[Haird]

Re: Ducati Valves

Good question. I was looking at a Multistrada and asked about the optional "comfort seat." The dealer told me that in addition to the $300 (or was it $400?) charge for the seat it took four hours (!) of labor to install it. Apparently the gas tank has to be removed to get access to the bolts that hold the seat on. I could remove and remount the seat on my BMW about 100 times in four hours, not to mention the heads are about as easy to access as they could be. I like the look and feel of Ducatis very much, but the questions about the cost of maintenance and repairs really turn me off.

 

[Haird]

Re: Ducati Valves

Yes, four hours does seem excessive. Maybe there's some gouging going on with the time charges as well, but the salesman's point was that it was an unexpectedly complex and time-consuming task, and they were surprised by how difficult it was. I'm not sure if he realized that he was confirming one of my most significant reservations about buying a Ducati with this tale -- that maintenance and repair costs would be high. Adding the $700-$800 of putting a decent seat to the $1,000 or so for hard bags to the already-stretching-it $11,500 price tag for the bike put an end to any further consideration of buying one.