Questions about Ducati Supersport

Lucros · May 24, 2019

Hello! New to the forum and was considering a Ducati Supersport but am very concerned about maintenance and reliability. This bike would be ridden everyday as my daily and I can't afford to have it done all the time.

I'm also wondering as to what I can do to the bike without voiding the warranty, like would adding the Akra full system, a air filter, pcv, and a tune void the warranty?

What has been the cost of ownership for this bike, and can I change my own oil without voiding the warranty? I saw people saying 150$ USD for oil change and that sounded crazy

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Lucros · May 25, 2019

Bump, If someone could at the very least give some idea as to the reliability I would appreciate it, I've generally not heard good things about their reliability rate, not bashing Ducati in the slightest to be completely clear, they are gorgeous, amazing bikes, but I need something that isn't going to be down all the time. I live in FL so It's riding weather all year round

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double0 · May 25, 2019

If it was notorious for problems, no one would buy one and the brand would not be in business. Does that mean the brand is flawless? No. Will you have issues? Only one way to find out. If it's appealing enough for you, you'll buy it. Otherwise, don't bother and find something else that you believe is less problematic. There is no problem free brand. If a motorcycle is your only form of transportation, then you're already off to a bad start. If you have a car but choose to ride, then clearly you can afford to possibly run into issues with a bike, especially if you're talkin about expensive aftermarket parts like an exhaust.

If a shop is only gonna charge you 150 for an oil change, that's a great price. Materials alone will cost you 70-100 depending on what kinda oil you choose. Warranties will only be voided if you have a problem with the bike that was caused by a part that didn't come on the bike from the factory. If you're considering aftermarket "engine performance mods" then you need to be willing to sacrifice the possibility of losing your warranty if it's that much of a concern. This ultimately depends on dealership relationship. You gotta pay to play.

youngR · May 25, 2019

get a ninja300. i think that's what you need based on your comment above.

kensteele · May 25, 2019

i think you might be overthinking it when you're talking about the supersport. there's nothing really about that bike that screams maintenance or reliability issues. you're not going to void the warranty for something you really need unless you tear the bike apart. and the bike is not going to have to be put down unless you rip it and mistreat it and neglect it; it's not that kind of bike. buy and don't worry about it, two or three years later will come quick and you'll be on your own to do whatever you want with it which isn't much.

cmh210 · May 25, 2019

I'd agree with all the above. These are pretty decent bikes. The Supersport uses the Testastretta motor, which is a pretty solid engine that Ducati has had for a while. I can do an oil change for 80 bucks on my Multi with Motul 300v. It can be done cheaper with Castrol, which is still a good motor oil.

Sherpa23 · May 25, 2019

You didn't say what year or generation of Supersport so I have no idea what you're specifically asking about but I have one and it's awesome, reliable, and I love it very much. I use it for touring.

kensteele · May 26, 2019

Sherpa23 said:
You didn't say what year or generation of Supersport so I have no idea what you're specifically asking about but I have one and it's awesome, reliable, and I love it very much. I use it for touring.

has to be a 2017, 2018, or 2019 since those are the only supersports with possibly a warranty. before that, i got the last model year of the supersport which was 2007.

*my years might be off by a year or two

Lucros · May 27, 2019

double0 said:
If it was notorious for problems, no one would buy one and the brand would not be in business. Does that mean the brand is flawless? No. Will you have issues? Only one way to find out. If it's appealing enough for you, you'll buy it. Otherwise, don't bother and find something else that you believe is less problematic. There is no problem free brand. If a motorcycle is your only form of transportation, then you're already off to a bad start. If you have a car but choose to ride, then clearly you can afford to possibly run into issues with a bike, especially if you're talkin about expensive aftermarket parts like an exhaust.

If a shop is only gonna charge you 150 for an oil change, that's a great price. Materials alone will cost you 70-100 depending on what kinda oil you choose. Warranties will only be voided if you have a problem with the bike that was caused by a part that didn't come on the bike from the factory. If you're considering aftermarket "engine performance mods" then you need to be willing to sacrifice the possibility of losing your warranty if it's that much of a concern. This ultimately depends on dealership relationship. You gotta pay to play.

150 is just high to me because I always do my own oil changes. I do have a car, just choose to use it as little as possible. As for no problem free brand that's true but from everything I've heard Ducati is more problem prone then a competing Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, it Suzuki. The Supersport is gorgeous though and is being considered for my next bike because it ticks all the boxes.

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Lucros · May 27, 2019

youngR said:
get a ninja300. i think that's what you need based on your comment above.

What about my comment lead you to believe I need a Ninja 300? I'm not entirely sure how you meant that so I'm not gonna be a douche, but a 300 in no way would fit the bill. Also, if I'm on here asking about a 110Hp bike with 98Nm of torque, why would you suggest a ninja 300, being that it's polar opposite? If your assuming that this will be my first bike your flat out wrong, this would be my 3rd bike. I still have a lot to learn of course, but I'm not some freshly licensed squid.

The main reason I'm looking at this bike is it seems like it does everything a vfr800 does just better. But if your sitting here trying to be condescending, well, maybe you should hop on your bike and ride it into a wall ^.^ if your not being condescending and legitimately thought that I was a brand new motorcyclist, ignore the above sentence and I understand where your coming from.

