Today I had my 1st road test of the 1200s dvt. I turned up to view the un-prepared bike and was immediately disappointed with the condition. My Triumph speed triple R I sold at the weekend was as new. This ducati for the same price was the opposite.. I looked around the showroom and all the bikes were clean and very well presented and the owner promised me this 16900 mile example would be presented just as well after prep. I took his word and asked for a rest ride. The bike has had a decat and the original exhaust had been put back on by the previous owner without the heatshield. It was loud, very loud, almost like my triumph was with no end can. The dealer thinks the original exhausts baffles may have been removed 1st thing I notice when sat on it was how low it is. I'm 6ft 4in and would prefer a higher seat. Anyway off I go and as soon as I'm on the road I notice the vibes coming through the seat. I've had an Aprilia V Twin before and that was not as bad. The ride was lovely though and it handled great. Power is up on my speed triple but just not as smooth. An MRA screen was fitted with a spoiler attached. Wind buffeting was ok but pretty noisy over 80mph. Got to admit I was not overwhelmed, but I know it takes time to get to know a bike plus I'd been driving for almost 4 hours by then. Despite all this I put a deposit down as all the reviews I read are positive. This is as long as the desmo service has definitely been done. There's a stamp in the book but no invoice. I really wanted one in Red with panniers and this one is white with none it does have the crash bars and spots fitted though. I've ordered a replacement standard exhaust with heatshield for £50. Hopefully it will sound good with the decat. There's a Tony Archer gel modified seat on ebay for £175. I might order it as the standard one was crushing my balls in my riding jeans
With the decat and the original exhaust can it will always be very loud as in the stock setup the noise is reduced in the headers/box which in your case has been replaced by the decat.
I’m amazed you ordered it, after all that! Are they really that rare that you couldn’t find a decent one?
I agree, plenty of decent examples out there. Best to bide your time and find one that's clean and standard with the OEM accessories that you want. I think you acted impulsively and are already having to think about remedial work. As MiniMe says, the cat box is the silencer, there's no baffle in what is traditionally the silencer.
You should pull out of the purchase and look for a better bike. It does pay to be patient and particular when looking for a decent Mutli. As others have said, they are out there!
Additionally I would be suspicions as at that mileage the desmo service isn't quite due and with that looming could have been the incentive for the previous owner to move it on. Is the stamp in the book from a franchised Ducati dealer? I'd be on the phone to whoever did the work to get some sort of verification. AFAIK the desmo service is on mileage only, not on age. Seat height: The bike has a two position rider seat, possibly it's on the lower setting for your test ride? There are plastic filler rails that go under the seat edges, for the high setting, and can be seen on either side to occupy the gap/stabilise the seat as well as a smaller one that goes under the front edge of the pillion seat when on the low setting. These parts should come with the bike. If they're absent then not silly money to buy replacements thankfully (parts #4, #5 and #14. Plus you'll need 4x #7 and 2x #13). If bike is on the low setting then the pillion seat spacer and screws are probably in place anyway. Bike is going to be more vibey than your street triple, big V twin as opposed to the smoother configuration of the Triumph. Having ridden an Aprilia V2, tried a V4 once, I can't comment. Will take some getting used to as you alluded to. I moved from an MV Agusta triple to the 1260 and thought it was somewhat agricultural to start with. Love it now though. The standard seat is pretty awful for what purports to be a premium quality mile muncher, shameful really. There are quite a few options out there that are covered elsewhere on the forum, do a search. The screen is a similar thing that owners tend to find not ideal. The previous owner of the bike you rode seems to have attempted to address this, haven't tried the MRA but quite a few others. Many have found that Jamie Clare's Iconic Spacers improve matters.
Dare we ask how much it is for sale? As previously mentioned, Ducs are like thourobred race horses and require looking after. Service history is virtually a must have, though some may say otherwise but those are the ones who, usually, meticulously care for the bike themselves. Without a doubt, hesitate, take a breath and try another, one with everything you really want. If the desmo service can’t be proven, walk away. It’s a bloody big bill to pay on top of a new purchase.
