I've already read some old threads about this very subject, and got some general advice, but I'm still hoping for a nudge. Maybe one that's more custom-fit to my situation.
Forgive me if this gets long, I've got a lot on my mind with this decision.
So I'm ready to buy my first Ducati, which will also be my first non-cruiser. My riding experience up to now has been 3.5 years on a 1995 Honda Shadow 600. Most of my riding is city streets, but in my city, that can still easily mean stretches of several blocks at 50-60 mph, especially on the early morning commute. I'm looking to buy a bike that I will ride until one of us dies (me or it), not a bike that will keep its resale value so I can replace it in a couple of years.
I'm looking at two bikes, both at the same dealership.
One is a 2007 S2R1000. Red with the white stripe. 7300 miles on it. Mostly in beautiful shape, a few barely noticeable scratches in the paint on the fuel tank, and the shifter lever is bent inward a bit, leading me to wonder if it was maybe once ever-so-gently dropped on its left side.
The other bike is a 2008 S4rs, Tri-colore. Yeah, that one. It's in pristine condition, not a scratch anywhere that I could find. 19k miles on it.
Now I'm somebody who really likes vehicles with personality, and the Tri-colore, well, it's seriously winking at me. But it's a scary beast. My riding is probably more suited to the S2r, light and agile on city streets, and occasional (once or twice a week) short hops on the highway (20 - 40 miles at most). And if I got the S2r, I KNOW that the only thing that would keep me from being perfectly happy with it, is...knowing I could have had the Tricolore. ARGH!
Well that and one other thing. The dealership OF COURSE doesn't have any maintenance records on either bike. They say that they did a valve-check on them when they acquired them (and it makes sense to me that they would) and that both bikes are within specs and don't need an adjustment. But at 7300 miles, I'm just betting the original owner of the S2r sold it when he did to avoid having to do the 7500 mile maintenance. (It is 7500 on that model year, right?) Well, regardless, I'm betting that that bike hasn't had any scheduled maintenance yet. While the Tricolor is nicely broken in, and, in my mind, has been meticulously maintained, because wouldn't you if it were yours???
Both bikes have fair asking prices on them, not great, and my not-so-subtle inquiring in that direction has led me to believe that they are not negotiable. However, the prices are not so fair if the bike needs a $1000 scheduled maintenance in the first thousand miles of my ownership.
Here's what I think I'm deciding between: a basic run-of-the-mill Ducati (yes I'm smirking as I type that) that will be fun and easy to ride, and cheaper and easier to maintain. Or the legendary limited-production beast that's going to hate me everytime I get into stop-and-go traffic, and might occasionally try to kill me just to be sure I'm paying attention, but which I will be as proud to ride and own as a king on a throne.
Please somebody tell me something! And thanks for reading my ramblings.
Forgive me if this gets long, I've got a lot on my mind with this decision.
So I'm ready to buy my first Ducati, which will also be my first non-cruiser. My riding experience up to now has been 3.5 years on a 1995 Honda Shadow 600. Most of my riding is city streets, but in my city, that can still easily mean stretches of several blocks at 50-60 mph, especially on the early morning commute. I'm looking to buy a bike that I will ride until one of us dies (me or it), not a bike that will keep its resale value so I can replace it in a couple of years.
I'm looking at two bikes, both at the same dealership.
One is a 2007 S2R1000. Red with the white stripe. 7300 miles on it. Mostly in beautiful shape, a few barely noticeable scratches in the paint on the fuel tank, and the shifter lever is bent inward a bit, leading me to wonder if it was maybe once ever-so-gently dropped on its left side.
The other bike is a 2008 S4rs, Tri-colore. Yeah, that one. It's in pristine condition, not a scratch anywhere that I could find. 19k miles on it.
Now I'm somebody who really likes vehicles with personality, and the Tri-colore, well, it's seriously winking at me. But it's a scary beast. My riding is probably more suited to the S2r, light and agile on city streets, and occasional (once or twice a week) short hops on the highway (20 - 40 miles at most). And if I got the S2r, I KNOW that the only thing that would keep me from being perfectly happy with it, is...knowing I could have had the Tricolore. ARGH!
Well that and one other thing. The dealership OF COURSE doesn't have any maintenance records on either bike. They say that they did a valve-check on them when they acquired them (and it makes sense to me that they would) and that both bikes are within specs and don't need an adjustment. But at 7300 miles, I'm just betting the original owner of the S2r sold it when he did to avoid having to do the 7500 mile maintenance. (It is 7500 on that model year, right?) Well, regardless, I'm betting that that bike hasn't had any scheduled maintenance yet. While the Tricolor is nicely broken in, and, in my mind, has been meticulously maintained, because wouldn't you if it were yours???
Both bikes have fair asking prices on them, not great, and my not-so-subtle inquiring in that direction has led me to believe that they are not negotiable. However, the prices are not so fair if the bike needs a $1000 scheduled maintenance in the first thousand miles of my ownership.
Here's what I think I'm deciding between: a basic run-of-the-mill Ducati (yes I'm smirking as I type that) that will be fun and easy to ride, and cheaper and easier to maintain. Or the legendary limited-production beast that's going to hate me everytime I get into stop-and-go traffic, and might occasionally try to kill me just to be sure I'm paying attention, but which I will be as proud to ride and own as a king on a throne.
Please somebody tell me something! And thanks for reading my ramblings.