Used SR4S, things to check

[jvax]

Hey fellow DMFers,

Been waiting for a good deal on a 4v monster for some time now, and finally a nice affordable low km yellow 2008 S4RS came up on the local used bike website.

I wanted red or gray, but this one come with a reasonable price tag difficult to pass on.

The seat cowl is missing.  I asked the dealer about the keys, he said it comes with 1 black key, 1 red key and 1 key card, and no owner's manuals.  Dealer also said the bike was never dropped and never been in an accident.

I am going to see it tomorrow and wanted to ask you guys what are the things that I should be checking before making my decision.

Thanks in advance.

-J

[zooom]

TANK EXPANSION !!!

[Dirty Duc]

Steering stops.  they'll tell if it's been down.  Not a deal-breaker in my book in and of itself, but certainly a negotiating point especially if the dealer is claiming it hasn't.

whether or not the tank is expanding, ask about previous tank replacements.

[supperduc]

I also bought a very low mile, 2007 S4RS recently and LOVING it. This bike is the real deal.  

Highly recommend taking her out for a test ride and check for the typical wear and tear stuff and oil, hydraulic fluid, or coolant leaks. As far as maintenance is concerned, if the dealer hasn't already done them, you may be looking replacing timing belts, coolant, air filter, oil and oil filter (I did all these myself).

No owner's manuals? No problem - we have DMF. Finding a yellow rear cowl may be difficult so it is a perfect opportunity to upgrade to CF rear cowl?

The bike looks fairly stock, which is not a bad thing.  

[NorDog]

I'm curious about the color.  Did Ducati ever releast an S4RS in yellow?  If not, is this non-factory paint the result of an accident?

That was my first thought.

Good luck, the S4RS is a great ride!   

[roggie]

and here i thought i was the only one who just found a nice used S4RS  ...

if you havent already seen my thread check it out here:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=58420.0
i got some great info from the group...

I dont think Yellow was a factory color for 07. Just Red/white, White/Red, and Black/Silver. 08 brought the tricolore. so maybe that was custom?(dmf correct me if i am wrong).

the main thing of course is the tank expansion. and then check on belts.

Dont worry about the owners manual (as well as the spare parts catalog) you can down load the pdf(s) here:
http://www.ducatiusa.com/services/maintenance/index.do

Get that test ride in... its a sweet bike for sure...

[Uncle Mofo]

You guys are right, no yellow S4Rs.  What happened to its rear cowl why was it not painted to match and it's missing?
Mine came with two black keys a red one and the code card..

[jvax]

Thanks guys for the insight.

TANK EXPANSION !!!

whether or not the tank is expanding, ask about previous tank replacements.

the main thing of course is the tank expansion.

I don't have to worry about tank expansion because we don't have ethanol in our gas here in Japan, unless there's something else that can expand tanks?

[jvax]

I'm curious about the color.  Did Ducati ever releast an S4RS in yellow?  If not, is this non-factory paint the result of an accident?
That was my first thought.

Finding a yellow rear cowl may be difficult so it is a perfect opportunity to upgrade to CF rear cowl?

I dont think Yellow was a factory color for 07. Just Red/white, White/Red, and Black/Silver. 08 brought the tricolore. so maybe that was custom?(dmf correct me if i am wrong).

You guys are right, no yellow S4Rs.  What happened to its rear cowl why was it not painted to match and it's missing?

My thoughts too.  This is the first ever yellow S4RS I come across online, and I've seen a LOT of them in the last year or so.

I am about to call up Ducati Japan to ask if there ever was a Japan-limited yellow.  If not, then it's definitely a custom paint job, in which case, as pointed out by NorDog, could be the result of an accident that could have incidentally destroyed the rear cowl...  I really hope it's not the case.

[jvax]

Steering stops.  they'll tell if it's been down.  Not a deal-breaker in my book in and of itself, but certainly a negotiating point especially if the dealer is claiming it hasn't.

Highly recommend taking her out for a test ride and check for the typical wear and tear stuff and oil, hydraulic fluid, or coolant leaks. As far as maintenance is concerned, if the dealer hasn't already done them, you may be looking replacing timing belts, coolant, air filter, oil and oil filter (I did all these myself).

if you havent already seen my thread check it out here:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=58420.0
i got some great info from the group...

Thanks guys, I am going to check for everything mentioned above 

[Frisco]

If you have a tank expansion you are screwed - they will not replace a nonstock or painted tank - you can ONLY get a tank that matches what your serial # says and if you have done work or it isn't stock no deal - at least that is my understanding because I had thought asbout changing my color to another stock color but they said no - I have red so red it stays.

[Dirty Duc]

If you have a tank expansion you are screwed - they will not replace a nonstock or painted tank - you can ONLY get a tank that matches what your serial # says and if you have done work or it isn't stock no deal - at least that is my understanding because I had thought asbout changing my color to another stock color but they said no - I have red so red it stays.

It's not really no deal, they just won't replace the custom work.  I had a dark with a pink stripe, I got a dark tank in exchange.

[Speeddog]

Probably a Japan-only deal, I've not seen a yellow plastic tank here in the states.

Should have 2 black keys and one red key.

Ask if the cambelts have been replaced yet.

5500 km... ~3400 miles.

[Betty]

Probably a Japan-only deal, I've not seen a yellow plastic tank here in the states.

The yellow S2R would have had a plastic tank ... but its not the typical Ducati yellow.

[jvax]

Went and saw it.  Dealer didn't let me ride it though.

You guys are right, yellow tank was a custom paint job by the previous owner.  Not clear whether out of interest or due to an accident.  Irrelevant at this point because the bike sold out a couple hours after I got back from the dealer.

Oh well...  the search continues

Thanks to all who offered feedback/advice