Anyone here own/owned a ducati 996? Thinking of buying one…

[Y282]

i'm strongly considering buying a 996 ducati. i've always loved the look and sound of them and it's looking like now may be the right time for me personally to take the plunge.

has anyone here got any experiences of owning/riding them? i'd be coming to it from a mk1 fireblade which theoretically is more powerful(?) but would be very interested to hear any opinions of ride, ownership, servicing or experiences.

Thanks

[dibblecorse]

Well, I bought mine used with 1200 miles on it, no somewhere aqround 50k on it and have done everything from trackdays to touring to commuting and its only broken down once, and that was a failed Reg / Rec about a year ago, so in all honesty, its been truly reliable, but on condition / service history rather than mileage.

Take a look at Ducatisti or Ducati Up North, both good resources for info with active user forums.

Could write tonnes but not sure exactly what you want to know, so ask away.

A couple of things, theyt aren't mass produced japanese bikes, they are race bikes with lights, they cost a fair bit to maintain properly, they can be looked after on the cheap, but i wouldnt recommend it, the SPS and R models appear to be apprieciating, normal BIP ands S models there svery little difference, the Ohlins looks nice but isnt essential.

Let me know what else I can help with,

[Y282]

cheers dibble. i always wanted one and still consider that shape to be the most beautiful bike ever made. i guess my main question is how will it feel different, compared to the jap hyper stuff to ride? are they as quick in the real world, do you need to push them harder or are they good at lazy delivery, good holding, braking and so on? difficult i kno, but i suppose what i'm asking for is anything you could tell me that gets across the feel of being on one, compared to what i'm used to.

[therealsnazbaz]

Any supersport ducati of that era will feel nothing at all like a first generation fireblade.

Try one because it is hard to properly describe why they are so different you just need to try one yourself you may love it or hate it.

[Y282]

funny thing is that by stats the blade is lighter and more powerful (if i've read them right!) but the 996 just has the look and reputation of being a quicker bike point to point.

bit confused about the whole thing.

[therealsnazbaz]

Y282 said:

funny thing is that by stats the blade is lighter and more powerful (if i've read them right!) but the 996 just has the look and reputation of being a quicker bike point to point.

bit confused about the whole thing.

It's not to-do with power figures or any numbers on paper.

Firstly any ducati twin is a vastly different riding experience to other engines - even japanese twins like the VTR, TL1000 etc, let alone a jap inline4. It will feel like there is a raging vibrating animal between your legs trying to get out. More like the engine is actually alive and breathing.

Secondly the riding position, the suspension, the brakes, the clutch are all be extremely geared toward track/racing in comparison. A first gen fireblade unless you've made upgrades is very tame in those areas in comparison to a 748/996.

[Y282]

the riding position does look a lot more hunkered down on the ducati, i've noticed that. much lower clipons, higher rearset and a far narrower bike.

[catso]

I've got a 916 which is virtually the same bike, only notable differences for the 996 is the 2mm larger bore which is worth about 6hp (although my 916 has been 'breathed on' and puts out more power than a stock 996 and many 998) and the improved charging system.

As said power is not the most important thing on a bike. Peak horsepower is just a number, the Ducati 'trick' is the way it pulls through the mid-range (how much of the time is your engine running at peak HP speed anyway?) meaning that the 996 will outpower the blade through the rev range and only lose out in the last 1-2000 rpm that you only use for a few seconds anyway. IIRC all through the heyday of 916-998 racing in WSBK the bikes were always less powerful than the Jap competition (despite the bigger displacement) but the results speak for themselves.

It is a trick that Ducati do quite well, even a 'low powered' Ducati such as a 900SS is much quicker than it's figures suggest.

And of course the 916 chassis design is straight from WSBK racing with no compromises made, especially in rider comfort and you sit perched on it rather than in it.

There are also many 'againsts' the main one being the frequency and cost of servicing. I do all my own servicing and it is very time consuming hence why it is very expensive at a dealer/specialist however most parts are no more expensive than other bikes so if you can do the work you can save a small fortune.

Personally I love the rawness of the Ducati V (L?) twin and find it much more enjoyable than an inline 4 and they certainly sound like no other bike, how many other bikes can you tell whether the clutch is in or out just by the noise it makes?

[Y282]

i LOVE the sound of them. what are service interval/costs?

[catso]

Y282 said:

i LOVE the sound of them. what are service interval/costs?

Minor service @ 6k miles or 12 months, Major service (inc belts) @ 12k or 24 months. To do the job properly is time consuming and you really should remove the camshafts to check the rockers. Not sure what a dealer/specialist charges but I would guess at between £300 - £800 depending on which service it is.

If you can do it yourself then the good news is that everything comes apart easily (racing heritage) and the biggest part of the dealer's invoice is for labour so you can reduce those bills by around 70% for a standard (no unexpected parts required) service.

[Y282]

hmm, that is a bit pricey.

[catso]

Y282 said:

hmm, that is a bit pricey.

Which is why you should look for one with a good service history because neglect or poor quality servicing could mean you will need to spend alot of money to get it right and you don't want to even contemplate the expense if a belt should break...

