Came across a sweet deal, looking for some opinions

So, let me just start off by saying that I'm pretty confident that i have a good idea of what I'm getting into. However, I make no claim to be an expert or anything even close for that matter. I just simply consider myself to be an enthusiast who loves to wrench on his bikes just as much as he loves to ride em.
I have a guy coming over today to buy my starter bike for $2,300 (A 2005 Kawasaki Klr250. Excellent condition with just shy of 5,500 miles on the clock. KBB value is $2,550). Pretty good considering i bought it two years ago for $1,900 with 1,600 miles and have done all the maintenance myself. 8)
So, the deal is that i have a buddy who just so happens to be selling his MINT 1993 Ducati 900ss with 13,900 miles for $3,000 BUT, he would rather sell it to me for less just to assure that it would be going to a good home (as in, he loves the bike soo much he reaaaally doesnt wanna see it wrecked by some dumb rich kid that just passed the dmv test) So I'm thinking of buying it. My questions to y'all would be:

Have any of you owned this particular bike? or similar?

Anything special i should check for? (Im not new to bikes, but I AM new to ducati's. He has service records for the warranty work that was done and tires but did most of the maintanance himself, and I know this to be a fact)

Feel free to express your opinions and or personal experiences with this year/model as that is what I'm looking for from this thread! Please try to be nice though, I'm not looking for a reality check and I'm all too aware of the costs of maintaining a motorcycle as this will be my third bike. (not including two vintage mopeds, three ATV's, and a mark twain boat!) So, once again, I'm not a mechanic and Im pretty sure i know what I'm getting into but that doesnt mean i wouldnt appreciate any advice you guys have to offer!

 

Edit** deleted pics

 

i dont know anything about them, im sure others will know about them, but that ducati looks pretty good to me, good luck with it if you get it

 

thanks! I thought so too. I found a ducati specific forum recently... but they arent so nice to people that dont have any rank on their forum. We have soo many members here, i figure its only a matter of time until i find someone who has owned or ridden one that would be willing to give me some feedback

 

Low miles, less than $3000, known history, mates bike .. sounds good to me. Have you already been allowed rides? I've never been on a Ducati but i've always liked 'em, not so much th later models. Garn you know you want to, if you don't like it sell it to a good home. And that number plate??

 

Ducatis are a nice piece of machinery. Haven't ridden one, but seen a few.

And the known history is worth a lot when you're talking about an older bike.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

 

yeah im pretty sure im gonna jump on it. Ive ridden it once and man does it have torque to spare! i guess i just needed a few more people to tell me i wasnt being too anxious. thanks everyone! i'll keep ya posted

 

Just know this:

It has desmodromic valves. The valves are opened AND closed mechanically by two sets of "siamesed" lifters acting on little "top hats" on the valves (lifting up) and on the tip of the valve for pushing down. (The valve springs that are there are just for starting and are very light.) There are no valve springs in the conventional sense, that's what the "Desmodromic" is all about.

You adjust the valves by substituting little "top hats" with different thickness "brims" and "crowns." If you think shims are bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet. As experienced of a mechanic as I am, I've only seen this done and it was not simple. No wonder the Ducati shops charge so much.

Here's the other thing about the whole deal: BECAUSE the valves are closed mechanically, you cannot let the adjustment slide or the motor will immediately begin to run like crap and then be damaged. WILL.

They cannot be ignored like you can get away with on "normal" motors with spring-closed valves. And the little top hats ain't cheap.

Ducatis are two-wheeled Ferraris. A $3000 Ducati is like a $500 XJ. Just because the bike is cheap doesn't mean upkeep will be. Italian parts cost a lot more than XJ parts.

He might not have told you this part.

 

if you get that and like it, you may as well sell the XJ because you'll never ride it

 

Wow, i had no idea about the different valve setup. Thanks alot bizfitz! I always value your input and have read a great deal of your posts and writeups. You probably just saved me a world of trouble. I also spent some time today reading everyting on the internet i could find concerning problems that i may run into but it seems i overlooked something quite important, ducati's alien engeneering!

with all things considered (the crazy valve setup, the lack of horsepower vs. similar sized sportbikes, the crazy high cost of replacement parts etc.) I think i will be passing this "sweet deal" up. This is why you should always research before you buy and also the exact reason i took the time to ask for everyone's advice. THANK YOU to all who have responded with their advice, opinions, and kind comical statements. As always I really appreciate it.

I think if i get a sportbike soon I'll stick to a design Im familiar with. What do ya'll think of the suzuki bandit series? I've got my eye on a couple in my area, ones a 96 bandit 600 thats had minor streetfighterish mods done and the other is a 98 bandit 1200 with stage one carb kit, cruise control, onboard chail oiler, and an aftermarket gel seat.
The discussion lives on!! 8)

 

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Parts for those bikes shouldn't be that expensive as they built that motor by the truckload over quite a few years

I would doubt valve adjustment would be more time consuming than a modern shim under bucket setup and I know several people who do there own and although mine is older than that one I found they only needed doing about every 10,000km and the valve adjustment is really the only tricky maintenance item

They do lack HP compared to a Jap four but are still capable of extended high speed cruising and I reckon they're more fun to ride

My bike

 

If you want a sports bike, you should go for it. Talk to your friend regarding the valves. You said he does his own stuff, perhaps he has experience doing the valves and will consider doing it or teaching you how in the future. Dion't give up without doing some fact finding. You could also talk to a shop and find out how often they need to be done and the average cost. How many miles will you be putting on the bike?

 

He's a friend of a friend so i trust him enough to know that he's being at least 80% honest, but i dont wanna set myself up for failure. I'm definately gonna be getting me a sportbike, however i think i was slightly letting the ducati name/reputation drive my decision to buy. Thats why I didnt just impulse buy the bike though! I decided to be smart and make sure I'm not smacking myself in the forehead later. I still have plenty of time left in my life to buy a Ducati brand new so i can be sure she's well maintained from the get go. Maybe by then i'll have more mechanical experience under my belt and wont be so cautious about treading into unfamiliar territory! Any bike I get I'll be riding daily or at least as often as i possibly can. I'm also open to any suggestions. I'm not set on any one bike in particular... just looking for something under $3,000 that i can play with

 

Update!

Well, since i just sold my commuter bike I "needed" someting I could ride daily so i can finish my plans for my '82 XJ. I had been browsing the local craigslist ads for some time, looking at all the different bikes popping up for sale (gotta love this buyer's market we're currently in!), and i finally decided to make the leap into the somewhat modern, fuel injected world of sportbikes :twisted:
Check out my "new" baby: a 1998 Suzuki GSXR SRAD, 12,000 miles with full service history on hand



Advice and comments, as always, are very much appreciated. Ride Safe everyone!

 

Nice bike.

No offense but that doesn't look like an all-day seat;

and more importantly: It needs tires.

 

nice looking bike, good luck with it and try not to forget about the old xj

 

@ ken007-Thank you kind sir, the xj will definately not be neglected as these are two very different bikes that are designed for two very different types of riding. Now i have a comfy cruiser, and a rocket that might occasionally cause me to soil myself! 8O :lol:

Thanks Bigfitz! Im gonna have to agree with ya there, the seat definately leaves something to be desired as far as comfort is concerned. I will be taking care of the tires this weekend as well as double checking everything else i can think of (already got the factory service manual). Thats just what you do when you buy something used! I appreciate the heads-up, thanks for always looking out for a fellow rider's safety.