Anyone have any experience with a 996

[Papicus]

I've been eying up the 2000 996s that Motoprimo has been sitting on for a while and I just would like to get some opinions on the bike in general. I'm familiar with the riding position and it would be a second bike to my M1000sie. I've been thinking about something more sport oriented and this seems like a good choice. Maintenance isn't an issue since I am a mechanic and do all my own work. So for those of you that have FHE what are your opinions?

[flyinswede]

Well, I have a 748S that's a 2001 (same geometry I'm guessing) and I love the bike... the riding position to me is very comfy... but, keep in mind I spend thousands of miles riding carbon fiber road bicycles sitting on a tiny seat... so, I know I have developed strong back muscles... I have done some maintenance work on it, very straightforward with a Haynes manual. The exhaust is hot in town, it has no passenger seat... etc... it's tons of fun for me... this motor and chassis is a legend in racing and the sound and feel are very aggressive... my 2 cents.

[crash13]

Ask some service history questions. 2000 is still in the "bad rocker" era.

Check for a verfiable hsitory of relpaced or rechromed rockers. If it was serviced at a Dealership teh rockers would have been replaced with off the shelf parts that would flake again, if it was serviced at Manley Cycle, or Silverback, or someplace like that the rockers would have been replaced with ones that had been re-Hardchromed and will never fail.

Check the belt condition, and date of last full service, and if they can provide the measurements of where the valves were set. 996 ran best when the clearences were in 0-4 range as opposed to the 6-8 range that the factory allowed, but the smaller range was harder to hit.

Or if the price is right buy it and do a full service set the valves and replace the belts and inspect all the rockers and cams.

You should also test the electrical output of the bike (Good practice on any pre-5.9 Ducs)

good luck, and realize if you buy it we may never see you again because they are that much fun to ride.


PSS 999/749 models are going for Dirt Cheap on the intarweb sites, and it is a supperior bike to the older version so keep that in mind when deciding.

[fasterblkduc]

I've owned a 996 and have ridden a LOT of different bikes so I can give you my opinion based on my experience.

My 996 was gorgeous. it had $10K in extras on it. I used to ride it on the street and do trackdays. It certainly got the blood flowing and turned heads everywhere. It was good for the attention it drew and getting one excited about cruising around on and hearing the beautiful noise of an opened up Desmo, well anyway, you get the point and know the sound.

That's where the fun for me stops however. I have two major issues with the 916 generation...mechanical, and performance. You have to be aware that all of the 4-valve Ducs up through the 998 had flaking rockers. You don't know which bike will have them and which won't. It seems that not only does Ducati have major quality control issues but so do their suppliers. Mine had flaking rockers twice. When you get that news, you will cry hard and loud. Especially if said flakes wrecked cam lobes. Let's just say that the repair bill could be better spent on oh say, a whole nother cheap bike! Also look for a lot of electrical problems that seem to plague those bikes. The coolant overflow tank will crack and leak. They ALL do. It's just a matter of how many you will replace during the life span of that bike.

Then there's performance. Quite simply they turn like bricks! They are not nimble by any means. They feel good and stable cornering but turning them in requires flicking them early and hard! It takes a lot of muscle to turn them and they feel very sluggish and difficult to corner hard. And yes, I had nice suspension and $2K magnesium wheels that helped a lot but still didn't solve that issue. My current streetbike is a 600rr and it can run circles around a 996. That's not just cornering but it's about 20mph. faster too.
I was at a trackday recently with a friend who was on his 748. I let him take out my Honda for a session. He came back with a gigantic wide-eyed grin that he could not get rid of for about thirty minutes. As soon as he got off my bike, he swore that he was selling his 748 ASAP. Why? because he learned that other bikes turn! oh and go faster.
Around town they are simply crap. They were purpose built for the track and for their time they were great for that but times have changed. And you don't want it for street. It's like buying a monster truck to get groceries.

