Where to begin with 748S...

Pics

gunnermg748S* said:

New here...new to Ducatis, but not riding and will get right to brass tacks... A neighbor was moving so I picked up a 2001 Ducati 748S for $1800. Seems in decent condition. I am looking forward to bringing it back to stock with a modest upgrade here and there. I have already sought and found and purchased red,OEM bodywork which wasn't cheap. Here's my first of what may seem like ridiculously novice Ducati questions: the bike has an exhaust from an MV Augusta F4, and although neat looking, can the bike ever run optimally with this setup or is it a futile endeavor? Should I be putting a standard twin can setup? Cheers!

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Here are the pics

The exhaust and fairings are a travesty, but it sounds like you've already solved the fairings with OEM red. Used Termi or Arrow slipons aren't all that much. Hey, maybe one of the admirers wants to buy the exhaust or lovely green plastics/tank which will help you defray your costs.

If you're somewhat handy, do the fluids and nuts & bolt stuff yourself. If you can find a good shop who will charge actual time instead of "book labor", strip off all the fairings, tank, battery, and belt covers and bring them the naked bike for BELTS AND VALVE ADJUSTMENT ONLY (though you may run into having to replace a couple rockers as well). These bikes are actually pretty simple to work on, so don't pay someone $100/hour to take parts off the bike or adjust a chain.

One other thing that may not be obvious but you should do, however, is replace the tank's internal fuel lines and filter. Parts aren't that much, though getting the mounting plate back on with a new O-ring is a bit of a pain in the ass. While you're at it, I highly recommend upgrading to quick disconnect fuel lines. The bigger bikes usually had them but not most 748s. So nice to be able to remove a fuel tank without leaking everywhere.

Congrats and good luck!