so, im a day away from getting a 2002 748 and im super excited, iv always wanted a ducati, and i cant wait to have one of my own. i understand that ducks have a reputation of breaking and im prepared for it. I also understand the valves need to be adjusted every 50-100 feet :P all kidding aside i know every 6k miles they need to be adjusted. i dont know however how much it costs to have the valves adjusted. im sure it varys from shop to shop but a ball park quote would be really helpful just so its not a kick in the gut when i take it in for the first time. thanks
Well first, you need to get them inspected, and they'll only adjust the valves if it's needed, even at 6k mile intervals, if your valves are still in spec or very close without lobe drag, they probably won't be changed, so check your bill and ask your tech directly if they were changed, some less reputable dealers may try to pull a fast one on you. If you actually needed ALL 16 shims changed, you're easily talking $1000 in labor, esp. on the 748/916 style heads, which have access ports on the heads instead of being able to remove the whole top of the heads like the newer DESMOQUATTRO heads, and are a PITA to work on because of it. The bad thing is that until recently (and they still need improvement) Ducati's quality control is lower than other manufacturers, meaning very inconsistent performance reliability, just from variances in manufacturing. If you get a GOOD tech to do the bike right in the first place though, not just valves but all-important TPS resetting, cam timing/belt tension, and balanced CO's in your exhaust, you will have a lot less headaches with your Duc.
believe it or not a desmodromic valve adjustment takes like 8 hours.So its kinda costly to do that job.