[996 sps]

The 996 is the dogs bks I 110% love my bike to bits and could have no other, I went out with a friend today on the Y2 Blade and had a blast around Milton Keynes on it and whilst an amazing bike it just doesn t deliver the experience of what riding a Ducati 996 does.

I ve owned my 996 since 2005 before it I was changing bikes most years, i d always been put off by the horror stories of Ducati ownership, i ve been to the TT on her twice Monaco and the N85 and countless commutes and just think she is the bks.

It will take you a while to adjust to the riding position and feel at one with the handling but once you do you ll love it. Straight line speed a modern 1000 will leave it but everywhere else its as ever the rider but hey Ducati is an ownership thing. My last bill was £1500 but it needed a major service as she has been used properly and what she was built for. Dont let that put you off first time i ve had to spend that sort of money plus i m back to South of France this year. The 916 feels gutless in my opinion didn t satisfy my needs.
Edited to add 748s would be worth a look at as well better revey delivery than a 916 and still great fun for less money with the looks and noise, i ve had 2 and been great fun.
Heres a pic from today:

Edited by 996 sps on Sunday 13th March 22:45

[robstvr]

Y282 said:

funny .... quicker bike point to point.

bit confused about the whole thing.

Ah heeeheee heeee heeee.

Means utterly fk all. Ride them, see how you feel. The meat on top means a lot more then any figures. Point to point is hugely dependent on you, not the bike.

[robstvr]

I'm drunk. G'night.

ETA, look for the goujons on a Duke.

Edited by robstvr on Sunday 13th March 23:54

[anonymous-user]

Not much new to add . . .

Had my 996BP from new and ran it for several years with only a duff rectifier going after a few thousand miles. No problems at all once that was replaced. I did commuting, track days and touring (with Ventura kit) and loved it. As said above, servicing is pricey and if you're buying used definitely get one with fsh.

I always found the steering to be a bit slow, and tight, twisty roads were not its forte, but on an open A road it felt great. They're not the most comfortable bike out there with a lot of weight on your wrists, but it never really bothered me. On paper performance is always going to be well down on other litre bikes, but on the road would you really notice most of the time?

Throw your leg over one or get a test ride - it's the only way to know if you could live with one. I love the sound and feel of them, but understand why others see no appeal whatsoever!

Here are a couple of gratuitous shots of my 996 road bike (with Ventura bits) and current track bike. Now tell me you don't want one!

[rumpelstiltskin]

I just don't get the whole Ducati thing at all,close hand experience put me off altogether,mate bought a brand new 998,complete engine rebuild at first 600 mile service!!Also cracked swingarm amongst other things.To think he paid a few grand over Japanese bikes for this 'pleasure' is beyond me.As for the guy above paying £1500 for a bike,oh sorry,a bill!!now i 'really' don't get it.

[catso]

rumpelstiltskin said:

I just don't get the whole Ducati thing at all,close hand experience put me off altogether,mate bought a brand new 998,complete engine rebuild at first 600 mile service!!Also cracked swingarm amongst other things.To think he paid a few grand over Japanese bikes for this 'pleasure' is beyond me.As for the guy above paying £1500 for a bike,oh sorry,a bill!!now i 'really' don't get it.

To be fair to Ducati your mate's experience is very unusual and could just as easily be applicable to another brand.

My 916 is 13yrs old, I've owned it from new and I've not had either of those problems or indeed any major problems, sure I've spent alot on it but most of that was on non-essential upgrades and the servicing is cheap now that I do it myself.

But I can understand why some don't like or get them.

[TT Tim]

rumpelstiltskin said:

I just don't get the whole Ducati thing at all,close hand experience put me off altogether,mate bought a brand new 998,complete engine rebuild at first 600 mile service!!Also cracked swingarm amongst other things.To think he paid a few grand over Japanese bikes for this 'pleasure' is beyond me.As for the guy above paying £1500 for a bike,oh sorry,a bill!!now i 'really' don't get it.

LOL, this is the same argument that is regularly heard on the TVR forums.

If we were all the same it would be a very, very boring world.

I own a TVR Cerbera and an ST4s (996 with baggage), everybody said that I must be a glutton for punishment owning 2 tempramental beasts, but it's not the bills or running costs that make these machines stand out, it's how you feel when you're driving/riding them and what they give back.

Yes, there is an argument that Jap' bikes will be more reliable, if we apply similar logic to cars, shouldn't we all have cloth caps and be driving Honda Civics?

Buy and ride whatever works for you, before someone bans it!

Tim

[996 sps]

rumpelstiltskin said:

I just don't get the whole Ducati thing at all,close hand experience put me off altogether,mate bought a brand new 998,complete engine rebuild at first 600 mile service!!Also cracked swingarm amongst other things.To think he paid a few grand over Japanese bikes for this 'pleasure' is beyond me.As for the guy above paying £1500 for a bike,oh sorry,a bill!!now i 'really' don't get it.

I can understand that to be honest, but your friend having a 'bad experience' could be the same as my mates brand new Blade having its clutch going kaputt on the N85.

As for my bill it bothered me obviously but its been used for whats it been designed for and more so I was expecting a big one this year. But hey next year will be oil and filter and tyres at this rate. Shes 11 years old and a highly tuned V Twin. I m going out for some romance on her later.