Buying USed

[ducatiz]

The seat cowl was lost...apparently they have a nasty habit of falling off.

If I do end up buying the bike, I want to return it to as close to stock as I can (I'm a freak that way).  The owner sold off or gave away the original bits so I'll be looking around here for the necessary bits:  exhaust, mirrors, rear fender, seat cowl.  If he had the original pipes, I'd sell the Zards and pay down my loan.  Maybe I can arrange a trade for the Zards...

the exhaust will be easy, but honestly, you dont' want to.  the stock exhaust is about 3x the weight of that nice Zard system and is very restrictive.

Also, your bike has a tail chop -- a section of hte frame has been cut off and it's not easy to put it back on (esp if you didn't get it in the deal).  Most ppl throw it away when they get it off.  You can probably put something there, but it's got to screw onto somethign (like the short fender from DP)

The stock exhaust can be had cheaply. I would not put more than 200 for a full one -- udder, downpipes, S pipes and cans and probably less if I had to.  People literally put them on ebay at $1 sometimes.

Ride it for a while and reconsider.

[orangelion03]

Ducatiz:  I have already decided to keep the Zards 

And I got the red key and code card.

[kingbaby]

 

[hbliam]

That's ridiculous.  When I sell a bike, my policy is that if the potential buyer shows up on a motorcycle, we can swap and go for a ride.  The notion that a Ducati has some mystical qualities (clutch, torque, revs) that will befuddle an otherwise competant motorcyclist is silly.

To each his own. My bikes don't get ridden by the other party until I have cash in hand. I've never had an experianced rider balk at the notion.

Congrats to the OP on the purchase. No offense intended. I was making a general statement about test riding private party bikes. Dealer: I test ride those but those are covered by insurance. The PP ride may or may not.

[hbliam]

The idea of it being a Duc and therefore unridable by someone who's never been on a Duc before though is lame. Everyone has a first time and most Ducs aren't wrecked on the first ride. So I'd assume the Duc curve isn't that steep.

I didn't say it was unrideable. The newbie tendancy to lugg the bike below 4K, or snap the throttle WTFO thinking the "powerband" will hit at 7or 8K is in for a bit of a surprise.

The only thing lame here is your need to call my opinion "silliness" or "lame".

[Scottish]

I didn't say it was unrideable. The newbie tendancy to lugg the bike below 4K, or snap the throttle WTFO thinking the "powerband" will hit at 7or 8K is in for a bit of a surprise.

The only thing lame here is your need to call my opinion "silliness" or "lame".

If it walks like a Duc and quacks like a Duc.  No experienced rider whacks the throttle open on an unfamiliar bike. I continue thinking your staement was both silly and lame with a sprinkling of condescending thrown in for spice. 

[Scottish]

If you got off your high horse you'd see at some point I actually agreed with you about test riding others or others test riding my bike. The part that was silly was the "oh it's a Ducati, not a bike to be ridden by someone who's never been on a Ducati before" (should be read in a Gomer voice for proper effect) bit of elitist snobbery. It's a motorcycle that operates well with in the standard perameters of two wheeled locomotion, nothing an experienced hand, even a rusty one shouldn't be able to handle for a spin around the block.

Congrats BTW  , watch out you don't flip it, wide open throttle with all that torque. 

[hbliam]

I rest my case.

[numbskull]

The seat cowl was lost...apparently they have a nasty habit of falling off.

If I do end up buying the bike, I want to return it to as close to stock as I can (I'm a freak that way).  The owner sold off or gave away the original bits so I'll be looking around here for the necessary bits:  exhaust, mirrors, rear fender, seat cowl.  If he had the original pipes, I'd sell the Zards and pay down my loan.  Maybe I can arrange a trade for the Zards...

You may have trouble replacing the rear fender (or beer tray as it is often called) since the tail is chopped. The frame was cut to accommodate this modification and is a little difficult to reverse. Everything else is easy to find.

[Kopfjäger]

A reverse mod. Keep us posted. 

[DoubleEagle]

I final thing.......

Wear all the gear , all the time !

I saw a Sport Bike rider today riding without any protective gear and my 1st thought when I see this is "What is this person thinking ?"

Don't be that squid !

Dolph     

[ducatiz]

Also, your bike has a tail chop -- a section of hte frame has been cut off and it's not easy to put it back on (esp if you didn't get it in the deal).  Most ppl throw it away when they get it off.  You can probably put something there, but it's got to screw onto somethign (like the short fender from DP)

fyi it has been done by someone here.  you need to have the tail piece and you can sleeve it back on.  i'll look for the posts.  he had two pieces of oversized pipe weld to the tail piece and put thru-holes in the frame.  voila, tail un-chopped.