Hello. I wonder if you can offer some advice/help. I’m looking at buying a 2000 748 but it has a power commander fitted, due to a possible unresolved running problem, the seller is upfront but does not remember the outcome of the work carried out nearly 4 years ago, at MoreSpeed in Dorset, also the bike was imported from the Channel Islands in 2015 and registered in the uk, I have the frame and engine number and want to check, that the bike wasn’t written off before it was imported and or if the frame and engine numbers tallied, when the bike rode off the production line? I just want to protect myself, from buying a bad bike. Reg no. X452 VRL Chassis/vin no. ZDMH300AAYB005146 Engine no. ZDM748W4-017203
Power Commanders don't help with fixing anything. They will adjust the mixture and are usually used to compensate for aftermarket exhausts and air filters. How standard is it? Could Ducati UK help with the frame and engine numbers?
Hi. Another night owl . Im no newcomer to Ducati’s, had 2 748s and a 916sp, in my biking history. I hate the thought of a power commander on a standard bike, it throws up a big red flag to me. It’s a 748E, it’s got termis on it but I don’t think that that’s the reason why the pc was fitted, the owner has told me about bad running, when he bought the bike and it spent a while in 2 different garages, before being released with the pc attached and he can’t remember if the original problem was resolved, I’ve sent a message to Ducati, asking this question and attached the same info. Also when I blipped the throttle on it, it felt sluggish to respond, not crisp, like my previous 748 s, this could be out of balance throttle bodies but it didn’t seem right the engine sounds very good, 6,300 miles on the clock. I want to know it’s history, before it was exported, why it was garaged in Alderney for 12 years. I’ve already won the bike on eBay at £3500 but haven’t payed yet. Dave.
I’ve a 1999 748 and my frame number has 748S in it where yours has H300. Shouldn’t the one you’re looking at state 748 in the frame no. as well? Ducati is your best source of info. I’ve also got Termis on mine and only had to change the EPROM chip in the MM IAW16 ÉCU unit. Mind you this was done by a Ducati dealer. Perhaps a previous owner installed the Termis themselves, didn’t change the chip and then started running into problems, which someone else then tried to fix.
My 916 has a PCIII. Fitted to assist dyno results of full 50 termis, BM filters and a full monty by snells. Works quite well.
Isn't Alderney the island that does not allow vehicles? Termis would benefit from a PC but should not rely on it to run properly. Could be a bargain but... If the people who looked at it before were not Ducati specialists then thy may not of had the knowledge to fix the root problem, so they used a PC to hide it. By the way a PC, would be used instead of rechipping. Has it had the chip changed and is that causing the problem?
Hi Paul. Yes, I expected 748 to show in the vin no. too. I’ve spoken to moorspeed (the shop/garage) where he said that the power commander was fitted but they don’t have any record of it, I spoke to the owner this morning and he’s decided to pull out, of selling me the bike, he probably thinks that I’m messing him about but I just want to avoid a possible problem. I’ve got a feeling that the power commander is hiding an unresolved fault, happy to walk away from this one, even though it’s cheap for such a low mileage one. Thanks for your input. Dave.
Hi Perry. I think it’s sark, that has no vehicles, difficult to get away with a Ducati, with open pipes, on a no vehicle island . I’m thinking the the same about the pc, masking the original problem, I called the shop, where the owner said it was fitted but they have no record of it, if they have limited Ducati knowledge, they might not have known about the eprom chip, in the ecu (unlikely) or maybe the ecu has a fault? Too many unanswered questions, I’m walking away from this one and the seller, has chosen to relist anyway. Thanks for your ideas and info. Dave.
update, from Ducati Aylesbury, no record of the vin no. since import and says the pc is suspicious, probably best to walk away.
Then again, it's 18 years old so if it's not stolen and it runs then is the service history from years back really relevant?...
"I’ve already won the bike on eBay at £3500 but haven’t payed yet." Not good ebay etiquette imho. Perhaps you should have done the research before "winning" it?
Perhaps, the seller should’ve been honest, with his advert and included the workshop problem, in his listing, that was covered up with a pc? You sometimes get back, what you give out, when faced with someone who knows what they are looking at, I’m a mechanic of over 30 years, bikes, cars, commercial, I act on info I’m given, if some one withholds vital information, that’s not my problem, I’m only responsible for protecting my own funds, I give the same ‘etiquette’ to what I receive, to walk headlong into a possible problem, with new information because of ‘etiqette’, is quite frankly stupid.
I don’t care much about service history, if I think the bike is sound, I’d go for it, at a good price, I know Ducati’s well, had 3 and done all my own maintenance, from routine servicing, to changing piston rings and valve clearances. The unanswered question about the pc, was my only problem with the bike, I’d already run the usual checks, before the auction had ended, he told me about the historic running issues, after I had won the bike, not mentioned in the advert (bit naughty).
Vin looks ok to me and they don't have 748 in them on the later models (my MY02 748 has a very similar vin), yours indicates a 748 built in 2000. As far as the pc 3, that is a perfectly reasonable way of sorting out all the issues the bikes have with dodgy fuelling from the factory. If you have ever tried an aftermarket exhaust with a matching chip (approximate tune but better than nothing) then tried a pc3 (pretty good tune but not perfect) or a remap (this is the best solution) you would understand that the pc3 makes a big improvement and is far from a dodgy way of making the bike run better - they run pretty shit from the factory in standard trim. PC3 will not do much in hiding a fault as it is wired into the ECU, injection and timing system. Simple thing to do is send the numbers to Ducati who will confirm the bikes legit as far as model, frame and matching engine. For the check on its history that is what HPI is for. If you are buying a vehicle an HPI is step 1 before you commit.
Aylesbury Ducati, were in touch, they said the same the frame number and engine number checks out ok but only have details, after it was imported from Alderney. I’ve had 2 748 Ducati’s and neither needed any ‘assistance’, they were both very responsive, even idle and plenty of power with no fueling issues, even when I put a pair of open cans on one of them. The issue with this bike, is not about it running bad of the production line, it’s the fact that it was unridable, when the seller imported the bike (not included in the advert), which led to him spending a lot on garage fees, to make the bike rideable but he is unable to tell me weather a problem was found and resolved or not, I could hand over the money, take off the pc and have a dead bike, that was my issue, with the bike. Ducati were unable to see any history on the bike, before it left Alderney, I asked Aylesbury Ducati, if I should call Ducati Italy but they said that they wouldn’t be able to give any additional information. Without getting definite answers and knowing the history of the bike, I feel that it’s not worth taking the risk.
The fact that he's already decided to relist it, rather than sort through some understandable questions you might have, is the real suspicious bit, imo...
I don’t see the new listing, said he was going to put it on gumtree, I doubt he will include the workshop info, it will put people off, if he can’t answer the questions about the pc.
