To wait - Or not to wait - Ducati.ms

amir0727 · Feb 28th, 2008, 12:56 pm

Hey everyone, well yesterday I went into my local Ducati dealer 'Good Times Powersports' in Sacramento, CA and was tossing around the idea of buying a new Ducati. My last bike was a 600RR that I did love dearly until it was sold to pay for some extra bills to get through school. Now that I've graduated - it's time to play

. Now, I've been eying an 848 since it's debut and have since fallen in love (once again..but i think this time, she's a winner!). The dealer only had a 1098, which I sat on and got pretty familiar with the bike in a short period of time - which is a very good thing; the bike fits me! I'm 6'0" 200lbs which I felt VERY comfty on for a sport bike. So, after speaking with a salesman, he said that I could put a deposit down on an incoming 848. Now, my concern is here - the 848 is not a Honda. This is it's first year of production. I'm not very familiar with Ducati's and don't know too much about their reliability, reputation and other important facts (which is why I'm here). So, generally speaking, with a 13k price tag and 1k service intervals every 15k/2years I want, no, NEED to be sure that this is going to be the bike for me. In addition, since it IS it's first year of production in the states, should I be wary of purchasing the bike? Should I wait a year? Or two? 848 owners - have you guys experienced any issues?

Thanks for all the help to everyone! Hopefully if the replies point me in the right direction, I'll have a new addition to the family.

Amir

94CobraR · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:05 pm

Welcome to the club...

desmo2 · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:10 pm

Welcome! You are a leg up on me...I owned a Ducati for years before I found this website. It's a great place to learn. Having said that...

Have you looked through some of the threads here yet??? There are scads of them about the 848, 848 vs 1098, 848 vs 749, 848 vs 916, 848 vs Quadracer, 848 vs Ford F-150, 848 vs F-18, etc etc etc, you get the point.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the first model year issue. The only bad thing about it is that Ducati will improve upon it, add more HP, etc, in the following years. Can you wait that long?

ducati_atx · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:15 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by desmo2

I wouldn't be too concerned about the first model year issue. The only bad thing about it is that Ducati will improve upon it, add more HP, etc, in the following years. Can you wait that long?

If one kept waiting wondering if something better will come out next year - you'd never buy anything.

As for the 848 - I sold my 749 the other day and have been shopping 848s for a bit. I personally Im waiting for the 2nd year. Given past issues Ducati has had with 1st year bikes - I think its a wise call. *shrug*

koolio · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:29 pm

First off, welcome!

FWIW, in the 1098's first model year, the biggest issue some owners had was with the bike stalling at idle or when rolling to a stop (usually 5-10mph or less) when the bike temp was above 180 degrees. The culprit is either incorrectly machined cams or an incorrectly mapped ECU. The answer depends on who you talk to. Other than this, there weren't any major issues that I'm aware of. This stalling issue has creeped into some '08 1098s (the 2nd model year) - mine included - but mine was due to the bad cams.

The good news: I haven't heard of one stalling issue with the 848 so it looks like Ducati ensured that it was limited to the 1098.

phat_dub · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:31 pm

Agreed. That or wait for the 848S!

Hehe <can of worms opened>

tye1138 · Feb 28th, 2008, 2:34 pm

Its a different bike then an 07 CBR600RR, nobody can debate the 07 is the best package around followed closely by the 07 R6. The older 600RR's and R6's arn't so hot, so if you had an older one, you'll be fine with the Duc. With a Ducati, your not in that club anymore, your in a completely different world. Instead of the bike just being a tool, your bike ends up being an obsession. You'll get comments just getting gas or going out for lunch!

I started riding because of my Ducati obsession and wanting to ride on the track. Everybody tries to get me into a Japanese bike for the track, but the 848 is such a great bike to begin with, I'd be shocked if a Japanese 600 could do much more.

Instead of waiting, I just went out and bought an 848, for many reasons. 1) With the exchange rate issue in the US, the prices are going to go up. 2) There might be an S model on the horizon, but I highly doubt it will be a power increase, it will be a bells and whistles upgrade like the 749S. 3) Ducati has resolved there major issues years ago, the 848/1098 are pretty flawless.

I don't see Ducati making any 848 changes that make it substantially better. According to the manual, it weighs 410lbs with everything but fuel. Once you throw on a decent exhaust, you'll gain around 10 more HP, making rear wheel output around 135, PLENTY of power! The package is pretty dam perfect as a daily rider, minus storage of course. For the track, its pretty deadly out of the box. Add a stabilizer and rear sets, you're all set!

I'd bite the bullet and buy NOW, while you still can. Push the dealer to give you a smokin' deal on one and put down a bunch of cash. This way, if a new model comes out, you won't be upside down on the loan and can always turn the 848 around to get something else if you don't like it.

BTW; once you start riding the 848, you'll need rear sets... It might fit you when you buy it, but you'll notice your knees rubbing against the fairings with the stock sets, especially at your height.

bruce19 · Feb 28th, 2008, 4:46 pm

I've been browsing around for either a used 998 or 999. The whole pricing thing is weird. There are people out there asking $12K for an '06 749S when a new 848 costs about the same. I think when the bike selling season hits here in the northeast, some 749/999 owners are in for a rude awakening.

ducati_atx · Feb 28th, 2008, 4:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by koolio

First off, welcome!

FWIW, in the 1098's first model year, the biggest issue some owners had was with the bike stalling at idle or when rolling to a stop (usually 5-10mph or less) when the bike temp was above 180 degrees. The culprit is either incorrectly machined cams or an incorrectly mapped ECU. The answer depends on who you talk to. Other than this, there weren't any major issues that I'm aware of.

Thats like saying "other than the rocker flaking issues" old 996/748 had no other major issues. To me, those type of things are pretty significant issues on high end, high dollar bikes. Id rather wait a year to let the first batch of owners figure it out and have it fixed.

fff · Feb 28th, 2008, 8:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by koolio

First off, welcome!

FWIW, in the 1098's first model year, the biggest issue some owners had was with the bike stalling at idle or when rolling to a stop (usually 5-10mph or less) when the bike temp was above 180 degrees. The culprit is either incorrectly machined cams or an incorrectly mapped ECU. The answer depends on who you talk to. Other than this, there weren't any major issues that I'm aware of. This stalling issue has creeped into some '08 1098s (the 2nd model year) - mine included - but mine was due to the bad cams.

The good news: I haven't heard of one stalling issue with the 848 so it looks like Ducati ensured that it was limited to the 1098.

With my bike I did have the stalling issues until I got the full termi system. From then on no issues at all. It was not a cam issue. I planned on putting on full system from day one but they were on major back order in April when I got mine. So 1st year 1098 was good to me. But you never know but how long do you want to miss riding a new bike?