[Palumbo23]

Hey everyone. It's my first post here and was hoping to get some insight and information.

I'm going to look at a 2008 848 soon. It's got a set of termi pipes and that is all. It has 29xxxkms (roughly 18xxx miles).

Is there anything specifically I should be looking for? I've had bikes before so I know to check the obvious (chain etc) but I've never had a ducati so I want to know/learn as much as I can.

Is there anything else I should know before looking into buying an 848. The other choice of bike I'm tossing up between is an 2009 r1.

Thanks for any help

 

[Tchase]

Ask for service records, also you should be getting a pretty good deal with that many miles.

The choice between the R1 and the 848 is not really a choice. If you go Ducati it's for the love of the bike.

 

[jwm2k3]

The Ducati motor has 2 cam timing belts. They are belts, not chains. These belts need to be changed. At the 14 or 15k mileage mark the valve clearance needs to be checked. That's the major maintenance stuff you cannot see by just looking at the bike.

Otherwise the 848 is a very strong machine. They are quick and lots of fun. At about 120mph any Japanese 1000cc bike will walk away from it...but up to about 100-120mph the 848 won't be embarrassed, but it won't be left in the dust either.

I say buy it if it's a good price. Have fun with it, I've loved both the 848's I've owned.

 

[white_duc89]

Like Tchase mentioned, service records are a big deal; specifically the valve services. The valves should be checked every 7,500 miles as well as the timing belts. I believe first year 848's like that had issues with the radiator cracking as well as issues with the voltage regulator. Just see if there's been any issues with those two things. Aside from that they're pretty solid, I'm pushing 38,000km's on mine with no major issues. Also, I hope you're not a shy person, people will want to chat about the bike whenever you stop; I've even had people honk and wave when I ride mine around town. Definitely worth it over an R1 in my opinion.

 

[Tuned]

I will just add… 18k miles + is a lot of mileage for a Ducati Superbike. Even if you have every single service record, you don't know how the original owner took care of it. Did they rev the living piss out of it all the time? Was it tracked? What kind of oil was used? Has it been down, even in a minor inconsequential way? I learned by re-building my 848 motor at 15k miles, these motors wear out quick if you work them hard like I did. A lot of people on this very forum have seen bottom ends fail at 20 - 25k miles as well, others have seen them last a little bit longer, but I'm certain if they pull the engines apart, those crank bearings will be beyond toast.

So my suggestion is to find the lowest mileage bike you can find, something that's been babied. There are plenty of owners out there who simply don't use their bikes except for the random weekend ride. That's the kind of bike you want and honestly, I would wait for one to show up before pulling the trigger.

The 848 is a great little superbike and well worth owning compared to an R1 which is meh… what everyone else has! LOL

Good luck on your purchase!

 

[beaustrong]

Found out my low fuel light no longer works, from full tank to fumes ~125 miles.

Checked the forum and it seems to be a common problem, if you do get the 848 don't rely on the idiot light.

The light use to activate around 90 miles on the trip.

 

[jwm2k3]

Ya....that fuel light is full of shit...

 

[Tchase]

knock on wood never had a fuel light problem...

 

[Palumbo23]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Definitely learnt something and have a good idea what to look for/ask about

 

[crashi]

I will just add… 18k miles + is a lot of mileage for a Ducati Superbike. Even if you have every single service record, you don't know how the original owner took care of it. Did they rev the living piss out of it all the time? Was it tracked? What kind of oil was used? Has it been down, even in a minor inconsequential way? I learned by re-building my 848 motor at 15k miles, these motors wear out quick if you work them hard like I did. A lot of people on this very forum have seen bottom ends fail at 20 - 25k miles as well, others have seen them last a little bit longer, but I'm certain if they pull the engines apart, those crank bearings will be beyond toast.

So my suggestion is to find the lowest mileage bike you can find, something that's been babied. There are plenty of owners out there who simply don't use their bikes except for the random weekend ride. That's the kind of bike you want and honestly, I would wait for one to show up before pulling the trigger.

