1000 lower than the book price.
My heart wants me to put a wedge on the table but my head is telling me not to.
Please someone tell me I’d be a fool to buy this bike of my dreams:crazy:
This is my worry E. Why is it navy blue? Should I pay a bit more for a minter with a FSH?It’s got Showa forks too which makes it a lesser model. The dealer is a Yamaha franchise and knows very little about Ducati. I could be buying a pile of trouble couldn’t I?.. but it’s beautiful!!!:w00t:
You got it ;)Its '02 with 12 000 on the clock.I drive past there slower and slower every time:DNotice they have actually chained this bike down in the window…thats a first for them:w00t:
Don’t they normally say that if you are buying a Duke & it has no service history you should walk away?
Saying that, this is coming from the guy who bought a KTM 950 Supermoto cos it was awesome & I persuaded myself into thinking it would be ok for 2 up touring So my heart over rules my head 9/10.
I would say do it, whats the worst that can happen-If it gives you a lod of grief then flog it and cut yor losses. If not you have a great bike for £1k less than it would have cost you.
You sound like you know your way around a bike and a tool kit so anything too obvious you should pick up.
Remember too no history doesnt mean it has never been serviced, might be that it was genuinely misplaced. You should be able to tell which by the condition of the bike and the consumables.
At last… the voice of reason:cool:Thanks GG:)You know I won’t be putting many miles on it over the next 3 months so that’s half the warranty out the window… PLUS they aint Ducati trained spanners there either.I don’t know where you get this reputation thing from, I’ve never known any probs with them.
Ive been there after owning my k4 gsxr1000 limited edition i fancied a change , and there was a lovely looking ducati 748e in my local budget bike store , so i went in an ended up doing a straight swap , the bike was sexy to look at ,and a lot of fun to ride , but that was it , it needed a full service ,timming belts , brake pads ect ect . it didnt have any service history after 5000. the bike was a bag of **** cost me 600 quid getting it right an through an mot. i ended up buying some termi pipes for it and a sp single seat unit . i kept it for 4 months then part exed it for a gsxr1000 k5 . so to be honest unless its got a full history i wouldnt bother m8. nice bikes but just make sure u get a good one . also it felt guttless compared to the gsxr , me m8s on there 600 s were leaving me.:crying:
Well I’m probably going to be the only person that suggests you do this but in my opinion, if you’re unsure about it, you should walk away. There will ALWAYS be another one. If I may suggest, you’re probably only lusting after this particular one so much because you’ve seen it and your heart is telling you it’s within reach but, with a bit of research, I’m sure there are others out there that will inspire you with more confidence in what you’re buying.
You know you want one, and this is no reason not to get one at all but perhaps you should walk away from this one unless you can get more certainty in it?
+1Why risk buying a bag of trouble when for £1000 more you can get a straight one which will give you at least as much pleasure and you’ll get at least the £1000 back when you sell it.
Ive been messing around with Dukes for a few years now and never really had a problem. Saying that there is always a lemon or two out there, and from your description this sounds like it might be more lemony than lemsip.
If your heart wins, and it often does when Ducatis are involved, take it to either pro twins or corner speed for a full check up, both are good honest dealers.
Try a few websites to gauge prices for parts, its not always the massive stuff that’s the issue, sometimes the silliest of small parts can cost an arm and a leg.
If it were me mate, and I really wanted one, I would be looking at either the ducati sporting club website or at franchised dealers, may cost more initially but could save you a fortune in the long run.
Ask yourself why have the bike shop got it in the window, I would have thought that most bike shops do deals with each other based on manufacturer, so why hasn’t this one either gone to another dealer or been sold at auction, probably cos it hasn’t got a service history and that makes even dealers nervous.
Don’t get this wrong they are not the unreliable bikes people make them out to be, generally the folk that say you will spend more time in the garage than out on the road have never owned one, or only know a mate who’s second cousins best pals neighbour had one. On the whole Ive found them to be quite reliable, perversely the thing that kills them is under use rather than high mileage.
pm sent mate
