Hi all, I have the opportunity to buy an R, and I know my Q might be a little contentious amongst Ducati aficionados.. I’m keen to know how these thoroughbreds stand up to lack of use. The bike may well be kept unused for months and months on end, possibly a year. I rotate a trickle charger between my bikes as I prefer them not to be permanently hooked up. What is the effect of lack of use (apart from it sulking ) upon the bike, condition of the belts etc Also I’d really welcome any advice about storage from you. What precautions do I need to take. (I’m aware of tyre flat spots etc) And yes, I know that any bike needs to be rideden to get the best from it, it’s just down to circumstance Thanks in advance.
If I ever got into this situation, assuming the layup was not more than 6 months or so, get a good quality front and rear stand to get the bike off its tyres. fill the tank to the brim with fuel and remove the battery from the bike. Any longer than 6 months and you shouldn't buy it
IME if you left fuel in the petrol tank you should add stabaliser. 916 family petrol tanks are renowned for rusting from the inside out. Andy
I left my 749R in my garage for over a year. Didn’t have it on a charger, only on rear stand. I charged it up last September and did a trackday on it. Belts were around 3 years old. All was fine.
You're no far from me, bring it round and just leave it to me, eveything will be fine. Honest, no problems at all.
You can also overinflate tyres if left standing. New cars are regularly inflated to 50 psi ish and set correctly at PDI. They could sit in compounds and on boats for months and it saves putting new tyres on. Don't be scared.
Easy! Lose the sofa, dismantle the dining table and lean it against the wall - it's only really being used to hold the TZ frame at the moment. Cheers Pete you:ve got me thinking now .
Store at 50% Relative Humidity. Lift both wheels off the ground. Put tyre toasties on to protect the rubber from UV - £15 a set for Demon Tweaks Take the plugs out and but a lil squirt of oil in the bores then turn over a couple of times by hand, re fit plugs. Squirt ACF50 down the pipes and plug Cling film the filter entry Empty all fuel and give a very light spray of ACF50 in the tank - if the tank already has rust get it sorted - blasted and flow-lined Lightly coat all exposed metal finishes with ACF50 Display in the house and enjoy Don't put it in a stupid bubble, it will look silly
Exactly the type of info I was after, thank you Any thoughts on Will it affect the annual service regime.. does that mean it could be extended without harm? Are there any effects on the belts whilst I’m at it,?ie should I turn the engine over regularly ?? Thanks again
No, won't affect the service regime if you are long term storing - just leave it - battery off I didn't mention and on a battery minder off the bike.... By all means turn the engine by hand (3rd gear and revolve the back wheel) once a year. When re commissioning it will need a service. If sorn it won't affect the value laying it up for a few years. With a motorcycle that is worth £25K ish you should not be worried about a new set of belts and a service when re commissioning. I just bought one (for just under £16K, UK bike, full history and 7000 miles) - how much is yours offered for? Mine will be laid up as I will have 2 1098R's on the road this year as well as an R1 and a Yam stroker Oh, and if you are only laying it up for a year don't worry about it - 50% humidity is good but don't bother with anything else as it will be fine - you can start it and warm to temp every 3 months or so...
