Wanna buy » Cost of Ownership.

[Tomster330]

I was just talking to the Aprilia dealer, comparing and contrasting the Multistrada to the Tuono. He said the biggest difference other than 85 horses vs 126 horses was the cost of ownership. Any truth to his statement that it costs about $1,000 every time you bring it in for its scheduled maintenance at 6,000 mile intervals?

Also, he said that parts are though the roof in cost as well.......and all of these extra costs makes insuring all the more expensive.

Comments?

[sunny]

i'm not completely sure i understand which costs are higher. my bet is aprilia's but again, with ducati you can't be certain either... can you write some more about your chat with the dealer?
thanks.

[Greg]

Parts are pricey each bar riser was $80 the handle bars arn't bad @ 60 (they are fat bars) I have touno turn signals and mirror adapters on my bike also (the ducati uses a left hand thread mirror on the throttle side) The signals where 39 each and the mirror adapter was 69 (CNC machine aluminum from the special edition) The touno does have some higher tech parts. I think it would be harder to ride all day all those extra ponies will wear you out

[Tomster330]

The Aprilia dealer said that Ducatis generally cost about $1,000 per 6,000 mile maintenance interval. That's the number that scares me if true. He said the Tuono would be about 1/3 that much.

[CoastalRider 2003 1000 DS (Red)]

Some members have reported a valve job every 6,000 miles costs $600. But it's unclear if it's actually necessary every 6,000 miles; maybe it's probably likely, though:

http://www.multistrada.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110

I'm curious how many of you change your own fluids and filters and perform other basic maintenance. I find it difficult to pay $1,000 every 6,000 miles for a m/c. I will probably do some of the basic maintenance items myself if the valves must be adjusted.

Tom

[Jantah - Site Admin 2003 1000 DS (Red)]

First service on my bike was 750 euros, but that included a new rear tyre.

What did you expect from an Aprilia dealer? Surely he is not going to try to convince you into buying a Ducati wen you are interested in one of his bikes.

As far as I know, Ducati is working with "Service centers" (they are in Europe). Virtually every official dealer is a certified cervice center as well. This, among other things, mean that they use fixed prices for regular maintainance. The workshop that did the first service on my bike is no dealer btw.

[Multibound]

You can shave alot of that cost by doing most of the maintenance yourself. Basic oil and filter change, spark plugs etc. And of course if you must change the tire, pull the thing off the bike first and take it to the shop to have the tire changed. And of course dont order the tire from the dealer, get it online from an aftermarket place. Aftermarket mail order is the way to go. Most people rely too much on the dealer to do it all, and that will put holes in your wallet. Buy or download a maintenance manual and do most of it yourself.
Of course somethings you cant avoid the dealer such as your valve adjustment. But that is understandable.

Here are some tips to help:

Oil: Dont buy oil from the dealer. Get it at your local wal-mart or auto parts store. As long as the oil meets the specs listed in your manual then your fine. Its all a myth to sucker you into believing oil from the dealer is some special stuff. NOT!!

Plugs: Get them online.. Save a few bucks. Get the part number and cross reference it. Theres tons of places to get them cheaper.

Filter: Mail order if you cant find it anywhere. Get the number, fram, etc..

Tires: Mail order all the way.. The dealer is a complete rip off when it comes to that. Look on the net there are tons of places to get tires cheap.
And pull the wheel off to get the tire mounted. Cost of labor for an hour is more and more every year.

Hope this helps, it works for anybike.

[Tomster330]

First service on my bike was 750 euros, but that included a new rear tyre.

What did you expect from an Aprilia dealer? Surely he is not going to try to convince you into buying a Ducati wen you are interested in one of his bikes.

So without the rear tire your maintenance bill would have been about 620 Euros, which translates to about $730. I gotta say, that's STILL outrageous! It sounds like the Aprilia dealer was more correct than misleading. No way it should ever cost more than $250 for 3 hours tops of labor and parts.

