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Concerns over a high mileage Supersport

4K views 32 replies 13 participants last post by  surffly 
#1 ·
I am considering buying a 1996 Supersport CR but the speedometer reads 70000 miles. The owner is replacing the clutch basket, clutch lever and left mirror. And I may do a compression test when I see it. From inspecting the bike, the frame is very clean with 0 rust but the front tire shows signs of track use. The asking price is $2500 CAD

Does anyone have any input they can give me?

Images attached below

Thanks for your comments.
 

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#4 ·
Not the prettiest frame repair welds I have seen but if done right they should be fine. If thats a good price then factor in a rebuild or replacement low mile motor in the price. I would expect if cared for the mileage is fine but if you are starting off with one you should plan for issues so if one pops up you are covered. I had a 75,000 mile 750ss what a later owner dropped in a low mile replacement and was good to go, might be no need. I had a 50,000 mile m900 in the shop last year and the pistons and cylinders were perfect.
 
#5 ·
Does the owner say that he has had the bike on the track?? it's possible he got some track take off tyres you never know 70K miles?? I'm a BMW guy normally and that kind of mileage would never scare me. -The bike looks to be in good shape
 
#8 ·
Looking at how the bars are set up, the heated grips and the rushed frame welding job, my guess is it is/was his daily bike. The front tyre is a supercorsa that yes, looks like it's done a track day but the rear is a road tyre with normal wear so i'm with Rennsport, it is likely a 2nd hand tyre taken off another bike.
70k miles is high but for a carbureted SS it's not a concern, a mate of mine has one with 140k kms on it and the heads have never been off it, still runs like a sewing machine and has only ever had scheduled maintenance and maybe a (wet) clutch??

Do a compression check to be sure but if it has stock mufflers it's likely the carbs haven't been messed with so it should be good, replacing the dry clutch basket is nice, what's the rest of it like? and those welds could easily be cleaned up. Despite it's mileage finding a clean unmolested example of anything is difficult, it is 24 years old after all....
 
#9 ·
if you pull it apart it'll probably have the plug coming out of the crank and some worn gears, but if it's not smoking just ride it until it shits the nest.

it's probably either had a heap of the big maintenance items done, or will need them soon. just the way it is. you could find a low km one and buy that for more money.
 
#10 · (Edited)
If the compression test is good then I would'nt worry; it's price is cheap enough for you toreplace rings or even heads at a later date.

Mine had done about 75,000 Klms (46K miles) when I bought it and now on about 105 klms (65K miles) and still going strong. It will need new rings soon as it smokes a bit when I back off, but not a worry as I'll do some upgrades at the same time.
Iv'e had both side crankcase covers off and it still looks brand new inside.

Cheers.
 
#11 ·
For comparison I bought my 95 SS/CR 2 seasons ago for the same CAD$2500. 27000km (17000 miles) as a bit of a project. I’ve gone through pretty much every system on the bike to get it tip top, save for splitting the cases. My own labor plus a couple thousand in parts. But I know it’s now reliable and safe, and it’s my favourite bike to ride, worth every hour and every cent.

112000km (70000 miles) is a bunch. Unless it’s been meticulously maintained it’s going to need work. Wheel and steering head bearings, carbs, charging/wiring, brakes, suspension rebuild, etc.. It depends what you want and I know these bikes don’t come up for sale often, but I’d look for something with lower miles unless you are prepared for a full overhaul and he drops the price for you.

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
I don't know that I'd go that far. A new frame could be had for roughly $500. Check on the wounded duc website. That, or have the steering head cracks checked and re-welded if necessary. It isn't rocket science but it does need to be done right.

The rest, I agree with Jetta. It will likely need an overhaul and with a new frame, replacing the steering head bearings is just common sense since you'll be there anyway.