The 848 is a great little superbike and well worth owning compared to an R1 which is meh… what everyone else has! LOL

Good luck on your purchase!

couldn't agree more with this. my bearings went at 10k with about 5k of those track miles. that said i beat the piss out of it :yo:

 

[Tuned]

couldn't agree more with this. my bearings went at 10k with about 5k of those track miles. that said i beat the piss out of it :yo:

Like you should! That's the problem… people who claim they beat the crap out of their Ducati's, yet have 20K+ miles on their machines, really don't know what "beat the crap" means! LOL

 

[Tchase]

There is a reason why most all OEMS do not warranty a bike that is tracked.

 

[Love2Ride]

Tough one. Is the R1 at the same mileage as the 848?
The 09 R1 is a pretty sweet bike with some minor mods. It sounds amazing and the engine is creamy smooth.
Its heavy and soft in stock form. But an exhaust, flash and re-spring / re-valve of the stock stuff really wakes the bike up!

 

[Palumbo23]

Tough one. Is the R1 at the same mileage as the 848?
The 09 R1 is a pretty sweet bike with some minor mods. It sounds amazing and the engine is creamy smooth.
Its heavy and soft in stock form. But an exhaust, flash and re-spring / re-valve of the stock stuff really wakes the bike up!

Yes the r1 has 4000kms less and is completly stock which I'd rather. And it's also $500 cheaper.
I felt really comfortable riding one previously. Yep, pipes, ecu flash, set suspension to my weight and other little look-good bits and that's it.

 

[Palumbo23]

And it whichever I buy, I won't "beat the crap" out of it. An occasional track day and some spirited hill rides but majority just puttin around town. It won't be commuted on either

 

[[email protected]]

I did 10 track days the first 2yrs I had my 08 848. I've done 3 a yr since then. I also sport tour, commute, canyon ride and pose at the Starbucks 100K away on a regular basis. Just rolled over 90,000K a few weeks ago. I did 3500K in 5 days through the mountain roads of Oregon and anyone who's ridden Mackenzie Pass quickly knows it's a lot of brake, gas, brake, gas for many miles. Also done a yearly trip to Northern Cali with a couple of buddies and we ride the good roads between the coast and the I5.

The 08 848 will do it all but knowing where it's been first and maintaining it onward is key. Aside from replacing the reg/rec and radiator at 18,000K the first year I had the bike, it's been solid with regular oil changes and regular belts and valves.......ok the belts and valves weren't done right at their allotted time but within a few thousand K's.

 

[MikeERideWNC]

20K on an 848 is nothing if the bike wasn't tracked.

With routine maintenance every 3K miles my 2008 is flawless at 52,000 miles of mountain riding.
Look at a map. My bike has never been farther than 100 miles from Murphy, NC.
It had 8 miles on it when I purchased in March of 2008. I don't baby it at all.
These bikes love to be ridden.

 

[Duc_L_over_V]

If you're going to be putting around town get the R1. The 848 is extremely ill-behaved in traffic and at low speeds.

 

[Tchase]

20K on an 848 is nothing if the bike wasn't tracked.

With routine maintenance every 3K miles my 2008 is flawless at 52,000 miles of mountain riding.
Look at a map. My bike has never been farther than 100 miles from Murphy, NC.
It had 8 miles on it when I purchased in March of 2008. I don't baby it at all.
These bikes love to be ridden.

It's something when considering the asking price that's high mileage when compared to other 848s.

If you're going to be putting around town get the R1. The 848 is extremely ill-behaved in traffic and at low speeds.

I really don't find this a problem and I'm pretty much stock when it comes to the recommendations to fix it.

 

[jwm2k3]

If you're going to be putting around town get the R1. The 848 is extremely ill-behaved in traffic and at low speeds.

You should try a dry clutch 1198 if you wanna know ill-behaved....