Long term ducati owner here. I had a two-valve Monster, a 1997 m900. If you ride 6000 miles a year, then a one-yearly trip to the shop, I found, is a good idea just to have the mechanics go over everything while they are doing the valve service. My shop charged about $350 for the service and in return I had a peak-running bike all year long. Some other shops wanted close to $800 for the service (on a Monster!) and also had long waiting lists, scheduling hassles, etc. If you have a good supportive shop or like to do the maintenance yourself then it makes all the difference.
Ducatis come with a two-year warranty which should protect you against any "lemon" parts and you can extend that to a four-year warranty. I had a turn signal switch go bad on me-- maybe someone sprayed it with something-- and it was replaced, along with with a clutch slave seal. That was it, and both were covered. I rode the bike for 30,000 miles before selling it.
I've also freuqnetly ridden a 916, a friend's bike frequently loaned to me in exchange for my truck. This was a four-valve water cooled motor, of course, and while that bike was very nice it was not appropriate for commuting and city riding.
I've ownede about six Hondas, two Kawasakis, four KTMs, and a Yamaha and a Triumph. No Suzukis yet. I would rate the quality and reliability of the Ducatis and the KTMs highest by a large margin.
I've found that all bikes require maintenance and care. Properly maintained, a Ducati will outlast a Honda, due to the quality of its components, and it will also retain resale value.
Hondas are not bulletproof or better quality bikes. I would say instead that they are more idiot-proof. In other words, while a properly maintained Ducati will last longer and retain its value better than a properly mainained Honda, if you took the same two bikes and did NOTHING to them, the Honda would outlast the Ducati by many miles.
Based on my experience I would definitely buy a Ducati again if a model matched my riding needs and desires. It was an excellent value given the good deal I got on it initially and its high resale value years later. An 800-1000cc S2 engine would be my engine choice.