Having said all that, I do still love the 916 generation superbikes and they are a lot of fun but just not practical at all. And you said that you wanted something sportier. I would recommend the 749 if you are set on a Ducati 4 valve, or a 2 valve supersport. They both handle better than the 916 series. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the 749 felt over the previous generation. But really the best value and most practical would be to buy a 2 valve Supersport. It's a nice mix of peformance and street friendly rideability. Not to mention the 2 valves are Ducati's best motor. Not fastest but most reliable and easy to maintain.

These are just my opinions and observations. I dig Ducati just as much as everyone reading this. If anything, I just want to cation you as to what you are in for so that you don't get soured on the marque. I would rather people get the Ducati that fits them best and for some that may be the 996 but I can say with confidence that I will NEVER buy a 916 generation superbike again.
I have not ridden the new ones but I know that I should not. I have a feeling that I will be even further in debt if I do. I did go to the 848 premier at Delano and sat on it...that pearl white looks hot! They have cheapened down this generation a little to make them more affordable. I'm not sure if there is an S model coming. Gone is the steering damper, dry clutch, adjustable ride height, adjustable rearsets and seating, and they have cheaper body fastners. Now you need tools to remove body. These things could be upgraded or possibly overlooked because the bike looks so hot! >

Good luck with your decision. If you stay with Ducati, great! Just be aware that there are better options to stay with Ducati and stay sporty. [thumbsup]

[flyinswede]

Like every motorcycle out there, some love 'em, some hate 'em... everyone's got their own deal. That's what I love about motos.

[gme620]

I recently went through the same delema. Should I buy a 748 or 998 era duc or should I get another blah big four 600 that is a dime a dozen. I've always wanted a 748 always drolled over them and finally could afford one. I've ridden them and liked the set up liked the looks and liked the sound. After hearing a ton of horror stories about repairs and parts I stayed away and upgraded my R6 with suspension, better brakes, etc. I like riding it way more than the 996 that I rode and the repairs are squat. Get on it and ride. The bike now is neering 30000 miles and has seen the track and is going to be a race bike next year. It has had more in oil spent on it than repairs in it's life. I don't think that the 748 or 998 could do that. Sorry big ups to the big 4 for reliable sport bikes with better performance and relialibly. But the duc is way sweeter looking and if you are a wrench............... :-X

[gme620]

Plus replacement parts are easy to find for the jap's than that duc. Something to keep in mind every time you ride in the city or park. I would have never parked mine in the street with out cones all the way around it. [cheeky] Oh yeah and I still want one

[Papicus]

Thanks for all the input so far guys. After listening to what Gabe said I unfortunately am second guessing the purchase. The only reason though is for the handling. My current bike which is an m1000sie defineately has its share of handling issues. I remember my first bike was an f4i and it had much more feel and was much more confidence inspiring. It took me two seasons of riding the monster to gain the corning ability I had in 6 months with the f4i. I also had a chance to ride a new gxr750 last year and that was so intuitive it was almost telapathic. I don't know if I need that level of quickness but I would like it to be better than what I have.

As for the maintenance it supposedly had the 12k maint just done and according to the salesman the retail price for it was $4k but I have yet to see the paperwork to see what was done. As for the flaking rockers, supposedly Martin brickwood performance has a rechroming service where where they stress releive the rockers after chroming which makes them much more reliable. Hey if the rockers take out a set of cams I guess I'd just have to get a set of sps cams for it . For me cost is not an issue for maintenance, I am a mechanic and like to wrench.

Like everyone else has said before The 916 series is absolutely beautiful. So I guess I'll just have to stew on it a little more. Thanks again for all the response.

[fasterblkduc]

A service that cost $4K sounds like it had flaking rockers. And as Mark stated, if done by the dealer, it would have been OEM replacements that will flake again. I can't think of any other reason for a service bill that high. The previous owner probably traded it to the dealer or sold it on the spot to get away from it.

If you are looking for something that handles between your old f4i, and a new gsxr then the 996 is most definitely not it. You should test ride a 749. It's a much better bike.