I will talk to my Ducati dealer and report what he has to say. I wish I could take the advice of some of you and do simple maintenance myself but I've never been a whiz with the ratchet set. All I want to do is take it in, go goof off for a couple of hours, pay the man a couple hundred bucks, and ride home. Maybe the only way that can happen is to keep buying Hondas. Hope not.

[Jantah - Site Admin 2003 1000 DS (Red)]

Hum. Where I come from a rear tyre is closer to 230 euros than 130.

The service costs about the same as it did on my TDM, maybe it's just an expensive workshop.

Probably best to check with your local Ducati dealer. Like I said, I think they use fixed prices, so no surprises there.

[Hans Wurst 2014 1200S PP (Matte Chrome)]

230 Euro for the Scorpion?
Wow, do they put in holland taxes even on the tires? I payed for mine 155.- !!

[stisma 2004 1000 DS (Red)]

I have an Aprilia Pegaso, Rotax engine. Engine design is such way that valve adjustment or head gasket replacement/re-torq, asks for removal of all cams. This alone adds 1-2 hrs of labor. And I'm suspicious that all Aprilia engines/heads are designed that way. With Pegaso if one needs to play with carbs, entire rear subframe needs to come of. Two hrs time.
On Ducati side they, dealers, claim that adjusting desmo type valves is more challenging than conventional "spring-lift" types. Either way one turns, EURO bikes in general are/will be higer service cost. That is how thing are. Well, just replacing the seat on MTS calls for .... huh many things to be removed, many.
I can do oil/filter changes on Aprilia, but I don't have frame mounted oil screen filter, so every now and than I have to see a dealer.
Now...... Owning a Ducati, some people will say, means that one has enough funds to afford maintenance/service cost.
I own italian bikes because they have a certain image, heritage and "personality". And that costs.

[Multibound]

Man you guys get ripped off. I can get tires starting at $84 USD at www.mawonline.com

Bought some nice Batalaxe BT020 for my Yamaha, 180/55/17 on sale for $90. Thank god for US mail order..

[CoastalRider 2003 1000 DS (Red)]

I did a google.com search on bmw m/c maintenance costs and ducati m/c maintenance costs. I found the following sites:

http://www.ascycles.com/police_info.htm

BMW 1150RT-P costs were roughly 15 cents per mile (2001 costs I believe). Costs included scheduled maintenance, mechanical repair, and replacement tires.

For Ducati, I found one gentleman in the San Francisco, California area with a 2000 Monster 900. I believe this engine is similar to the MTS. Total costs (scheduled maintenance, unscheduled maintenance, and replacement tires) over 22,000 miles were about 16 cents per mile. I think he did one oil change by himself. He mentioned adjusting the desmodromic valves at 6000 miles. Looks like this service was about $500 (not counting tire replacement).

http://www.healthinfodesign.com/Persona ... maint.html

20 cents a mile for overall maintenance for a MTS would not bother me. 30 plus cents and I wonder if I wouldn't be better off buying a 15 year old Ferarri.

While these costs seem fairly high (my previous experience is with a 100cc m/c), a passage from healthinfodesign.com about his Monster best sums it up: "I actually had a 20-something girl come up and ask if she could sit on the bike."

Just think what the MTS will attract. Probably two 20-something girls!

Tom

[Bazooks]

hello everyone!

I am very happy with my mts. Like stisma mentioned. If you have the money to buy a Ducati Maintaining it should not be a problem. In my opinion after 6000 miles on the mts... you will find ways to pay for that $600 maintenance work. Also you will push yourself to get busy on the bike. A simple oil change done by myself takes less effort than washing my s.u.v. and i save a couple of bucks each time.

there are so many ways to cut back on maintenance cost. You just need to look for them. If you are reading this right now then your all set!

Thanks!

[gbenner]

The dealer where i purchased sells both the ducati and aprilia. They said the scheduled maintenance on the Tuono was higher. They quoted 6000mle service at $450 (they have a local reputation as somewhat high priced, although honest). Local shop who I will likely use is less, plus he said usually the valves do not need adjusting, so the service is then about $125 (he said some shops will charge to adjust even if not needed (no big surprise).

I have never heard a $1,000, even for the hipo 4 valve 998/999s.