[fullthrottle]

Hi guys,

Need your insights. A relative's friend is selling his v4 base for $15,000. It's got 2,500 miles on it, some minor scratches here and there. It was purely track ridden and raced. However, it was properly maintained at the dealership according to the owner (frequent change oil, fluids). He is getting the upcoming v4, reason for the sale.

Im leaning on getting it, but would like to ask everyone's opinion, Is it alright to buy bikes that were raced and used on track? Considering, well sportbikes are meant for use on the track. It's very tempting as the mileage is low. I test rode it and could not feel any issues, bike is performing well.

Thank you, I'm hoping to be a v4 owner soon.

 

[bobio]

It doesn’t sound like a very good deal to me- just average. I just traded in a base 2019 V4 (long story) for a 2020 V4S. My 2019 had about 4000 miles on it and I got 16000 for it... it was perfect by the way- No scratches and I rarely tracked that bike. All fluids were changed early and you could eat off the chain it was so clean.

Assuming the bike you’re looking at is a 2018 or 19, it seems like this friends relative is trying to sell it to you for a premium considering it was tracked. I don’t believe in the bullshit that says a tracked bike is better just because it’s designed to be a high performance machine. Mechanical stress is mechanical stress. Just because they change the oil and fluids according to the manual doesn't mean it was maintained at the frequency it needed to be considering it was racing. He was probably reving the thing pretty high and that’s hard on the engine and everything else to do with the bike. You also said it has some scratches… has the bike ever been dropped or crashed? At the very least I would have a Ducati certified mechanic go through the bike end to end. That inspection is going to cost some money but I would say agree on a lower price and then get the seller to pay for the inspection if you’re going to consider purchasing this bike. The reason is everything on this bike is with BeJesus expensive to repair or replace. You don’t want to start off your relationship with the V4 by having it turn into a money pit and a tracked bike can do that to you.

 

[bobio]

Also, how much tread depth is left on the tires? If he tracked it it’s a sure bet those are not the original tires so make sure they are the same brand, model and speed rating that came originally with the bike. Look at things like chain and sprocket wear as well (although these are things that a good Ducati mechanic will look at for you and once again I would highly encourage you do that inspection).