[Guest]

Just wanted to say hi, my roots mainly come from old school brit choppers, BSA's and Triumphs. I'm also into rockcrawling, and hot rods. I have been riding Jap bikes unitl now (gixer 1000 and a Honda 600 RR). I have always loved the style and sound of Ducatis and everyone I know has been trying to talk me out of buying one for years ( because of the valve issues and maintenance costs ). But I see it like this, you can't own a Ferrari and then bitch about the costs to maintain it right ? Well I'm, finaly getting ready to throw down for a new 749. I had considered a 999 but I got to tell you the Gixer 1000 I've ridin was just too much for me ( no track days, only street ) where the Honda 600RR was fun as hell.

I'll be using the bike for a very mild commute during the summer and twisties on weekends. I am also looking forward to some track days ( I'll most likely be the guy just putting around, until I get some confidence built up ) some of the pics I've seen here are just crazy

Anyway, I have looked at all my options and the 749 fits me just right. At first I was concerned with getting butt hurt from a 749 but then I realized I've ridin hardtail Brit choppers with drag bars for hundreds of miles, so If I can handle that I should be able to handle this.

I won't be able to get the bike until late Decemeber, as I don't do the finance thing and should be able to pay cash for a new one by then. So I have some time, but I do have a few questions .

Who's a good dealer in Northern California? My dealer ( good times kawasaki ), doesn't seem to like Ducati's, no outdoors signage of even being a dealer and they tried to talk me into another Jap bike. The overall impression I got from them was weak.

Should I hold out to buy a used bike with some mods already done or just buy a new one ? ( I was shooting for 12K OTD new ) Good Times quoted me 11,500 on a new 749 so I figure there is some wiggle room if I pay CASH. My only concern at this point was the exhaust. Seems that Ducatis tend to burn your ass with the stock exhaust and Termi ( SP ) exhaust kits start at like 2K.

Anything else I should be looking for in a new or used bike ?

Anyway, sorry for the long winded post, any advise would be great.

RJ

 

[Guest]

Re: New to the board and buying a 749, have some questions.. (Chopperman)

id buy new and do the "on going project" with the add-ons. part of the fun for me.

by the way, there's some thread floating around here that has results from some test showing the 999 doing better than a gix1000. cant remember which thread though.

 

[Guest]

Re: New to the board and buying a 749, have some questions.. (Chopperman)

Hey, welcome to the madness. First thing is, don't be afraid to look outside of your zip code for a good dealer. There are good ones in CA, but not being from there, I couldn't tell you what is close to what. A good dealer will determine whether you have a good or bad experience.

Second, the 749 is a truely awesome bike. It will do nearly everything you want it to. It is a pleasure on the track and backroads. However, if you have a long, grueling commute, you're going to get hot, and your going to have numb hands.

Don't worry about the exhaust. I have yet to have any true discomfort from the seat getting warm. It's really not as bad as people make it out to be. Look at it this way, some people pay extra for heated seats! Yes, the Termi's are expensive, but for a beginner, completely unnessasary. Ride the bike, build your skills, and once you've squeezed out everything, then get the exhaust and power tweeks.

 

[Guest]

Re: New to the board and buying a 749, have some questions.. (Chopperman)

Do a search on “749S and stalling”! You will get some hits for sure. I have an 04 749S that has had the dreaded stalling issue. It has been worked out, mostly nevertheless be aware there are issues with the bike stalling at idle. I am unsure if it was just the 04 S models or not. As mine is mostly for the track I’m not concerned but do be aware of this factory know issue.

Just my humble opinion
Mark

 

[Guest]

Re: New to the board and buying a 749, have some questions.. (oneilmd)

The "stalling problem" is a setup issue with the dealers. The ones in the know, have no problems.

Drop Bill a line here at the store 248-669-6633, we set em up right and ship everywhere