If you could talk the guy down, to $2K or a bit less citing the above comments it could turn into a really nice project. I'd not be afraid of the mileage though it's a bit higher than where I'd like to be on a bike such as this.......sean
 
#14 ·
70,000 miles over 24 years is less than 3k a year, that's not much when you average it out and to be fair, the bike looks like it's been looked after quite well, the heads and barrels are still silver, not black from baked on road grime and things like suspension and carbs usually keep working when they're used, it's leaving them sit that kills them.

Would i buy it and ride it as is? nope, i wouldn't, but as a project to strip and rebuild fixing the minor issues i could have that on the road running reliably with a properly repaired frame repainted and any other repairs within a week.
And whether it's done 25k or 70k it may or may not need any of the usual bits like pads, chain, sprockets, rotors, tyres, bearings etc so in my mind at least, overall condition would be more important to me than mileage.
Mileage may be an issue if you plan to put another 50k miles on it but really, is that likely? and if so would you likely put a 944 kit on one anyway, regardless of the mileage?
 
#15 ·
After talking to my local bike mechanic and showing him the photo of the welds on the forks, he told me to walk away and never think of her ever again!
That might be good info if he knows these bikes well, if he does not know a carby SS then I would consider walking away from your local bike mechanic as he may not be up to the job. Anyone who knows these bikes knows about the frame cracking as well as valid repairs that are done with good results.

Could you find a better bike? Probably, but the bikes are gaining in popularity as well as price so be prepared to spend more for a better example as you would expect. As a general rule : If you plan on spending a little on purchase expect to spend more time and money on repairs. If you spend more on purchase, plan on buying a bike with more items already fixed. There is no free lunch nor supersports so ask yourself are you going to be happier buying a project for short money to begin with so you have money to play with on modifying. Or will that frustrate you and you are better off spending more money and get a bike that needs very little.
 
#16 ·
If you plan on spending a little on purchase expect to spend more time and money on repairs.
Exactly, that's what I did. Mine wasn't a pig when I purchased it but it was no show bike. Needed quite a bit done. Now when I look at it and ride it I have a sense of pride in what it has become.
I have pretty much done all that I need to do except for Ignitech/coils.

So to the original poster have another think as it seems tidy enough, and not a neglected pig.
 
#17 ·
The thing is the seller wants $2500.00 Canadian ---thats like what?? $250.00 U.S. lol It's not that bad but it's only $1800.00 U.S.
 
#20 ·
well if your looking for a bike that is good to go with everything already done and it needs nothing ==break a couple of piggy banks because it will probably cost at minimum double what this one will and more likely 3 time the price. But this one could also wind up costing that much to get it right
 
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#21 ·
True that. You'll either pay up front, or pay over the long haul. Your choice. If you're set on a Ducati, I think the same applies across the board with any of them. If it's going cheap, there's probably a reason it's going cheap.

At least in the case of the Supersport you've posted about in this thread there is not a great deal of mystery involved. Owners have been through them for a couple of decades now, and the vast majority of issues and fixes is well documented.

You could very well wind up paying a good deal more for a cosmetically clean and original motorcycle but still wind up with plenty of hidden issues that you'll have to solve eventually anyway. IE, you find a $5K example and wind up having to make the same kind of repairs and as many as you would with the $2500 example.

I'm not trying to dissuade you, or persuede you to take one course or other. Just relaying my collective experiences. As someone already pointed out, there's no free ride....but equally there's no cheap ones either.
 
#23 ·
True that. You'll either pay up front, or pay over the long haul. Your choice. If you're set on a Ducati, I think the same applies across the board with any of them. If it's going cheap, there's probably a reason it's going cheap.

At least in the case of the Supersport you've posted about in this thread there is not a great deal of mystery involved. Owners have been through them for a couple of decades now, and the vast majority of issues and fixes is well documented.

You could very well wind up paying a good deal more for a cosmetically clean and original motorcycle but still wind up with plenty of hidden issues that you'll have to solve eventually anyway. IE, you find a $5K example and wind up having to make the same kind of repairs and as many as you would with the $2500 example.

