[JoeNiner]

Stumbled upon a 40k mileage 748 mono for a price I can’t seem to pass up. Current owner has owned it for a year and has only put 600 miles on it with zero maintenance done. Yup including no oil changed. Besides the obvious, (belts valves etc) is there anything I should look out for so I don’t buy a grenade?

thanks guys.

 

[JoeNiner]

Failed to mention it is also a 2000 year model

 

[mjn76]

40k is getting up there but depending on the condition of everything else it might be worth a go. Suspension will be pretty rough at that point so that is something to consider. there is very little on a 748 of that vintage that will go catastrophically bad outside of the belts and rockers. The plug for the charging system always burns up giving inconsistent electrical issues and the fuel pump and lines will need to be addressed. I like to offer the seller a free oil change with my inspection, I tell them I would like to check the screens and will change the oil and filter for them, if all is good I buy the bike, if not I let them know what's wrong and they get a free oil change. I have only had one guy pass on the offer. the few that had obvious signs of rocker flake the seller understood and discounted the price to where I couldn't pass up. best case scenario is you put a weekend and $1000 into it for a tune-up with belts and rockers and have a cheap(?) good 748, , second best is you need to put a replacement engine in it, there are plenty available in all the different displacements for cheap, worst case is you bought it for less than the sum of the parts and have to part it out to recover. depending on what you spend to get it you are probably safe if it is a "too good to pass up" deal.

 

[JoeNiner]

Awesome advice thank you much. Not a bad idea on that oil change to be honest I might try it! Thank you much sir

 

[RedSubmarine]

Since when is a 40k mile engine high mileage?

My track only 748/853 has almost 60k miles and is doing just fine Old belts aren’t a sign of a bad engine, they’re just annoying since you’ll need to change them. Flaking rockers can affect a bike with 10k miles just as much as a 40k mile bike. It takes 90 seconds for oil to reach the rockers after a cold start, so any revving before that can cause damage. The oil inspection is a great idea. Alternatively, you can always pore the old oil back in if you don’t like what you see

Go buy it. These bikes are super reliable. Like super duper reliable. Seriously. All of them will have a leaking fork seal or brake line etc, they’re 30 years old now… Worst case is you need to replace a few rockers but good used ones can be had for cheap enough to not hesitate.


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[JoeNiner]

Good to know man thank you

 

[JackAttack]

I once had a 40k mi 748; no issues with the charging system/wiring/fuel lines and fired up on every start. Metal and chrome flakes are normal. Test ride, if it preforms well, buy it, then ride it till it dies.

 

[Jorgy]

If you don't mind doing the work these things are easy and rewarding to take apart and put back together. It's an old bike now so everything will be dirty and to some degree worn out, but that's not necessarily a problem. I bought a 97 a few years ago with a bunch of miles on it and I've enjoyed the process of figuring out how it works. However, if you are planning to take it to a shop every time something goes wrong then it might not be the thing for you.

 

[ducvet]

A 1000 mile motor can break as well as a 50000 mile motor it is in the actual parts and maintenance (or lack of).

If the price is right for you factor in this....
Are you willing to buy a replacement motor?
Are you willing or able to rebuild this motor?
Do you care about resale?
Do you enjoy a project?

You say this owner has done no maintenance on it in a year and 600 miles that may be true but is the tip of the iceberg has anyone done maintenance on it?
When was it done last?
old dirty oil if left in the cases can soften the main bearings leading to a engine rebuild who knows if it has been done to the bike at this point but be prepared for it in case.
748 motors used to be available and not for big money but they were one of the most abused Ducati engines due to their high rpm nature . often people would engine swap to a bigger motor if they had a issue so stock 748's were plentiful.

As a fyi the 748 with a big bore kit was one of the favorite desmoquattro's at the dealership because you had the short stroke large bore of the race bikes and a close ratio gear box. Not going to show up on a dyno sheet but fun . When I chose my own 916 style bike it was a 748 and yes when it needed a rebuild it became a 853 so there was a benefit from the cost.

 

[JoeNiner]

Went to check it out. Unfortunately seller and I could not come to an agreement on price. Couple things turned me off the bike. I’m fine with a project but the amount the bike needed I would have to put double what he was asking for to get it road worthy. Tires were from 2011, Chain slapped the swing arm, closed clutch cover so plates were more than likely shot and sounded shot. oil was jet black. Clutch was squishy and Brakes almost hit the lever. Overall I feel as a bike owner these small things can’t be accomplished, then what else is array with the bike? If it had less mileage then eh maybe.

seller also said he was just selling it to get out from underneath doing a desmo service but wouldn’t budge on price to accommodate the service. So I walked.

 

[JoeNiner]

.

 

[Stillrollinalong]

Knowing when to and being able to walk away are important skills.
So you are free to keep looking.

 

[RedSubmarine]

Good call. I woulda done the same.


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[ducvet]

The black oil is the biggest issue from those listed.
Too many "cheap" bikes get traded and run into the ground to the point some poor soul will spend a lot of money or they get parted out.

 

[JoeNiner]

The black oil is the biggest issue from those listed.
Too many "cheap" bikes get traded and run into the ground to the point some poor soul will spend a lot of money or they get parted out.

yeah Ive been there done that learned that lesson the hard way. Sad to see it go to waste though at one point someone did take care of it. How else did it get up to 40k miles right.

 

[ducvet]

Oh I have zero doubt it can and likely will be saved at some point by someone, At this point there simply should be better examples you can buy that will save you money in the long run. These bikes seldom go away so somebody will get lured in by the low cost , we will be here for them when the questions start.

 

[ProphetPVD]

The black oil is the biggest issue from those listed.
Too many "cheap" bikes get traded and run into the ground to the point some poor soul will spend a lot of money or they get parted out.

How does that quote go? The most expensive bike in the world is a "cheap" Ducati?

 

[knockcrogherypaul]

The black oil is the biggest issue from those listed.
Too many "cheap" bikes get traded and run into the ground to the point some poor soul will spend a lot of money or they get parted out.

Old black oil can be replaced with shiny new oil for $20 if you are not fussy about what you are putting in. A seller not willing to change out old black oil requires a different set of questions.