OUCH - How much?

Dropped off my bike at Rosso Corse last week to have some work done that I'd put off when I bought the bike in May this year. Ray said at the time the tyres and chain would need changing after another 1k miles so I new more work was needed before Winter.

Anyway I stupidly dropped the bike in the car park the other day after trying to pull away with the disc lock still on no damage except for the rear brake stopped working. I have read somewhere that air can get in to the system if the bike is laid flat/dropped.

So this meant I would finally need to get the bike check in for all the other bits that needed doing. So, with new tyres, new chain, new front pads, new brake lever, some other worn bearings and clips, various fluids the final bill came to £802

That's almost 1/3 of what the bike is worth! To be fair to Marcus and Ray, they only charged 3.5 hours of labour and the cost was all big parts, but still, not what I was expecting. Hopefully this will last me for at least a year and I feel more confident that the bike will ride better and safer during the winter months.

I knew Ducati ownership was going to be expensive, but it still hurts when you have to get the credit card out so often.

Anyone else had big servicing and repair bills?

[uksurfer]

not cheap bikes, but worth every penny

I know how you feel, my last bill from Rosso Corse for my 12k service was about half the value of my bike... it was really painful but they do always do a superb job and only use genuine (expensive) parts.

That said I have now decided to do all further work on my bike myself - as I simply can't afford to keep it otherwise.

I will also certainly try and start to do basic oil changes, brake pads and simple tasks myself in the future, hopefully this will keep the day to day costs down.

I did have the workshop/service manual on pdf but can't seem to find it, has anyone a link for 2005 S2R?

Yep - on my 696 I had a full service with the belts, new tyre, chain, brake discs and pads - it was ridiculous - not far off a grand. To be fair Rosso Corse did the work and they are not cheap but they are good and at that point I realised it was nearly as cheap to sell the bike earlier and upgrade.

The only way I can afford the full service these days, is to source all of the parts that need doing on evil bay, filters, belts etc, this is usually done over the corse of about six months, then I don't notice the sting in my wallet, then pop along to Rosso Corse with the bits in my rucksack and they're usually really quick with the turn around time, so its not too bad overall. Always runs about ten times better than when I took it in as well.

The bike does run really well now, especially with smaller front sprocket and a £125 gold chain!

They did decide to change the front tyre even though I thought it was fine

Its better to pay someone you trust and have a good rep then shop about get a cheaper quote and come home with something running like a bag of nails .... I like independants they care about the bikes and its a passion with them...

Before I found the chap I swear by I had rung a dealer and they didn't want to know as my bike was old..and an old M600 .. would I want to take my bike to someone like that... no ta.

Theres good and bad in all ...

Im not going to even sit and add up whats been spent on my two so far and in fairness thats not due to garage costs but bits and bobs its just scary for two little old bikes!
But whats the point of having them if you don't look after them?

You can't abuse them as much as a jap inline four!!
At least you know its a job well done.

Ive destroyed my credit card!!.... no joke!

Yes Ducati's are not cheap, I do all the work on my bikes myself and when i brought the S2R just the oil, belts, filters etc cost the best part of £200

[J.P]

You should look at the other thread I started,

http://ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=42578

Originally Posted by J.P

You should look at the other thread I started,

http://ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=42578

Read that thread earlier today, did make for some interesting reading. Totally agree about 'cost of bike - cost of parts' becoming closer as the bike gets older. I think that was my beef with the bill last week, if it was a brand new bike at circa £10k, an £800 bill would have been easier to stomach.

At the end of the day, the bike gives me great pleasure and as I don't smoke and drink that much, I see it as one of the few luxuries in life.

[J.P]

And the other thing to remember is that the older the bike gets the lower value it's worth, but that doesn't apply to servicing and certainly doesn't apply to parts prices that have been going up over the last few years. So as a percentage of the bike cost the servicing just gets more and more painful.

There are only two answers,
1) Do as Scott1 said and find your parts selectively over the year, see my link above, or do your own servicing.
2) Sell the bike, because garage prices aren't coming down.

I guess I have to live with that I find new bikes a little souless.
Too much gadgetry and stuff.
I like older bikes don't know why..
With the exception of everybodys fav new Ducati .. Which I do like .. Heads to naughty corner ... Even if mine was worth £500 I'd happily have it serviced
it's like owning a dog .. You've got to keep up with it's jabs

[gary tompkins]

Bike shops often charge more to fit and supply tyres. If you want to save money buy/borrow some paddock, remove the wheels yourself and shop around for a deal on the rubber. Most tyre bays fit free to loose wheels compared to bike shops that charge an hourly rate. I dare say many other parts could have been DIY bought and fitted too (like chain) again saving money. I would have got a quote before getting the work done, then decided which bits to leave the shop to fix. Things like tyres and chain sets will cost much the same regardless of make of bike. VAT at 20% also makes a massive difference on big bills - £160 in your case.