I'm not trying to dissuade you, or persuede you to take one course or other. Just relaying my collective experiences. As someone already pointed out, there's no free ride....but equally there's no cheap ones either.
True that. You'll either pay up front, or pay over the long haul. Your choice. If you're set on a Ducati, I think the same applies across the board with any of them. If it's going cheap, there's probably a reason it's going cheap.

At least in the case of the Supersport you've posted about in this thread there is not a great deal of mystery involved. Owners have been through them for a couple of decades now, and the vast majority of issues and fixes is well documented.

You could very well wind up paying a good deal more for a cosmetically clean and original motorcycle but still wind up with plenty of hidden issues that you'll have to solve eventually anyway. IE, you find a $5K example and wind up having to make the same kind of repairs and as many as you would with the $2500 example.

I'm not trying to dissuade you, or persuede you to take one course or other. Just relaying my collective experiences. As someone already pointed out, there's no free ride....but equally there's no cheap ones either.
Ok, I am going to talk to the owner and find out exactly what he's already fixed over the years. He told me the bikes been very well looked after and after looking into the miles. The bikes only averaged about 2700 miles/year since 96' which doesn't sound as bad. I've been looking into these for awhile now and for me it really boils down to what shape the engine is in. My last bike (KLR-650) blew up after 1000km after buying it and I think that's why I'm very hesitant with the deal. I'm only 21 and I'm not sure if I want to buy a potential money pit. I'm just looking for a very well built motorcycle that I can keep for a long time. If I have to put in 1k-2k to have it running smooth. That's a price I can live with.
 
#22 ·
Ok, I am going to talk to the owner and find out exactly what he's already fixed over the years. He told me the bikes been very well looked after and after looking into the miles. The bikes only averaged about 2700 miles/year since 96' which doesn't sound as bad.
 
#24 ·
You don't want a potential money pit eh?

It IS a Ducati you know.... parts can be expensive, and older bikes like the SS are getting harder to find bits for, a lot of mechanical and service items are easy, cosmetics and bike specific stuff like tail lights for example command a pretty penny.
That said, the 2 valve air cooled 900 is probably the most reliable/indestructible of the Ducati range, and from the pics i've seen it certainly does look like it's been well maintained.

Know that it doesn't matter what brand, year, mileage bike you buy, if it needs the consumables they will all cost about the same price give or take so get the cleanest example that's been looked after the best and look for the general state of it and list what needs replacing to make it rideable.
 
#27 ·
The most important thing to do regardless whether you purchase this one or another bike is (and this is coming from someone who own's a European motorcycle shop) Do your services religiously, when they are due and dont cut corners. If you do this the bike will last and serve you well. Do it not and it WILL bite you in the arse. Find out from the owner when the last full service was including belts & valve adjustment--This will tell you alot.
 
#28 ·
By the way--I have a 1977 BMW R100SRS it is my primary bike. I have always kept up on all service. That bike now has over 1 million miles on it. The engine has had 1 complete overhaul --yes I have done the top end about 6 times and other things but they can last a very long time if cared for. And no I dont expect my Ducati's to be that trouble free
 
#29 ·
I can only say this is great advice. Having recently bought a 900 Monster (Mechanically very similar to the SS) that the PO cleaned religiously but skipped the last Valve service. The bike is Mint, literally showroom new, but ... now the heads and jugs are off because the Valves clearances were ignored for too long and no longer seal (20% loss with a leak down test).
 
#31 ·
I will also throw out there that interest in carby SS is growing so if you do spend based on Brads cost estimate (which may be accurate) the value of the bike will likely exceed that number if you own it long enough. Ask any owner of a Pos Bevel drive what they are worth now compared to 20 years ago and you get what I am saying, bevels that were scrapped back around 2000 because they were mostly worthless would now be worth a pretty penny and rising still. Time can be your friend if you keep it long term and do not do things that lower value like cafe ,chop etc.
 
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