Parts prices - Ducati.ms

GMP · May 13th, 2008, 9:08 am

Well I sold my HD and I have about another month to heal before I can ride. Love the Hyper looks and ergos, and will test ride one ASAP. What may be the deal breaker is the absolutely stupid parts prices I see referenced here. Come on, $600 for a plastic handguard? Thats just ridiculous. This bike will see do it all all weather use, daily. Properly maintained but not be babied. The bike's performance characteristics vs. my intended use is not the issue. What I hated about my HD was the bling maintanence and fear of big $$ damage. How much for Hyper side panels if my kid accidently knocks it over in the garage? It can happen. What can I expect from the clutch after a 7500+ mile season of commuting and day rides? I have no intention of paying dealers to work on the bike, I can handle that. The bike purchase price is a stretch though and I have to consider parts costs. Perhaps I should consider something else? I also have an off road racing/riding addiction to feed.

AXE · May 13th, 2008, 10:23 am

Generally speaking, parts for the Ducati can easily be 25-50% or more of comparible Jap bike parts. Aside from the fun factor, the Hyper would be a great daily rider if your not doing a lot of higher freeway speeds. That being said, the Jap bikes are going to be cheaper to run in my opinion. You might want to look at the Yamaha FZ1 or an Suzuki SV model. They are very affordable, lots of parts available, easy to maintain, comfortable, and fun to ride.

Good luck with your decision. They Hyper is a great bike.

Out!

sloduck · May 13th, 2008, 10:43 am

I am a daily commuter 104 miles round trip and this is why I have a 2006 FZ1. This is my fourth commuter and I put about 16k-18k miles a year. I always buy a brand new left over bike so I can save some money. Then when the weekend comes, the last thing I wanna ride is my commuter bike. This is the time for fun with HM. But if can only have one bike, then good luck with your decision.

GMP · May 13th, 2008, 10:46 am

Not really interested in a UJM. I want a naked Euro bike. I just don't like paying significantly more for something than its worth, just to be part of a "club". The bike price is in the ballpark but the parts are just insane. Thats the HD mentality and I'm done with that. I race GasGas bikes, a small low volume Spanish mfg. I do a lot of work on mine and my nephew's bikes and buy a lot of parts. They are easy to get and only slightly more than Jap bike parts, so its not just the Euro/dollar thing.

I was also considering the Aprilia Shiver 750. Great ergos as well and nice bike. Too bad the Dorsoduro won't be here for awhile. Down side is the non-adjustable suspension. I don't need the ultimate in track performance, just solid street performance and the ability to tune the bike.

Almost bought a Speed Triple but the insurance is crazy, twice the price of the Hyper!

debby · May 13th, 2008, 10:48 am

Ducatis are more expensive to own and operate than some other brands. The clutch should be good for at least 10K miles with normal usage though. My 900SS had 11K miles when I sold it and all I had to replace was the pressure plate (spring wells wore through).

The best thing to do about the $600 handguards, if you're worried about them, is to simply remove them and pack them away for when you sell the bike. Can't do that with the sidepanels though!

I was at my dealer a couple of weeks ago getting the license plate bracket recall done. They mentioned one of the other purchasers had his bike blown over in a parking lot by the wind. Repair bill was $3300. Something to think about...

Debby

GMP · May 13th, 2008, 11:44 am

That $3300 is exactly what I'm talking about, ridiculous. Handguards are easy, I'd just swap out the OEMs for aluminum woods type with deflectors, Bonz mounts, and add bar end sliders. Probably bars too as I have an assortment at home. If you run bar ends, will the bars stop the plastic from hitting the ground at full lock? If so then that might not be bad. Sliders should take care of the rest.

I can only have one road bike, I already have four dirt bikes in a single garage. One with personality would be nice, but it wouldn't be my primary riding entertainment.

lelenb · May 13th, 2008, 11:53 am

I don't know if the HM is the bike for you as you may not be able to enjoy it. I know people who own things that they fear damaging and they never seem to relax and enjoy them. I don't want to see my bike damaged, but I have already accepted that it is a possibility. If you are worried about parts, I don't know if the Aprilia is the right choice. Not only are the parts priced similarly as the Duc's, but on some models there can be a long wait for simple parts. Just ask anyone with a SXV about parts problems. The quality of the current Ducatis are quite good. If you are worried about the bike get good insurance and keep the bike for 3 years and sell it when the warranty is up.

LATEBRAKER · May 13th, 2008, 5:56 pm

My commuter is a ZRX1200R and it absolutely ROCKS on that front. I also use it for the longer weekend rides (300+ miles).
The R1 is mostly track and sometimes locals rides.
Venture is for the Long rides with my girl.
I bought the HM knowing it has limited range but the fun factor totally overides this.
If you have to have a Euro, expect the more expensive parts prices as part of the package.
If you want a great fun specialized tool, get the HM. If you want a commuter, there are much better choices available.

frique · May 13th, 2008, 7:34 pm

I highly doubt the wind caused $3,300 damage. The only way that could be explained is if it fell on a full termi and they replaced the whole thing because it was "scratched".

I low sided the bike and the bar end/footpeg worked pretty well. The tank panel barely got touched and that thing slid a ways...

LATEBRAKER · May 13th, 2008, 8:36 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by frique

I highly doubt the wind caused $3,300 damage. The only way that could be explained is if it fell on a full termi and they replaced the whole thing because it was "scratched".

I low sided the bike and the bar end/footpeg worked pretty well. The tank panel barely got touched and that thing slid a ways...

Actually...
about two months ago I was warming up the ZRX to go to work and it fell over on my slanted driveway.
If I had replaced all the damaged parts with new, and had them installed I could see where in might be in the $2000-2500 range.
I think a Duck could easily surpass this amount given the price of parts.

Big dent in Fuel tank - $795
Left crankcase cover cracked and leaking - $110
Instrument Cluster Interior and mount(s) broken - $800+
Clutch lever - $45
Left Bar end - $55 (set)
Left turnsignal - $40
Left Mirror $65
Left Grab Bar $50 (?)
Left side Panel $95