Any Ducati 851/888 owners?
Discussion
Anyone got one /had one and care to share ownership experiences and servicing costs/headaches?
Have had a 748SPS before, so quite aware of 2yr belt service shenanigans. Do the early bikes have similar issues with flaking rockers?
Prices still continue to climb, sometimes you think it's too late really to get back on the train with these but they look great/sound great and by all accounts ride quite nice too.
748 suffered the usual heavy clutch,heat and wrist cramp issues, however on the right road in the right weather it was a joy to ride.
I had mine 3 or 4 yrs and sold it for more than I paid, however the service costs weren't to be sniffed at.
Any specific decent forums/pages for ownership?
Have had a 748SPS before, so quite aware of 2yr belt service shenanigans. Do the early bikes have similar issues with flaking rockers?
Prices still continue to climb, sometimes you think it's too late really to get back on the train with these but they look great/sound great and by all accounts ride quite nice too.
748 suffered the usual heavy clutch,heat and wrist cramp issues, however on the right road in the right weather it was a joy to ride.
I had mine 3 or 4 yrs and sold it for more than I paid, however the service costs weren't to be sniffed at.
Any specific decent forums/pages for ownership?
hyper jay said:
There a nice vid on YT that has a beautiful 888sp4 review .
https://youtu.be/JjSj0_35s9A
Never had one personly .I've got a 748 bitp i bought in 2002 still
To be fair that's what reignited my interest, and that bike is at a dealers about 20mins away lol. They are top price but their bikes are mint, I didn't envisage paying that much tbh as more mileage on it doesn't bother me. https://youtu.be/JjSj0_35s9A
Never had one personly .I've got a 748 bitp i bought in 2002 still
That's the sort of thing I'm thinking. Is it not ridden as you have other toys, or saving the mileage?
Who do you use for servicing out of interest and can you share costs?
I've seen some dyno plots where the power commander makes quite a difference to the smoothness lower down and fills in some holes !
Who do you use for servicing out of interest and can you share costs?
I've seen some dyno plots where the power commander makes quite a difference to the smoothness lower down and fills in some holes !
meridian said:
My 888 Strada. Seldom used, but very comfortable vs 916/996/998 series bikes (well, my 996 SPS anyway)
Untemperamental, docile, a lovely classic bike. Will always turn heads, as any 851/888 a relative rarity nowadays. Nothing not to to like about them in my view
Merch131 said:
I have a friend who is a bike mechanic, and he services the bike as required. Its not done many miles since its last belt and pulley change but that was a few years ago so no doubt they need doing soon. I don' ride it as I have 11 other bikes, while the 888 is getting more uncomfortable as I get older lol. Yes, I am considering selling it, but don't need the hassle of Ebay etc.
Before it had a power commander it made 93 bhp and with the PC it now makes 99.7 bhp at the rear wheel. It is now a little smoother than before, but its not light and day. There is a clutch mod from NZ which really improves the low speed running, which I would fit if I was doing more miles on the bike
Here it is on the Dyno
https://youtu.be/uErbhUV6iHU
That sounds fabulous. Have sent you a pm via pistonheads email if you can discuss thanks Before it had a power commander it made 93 bhp and with the PC it now makes 99.7 bhp at the rear wheel. It is now a little smoother than before, but its not light and day. There is a clutch mod from NZ which really improves the low speed running, which I would fit if I was doing more miles on the bike
Here it is on the Dyno
https://youtu.be/uErbhUV6iHU
Edited by 200Plus Club on Saturday 25th March 17:19
stang65 said:
As an ex-owner I'm probably more impartial. I had a '92 851, purchased around 9 years ago and sold about 5 years ago. It was fantastic, and really made you feel special so I'd recommend it. However, I found it really uncomfortable (I'm 6ft2 and 14 stone so maybe too big?). It was a glorious thing to have in the garage and I do sometimes regret selling it. I found it killed my knees so I got a taller seat, then it killed my neck and wrists...I was going to fit supersport bars when I got on offer I couldn't refuse as I just wasn't using it enough.
I don't think they have the rocker flaking of the early bikes but some of the design is less well resolved. For instance I had a massive miss-fire when I got stuck in traffic on a really hot day, hot enough to push out coolant but not to overheat. It lasted over an hour parked so I gave up and went home and half way it cleared. Turns out the external air temp sensor is in the airbox, so that had got far too hot and obviously being above the engine didn't cool. I beleive on 916s etc. it's under the seat. Servicing is simple, the belts are a doddle, the hardest bit being taking the fairings off. Electrics aren't great which is probably the same for most older Ducatis, I had to have the stator rewound, new reg/rec, etc. but that meant I could upgrade to a MOSFET and 3-phase charging which is a good upgrade. I wouldn't say it was that reliable, but I think I was still in the "de-bugging" stage of ownership when I sold it.
If you fit one, they're quite special in my opinion, and rare enough to be a talking point at a bike meet....
I now have a Suzuki TLR, it is much more comfortable, less of an "event" and to be honest the general design lags massively behind. It's just not put together to be easy to work on like the 851 was, and the quality of castings, paint etc. isn't as good.
That's interesting to note thanks as I'm same height / 15st almost. I've got a 1200 bobber for easy days out, just fancied another noisy ducati twin. Probably going to sit on one tomorrow anyway just to see if I fits :-)I don't think they have the rocker flaking of the early bikes but some of the design is less well resolved. For instance I had a massive miss-fire when I got stuck in traffic on a really hot day, hot enough to push out coolant but not to overheat. It lasted over an hour parked so I gave up and went home and half way it cleared. Turns out the external air temp sensor is in the airbox, so that had got far too hot and obviously being above the engine didn't cool. I beleive on 916s etc. it's under the seat. Servicing is simple, the belts are a doddle, the hardest bit being taking the fairings off. Electrics aren't great which is probably the same for most older Ducatis, I had to have the stator rewound, new reg/rec, etc. but that meant I could upgrade to a MOSFET and 3-phase charging which is a good upgrade. I wouldn't say it was that reliable, but I think I was still in the "de-bugging" stage of ownership when I sold it.
If you fit one, they're quite special in my opinion, and rare enough to be a talking point at a bike meet....
I now have a Suzuki TLR, it is much more comfortable, less of an "event" and to be honest the general design lags massively behind. It's just not put together to be easy to work on like the 851 was, and the quality of castings, paint etc. isn't as good.
Rushjob said:
4 valve rocker issues apparently started in 1996 when Ducati outsourced the manufacture of the rockers when they were taken over by Texas Pacific as part of their attempts to streamline production. Not heard of them being an issue on 851 / 888's but loads of them on 748 / 916 / 996's
Yea hope so, the last service on my 748 was over 700 quid due to needing rockers and belts, luckily no cam damage or the bill would've been double apparently. Been for a sit on one today, still pondering, was ok but needed a few bits doing.
If anyone does have a nice one for sale please pm me!
Edited by 200Plus Club on Sunday 26th March 16:34
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