I see quite a bit exchanging hands on http://www.criagslist.org/mcy
I like these bikes too, but I, too, am scared to take the plunge into Ducatidom. If I understand correctly, the two-valvers (Desmoduo) are easier to maintain than the fours (Desmoquattro).
It depends upon how much you ride, how much you like to wrench or put up with paying for maintenance, etc. An $800 valve job every 6k is nothing to me, since I only put on ~3k/year, but if you ride 20k/year, that $400/year for me turns into $1200/year. Be aware of any inconsistencies in manufacturing pre-TPG years--I may be wrong, but I've heard that one bike--same year/model--may need constant maintenance while another is as tight as a Honda.
Cycle World lists some differences between models regarding reliability, but you should be able to find better resources out there by spending a lot of time with Mr. Google.
and, First post!
I like these bikes too, but I, too, am scared to take the plunge into Ducatidom. If I understand correctly, the two-valvers (Desmoduo) are easier to maintain than the fours (Desmoquattro).
It depends upon how much you ride, how much you like to wrench or put up with paying for maintenance, etc. An $800 valve job every 6k is nothing to me, since I only put on ~3k/year, but if you ride 20k/year, that $400/year for me turns into $1200/year. Be aware of any inconsistencies in manufacturing pre-TPG years--I may be wrong, but I've heard that one bike--same year/model--may need constant maintenance while another is as tight as a Honda.
Cycle World lists some differences between models regarding reliability, but you should be able to find better resources out there by spending a lot of time with Mr. Google.
and, First post!