Hi guys, I haven't got time just now to answer properly but thanks for all the advice. The bike was £7900. Its still on ebay now for £7995. Its the white one with the red decals which I was going to remove. Interesting about the exhaust as the dealer was going to put another original one on, but offered me £100 if I did it. As I knew I could get one for £50 I said fine. It is far too loud as it stands and it looks now like I would need an aftermarket one with a baffle or the bike would need to be put back to original spec. Either way I'm looking st £300 at least I reckon. This morning I was feeling better about it and was about to but 2 panniers for it but am thinking again now ...
The existing silencer might well be OK, though lacking a heat shield. It's the cat box that you'll need. Add up the cost of that, the panniers (finding decent examples of those to match isn't going to be cheap), pannier lower mounts, rubber blocks and bolts and, if you find its not been done, the cost of the valve service (why would the previous owner get that done, around £1k, ahead of when it's due and then sell to a dealer...). Also, now having viewed the bike on eBay, factor in a new chain and sprockets as it looks like the original, this will be close to the end of it's life at that mileage. Can see from the ad that is on the high seat setting. I'm not in your shoes but I'd be steering clear and looking elsewhere. Looked them up, they get something of a trashing on TrustPilot. Get you cash back and go elsewhere.
I wouldn't be parting with my cash on this one, there are plenty out there it's just waiting/finding the right one. Being unprepared tells me a story about how the bike has probably been looked after through it's life, I'm probably as anal as the next guy that before I head out my bike has to be looking immaculate, chain always cleaned and lubed etc. It's the wrong colour, doesn't have panniers and is vibey (the vibey part could be normal as per your statement), but it seems like a load of hassle in the making, and certainly more expense on your part.
I would walk away from that one. Its over priced for what you are getting. It needs the cat refitting and the proper silencer c/w guard - OR the performance silencer that will have been removed refitted. Has it been tuned for the de-cat? cos if it has you need to reverse that too or live with the noise that no cat brings. It needs pannier brackets plus panniers and a rack and top box if you wish to tour. Its homing in fast on the big Desmo service. You are easily looking at around £3-3.5K for boxes, mounts, rack and the big service (if its not done) on top of the purchase price. Then you need chain and sprockets - can't tell what the tyres are like but they don't come cheap.
No idea if its been tuned for the decat but it did run perfectly fine. I was told not to worry about the desmo as if they can't get the invoice to back up the stamp then they will do the service themselves. Question is, which I forgot to ask, was whether they would do the work or get it done correctly via ducati or a specialist. I get the feeling now that they'd have a crack themselves My big issue now is my £500 deposit. I can't believe i did this. Yes I was tired and very under the weather after having a very bad week, but there's no excuse for this. I've rushed into this one after missing out on 2 prime examples.
Yes all the signs were there. I have bought and sold many, many cars/bikes over this last 2 years and can't remember ever making a rash decision like this one. I think I may have lost £500 deposit, half a days work and a load of diesel ..
Maybe you could look at it that you would save money by paying a little more for a better one with all the panniers etc than if you kept this one and then had to pay a fortune for the desmo and everything else to get it to how you wanted one in the first place ?
I've signed an order form. But I have messaged them asking for the exhaust to be put back to standard as just swapping the end can with another original one will not make any difference. I've also asked if the desmo service in the book is by a Ducati specialist (i don't think it was) Stating that it needs to be done by either a dealer or a specialist with the correct software. Hopefully I'll get both done or my deposit back. The deposit was initially for a test ride to cover their excess if I dropped it.
As Sprocker says, even if you can’t get your deposit back, I’d still walk away. It’ll cost you a lot more in the long run. Sometimes you need to weigh up the potential hassle later on vs the cost now.
