[gpick45]

Hi all,

I have my eyes on a used 1098S at a local bike shop. It is a 2008, and has just under 18K on it for the mileage.

The bike looks to be in excellent shape, and hence I would think was well cared for. However, I cannot be sure. There is no way for me to find out all about its history -- how hard was it ridden? Have all of the maintenance checks been done? etc.

So my question is, how much of a risk am I taking in the purchase? Basically, I just don't want to buy it, and then find out at the 22.5K service visit that it needs thousands of dollars worth of repair work....

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance...

 

[37832]

You should buy this and ASSUME it needs a major service. Valve adjust, belts, all fluids, and so on. Figure that into the purchase price. Also might need tires...

 

[gpick45]

Thanks for the tip. I did find out this afternoon, that the previous owner had the 15K service work done on the bike.

 

[DHarsay]

Buy it if you like it... A good service history is valuable as mentioned, but expect to spend a lot of money with upgrades, there's so much to do on the 1098/1198 with aluminum tanks, slipper clutch, shock revolve, links, offset triple clamps, a rake levers, rear sets, clutch slave, fork cartridges, carbon parts, titanium hardware, wheels, tires, exhaust, ECU, etc. etc.

 

[gpick45]

Yeah, I will think about it...

It looks like the service would be spendy --- I got a quote from a local Ducati dealer for the 22.5K service work --- just over $1000.

 

[bstar360]

For the service you could do the basics yourself and get the shop to do the major stuff, Belts, valve clearance. Save ya self a heap of money that way.

 

[Aj72]

I just bought my bike recently from a dealer and was in a similar position to you. Does the bike come with the service history actually stamped in the books as being done or is it just verbally mentioned? Something stamped as evidence of being done would be more reassuring. I received books and manual as well as spare key and code lock card etc when I purchased mine (1098R). Mine had 20K on it and from the service history I could tell it was a long time since the 12K service had been done (like four years prior) but all the history was documented and I could see the bike had been serviced at the proper intervals. I decided to have the major service done even though it wasn't due until 24K as time is also a measure of when the bike should be serviced. As Bstar has mentioned you could do some of the servicing yourself and save costs. I'm not yet able to do this but hope to in the future and got the dealer to do the major for me so I could ride away with peace of mind if nothing else. I think if you can find a good place that's not an official Ducati dealer but someone you can trust is also another way you could save money as Duc Dealers around here charge a bit more from what I've seen. I had a few options sent to me that were recommended by others on this forum in my area. If you don't know much about bikes get someone who does know to have a look too. Have you taken it for a test ride? Definitely do that. In Australia we have a small fee payable and you can find out whether the bike has ever been a repairable write off. I would recommend doing as much as you can before buying although in the end it's hard not to just want to take a leap of faith but try to tick as many boxes until you're comfortable enough. Good luck.

 

[gpick45]

They showed me the service paperwork/receipt from the 15K service visit. The work was done about 2 years ago; the bike accrued about 3K mileage in the last two years.

 

[Ducless]

I say go for it if all checks out and it runs well.

 

[greg328]

Go for it, these are great solid bikes! Last of a dying (dead?) breed!
Greg

 

[kihtay]

They showed me the service paperwork/receipt from the 15K service visit. The work was done about 2 years ago; the bike accrued about 3K mileage in the last two years.

With those two years, it wouldn't hurt to do fresh belts (as they do dry rot), plugs and oil

 

[gpick45]

Well, I went back to check out the bike again, and noticed this....

When I turn the steering wheel to the far left, a section of the left-side handlebar controls (turn signal control, horn, etc.) makes contact with the gas tank. They told me that the bike has never been dropped/crashed, so I am wondering if this is normal? I should check to see if it turns far enough left so the steering can be locked.

 

[DHarsay]

Then check to see if the steering stops are bent or broken... or just need adjustment.

 

[99sh]

Steering stops are adjustable. It very well may have been off from the start.

I'm assuming you've visually confirmed the case covers do not see any indication of scratches. One other good place to look are at the end-tips of the bar-end sliders.

 

[gpick45]

Steering stops are adjustable. It very well may have been off from the start.
<<snip>>

When you say "from the start", do you mean it could have come from the factory like that?

 

[DHarsay]

When you say "from the start", do you mean it could have come from the factory like that?

Focus.... think...

 

[gpick45]

Focus.... think...

I did....and I wouldn't have thought that these bikes would ship from the factory with the clip touching the tank when in full lock.

 

[kihtay]

Focus.... think...

from the start or from the stop..

OMG I crack myself up..