Don't you just love how text doesn't convey body language or tone? ^.^

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Lucros · May 27, 2019

kensteele said:
i think you might be overthinking it when you're talking about the supersport. there's nothing really about that bike that screams maintenance or reliability issues. you're not going to void the warranty for something you really need unless you tear the bike apart. and the bike is not going to have to be put down unless you rip it and mistreat it and neglect it; it's not that kind of bike. buy and don't worry about it, two or three years later will come quick and you'll be on your own to do whatever you want with it which isn't much.

Thank you for the reply I will definitely keep this In mind ^.^

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Lucros · May 27, 2019

double0 said:
If it was notorious for problems, no one would buy one and the brand would not be in business. Does that mean the brand is flawless? No. Will you have issues? Only one way to find out. If it's appealing enough for you, you'll buy it. Otherwise, don't bother and find something else that you believe is less problematic. There is no problem free brand. If a motorcycle is your only form of transportation, then you're already off to a bad start. If you have a car but choose to ride, then clearly you can afford to possibly run into issues with a bike, especially if you're talkin about expensive aftermarket parts like an exhaust.

If a shop is only gonna charge you 150 for an oil change, that's a great price. Materials alone will cost you 70-100 depending on what kinda oil you choose. Warranties will only be voided if you have a problem with the bike that was caused by a part that didn't come on the bike from the factory. If you're considering aftermarket "engine performance mods" then you need to be willing to sacrifice the possibility of losing your warranty if it's that much of a concern. This ultimately depends on dealership relationship. You gotta pay to play.

These are all valid points, I'm more worried about reliability simply because all I've ever heard is that Ducati's are hyper maintenance intensive but I have no idea to what extent that's true. At the end of the day, I just don't want a bike that's broke down more then a month or two every now that year or so. I think that's a reasonable and fair expectation

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double0 · May 27, 2019

Even if he said somethin in a condescending way, that still doesn't justify you basically tellin him to go kill himself. That's how you're gonna end up not getting anyone on here to help you.

You don't need anyone's help on here. You've already mentioned that it ticks all your boxes and that it's gorgeous. You're already sold on the bike. Comparing it to a Japanese bike is like apples and oranges. If you do your own oil changes and you're handy with tools, then you'll be fine. You've got a car so you can afford to be without the bike IF it ends up in the shop at times. Find a gently used low mileage bike for a good price and buy the thing. Don't ever tell someone to go kill themselves if you want help or advice from anyone. This is already a dangerous enough hobby and condescending or not, no one deserves that. No comin back from that!

Lucros · May 27, 2019

Welp, like you said no coming back from it. I'm not gonna have some random dude be a dick head to me for no reason what so ever, but I'm also not going to sit here and go off and cuss him out. To me, and maybe I'm a little backwards on this but telling someone to kill themselves is pretty tame. I'm super polite, I don't troll, and I was asking, I felt, were legitimate questions that I was having a lot of trouble finding answers to other then "it's Italian so it's pretty but is garbage" and "there's nothing like riding a Ducati" which is the same line HD uses. If he wants to decide to be a condescending prick, I don't see why I can't respond in kind. It's a two way street, he didn't have to comment anything. If he wants to be nice, I will be nice. If he wants to be a dick, I will be a dick, and that, to me, is fair.

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Pard · May 27, 2019

I had a ninja 300, loved it and a great bike. There are 300 class track races.

My Panigale 959 had the typical warranty issues the first year, spent the first 3 months of ownership in the shop for a month getting a water pump replaced. My hypermotard has had fit and finish issues, covered under warranty.

My ninja 300, never skipped a beat. Very reliable bike. It will just work as it should bringing you to and from work and keeping a smile on your face. You can drag knee with it on the weekends and track it. It will not out accelerate a liter bike on a straight, but it can turn with the best of them.
They now have the ninja 400 which looks fantastic.

Ducati does not have the reputation of being the bike you want if you hate it being down for maintenance. Ducati as your commuter bike seems like a risk.

DV4 · May 27, 2019

Lucros said:
Hello! New to the forum and was considering a Ducati Supersport but am very concerned about maintenance and reliability. This bike would be ridden everyday as my daily and I can't afford to have it done all the time.

I'm also wondering as to what I can do to the bike without voiding the warranty, like would adding the Akra full system, a air filter, pcv, and a tune void the warranty?

What has been the cost of ownership for this bike, and can I change my own oil without voiding the warranty? I saw people saying 150$ USD for oil change and that sounded crazy

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Dont buy a Ducati if you cant afford to service it, by that I mean the big ones, not oil changes which are cheap. DIY oil changes do not void warranties unless you put the wrong oil/amount/filter etc in the bike. If you are buying new or within a warrantly period you will need to get it serviced as per the schedule otherwise warranty claims related to the lack of service will not be honoured. (check if the warranty is transferable)

My advice, get a Panigale if you want more power otherwise forget the Akra's etc. The mods you mention will probably cost as much as the difference between a Pani and a Supersport.

Cost of ownership is very hard to calculate, a well maintained bike with low m's that lives in an airconditioned and carpeted garage has minimal costs, another thats bouncing the limiter in the first 3 gears all weekend with a 220lb rider who thinks servicing is for everyone else....well thats going to cost!

DarR · May 28, 2019

@Lucros
Your OP was full of concerns about cost of ownership.
Personally I would not have taken offense at @youngR comment about a Ninja 300. I just thought it was funny.

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