Wanna buy » '05 MTS 1000S DS, 5k miles, $6,200

[rubbersidedown]

Hello all!

I've been perusing your forums with keen interest, and am happy to see such a supportive and interactive community. I've been tentatively looking for a ~liter engine'd bike that is quick enough to be fun, but also able to support some touring--although I haven't explicitly been looking for a sports-tourer because I typically haven't seen affordable and good options.

Voila, thus appeared an '05 Multistrada S DS, with only about 5,400 miles on the clock. Comes with Ducati side cases and a Givi top case, but no other mods. It does seem to be very well maintained: valves have not been checked/adjusted yet, and the owner hasn't had any issues with corrosion/moisture in the instrument panel nor the rear brake unit.

The consensus around here seems to be that these bikes are quite reliable, so my questions are thus: 1) Is this a fair price? It seems a little on the high side, but you can't get much lower than 5k miles. 2) Does the reliability claim hold true to what is now a 12 year old bike?

Thank you very much in advance for any advice! For those curious, I presently own an '02 Suzuki SV650, as well as an '05 Suzuki M50 Boulevard. Great bikes both.

[lotus54 - Moderator]

that is an 'S' model with the Ohlins suspension etc?

I have not followed pricing much- for a low miles bike that certainly seems pretty good.
Here is what I would do, just in case. Get the VIN and check to see if it is in the range of the bad batch of valve guides. I sort of doubt Ducati would cover it, especially after maybe two or three owners. Not outrageous to get repaired- but not cheap either.
To test, you can remove the horizontal cylinder valve cover and check to see if the valve wiggles. I recall the exhaust tended to do it sooner than the intake. But intake is easer to check.

I have the same model, with some 35k miles or something (I don't exactly recall). I did have the guides replaced under warranty. Still a great bike.

Mark

[rubbersidedown]

Hi Mark,

Thanks very much for your reply. S model indeed, Ohlins and the carbon fiber bits--not that it makes too much difference to me.

Good idea: I will either ask the owner for the VIN, or find and send him the range of bad batch VINs and ask him to tell me if it falls within it. I asked about the valves, and he said that a mechanic advised him not to worry about checking them before the scheduled interval unless he had issues.

He is down to $5,500--very tempting! I also found an '09 1100S for $5,800, though, 12k miles, which seems like a very affordable upgrade. No luggage though.

Thanks again for your tips. If I shell out this much, I'd certainly like to make as sure as I can that I won't have expensive issues to fix within the first 12-18 months. [/quote]

[lotus54 - Moderator]

The luggage seems VERY difficult to find now- only rarely do I see it come up for sale.
The Olins and 'Fat' Bars are quite nice.

[mavam]

How'd you get him down $700?

Still seems kind of pricy to me. I got my '04 1000DS (non S model) without luggage and 11,000 miles for about $4k in 2014. I don't feel that the S bits justify a huge leap in price in the used market, though they are an improvement and should be valued accordingly.

Lotus is right; panniers are hard to find and are typically $500+. I scored a set for well under that but it came down to luck/timing.

I probably wouldn't be willing to pay much more than $5k but that just may be me. The low mileage is appealing but that also means that the bike as sat in a garage (hopefully) for a long time. That's not ideal either. ~700 mi/year average is pretty sad.

[rubbersidedown]

Thanks for your reply. Haha, I told him frankly that I didn't want either of us to waste our time, and that I wanted his honest take on how flexible his price is--I said I'd be more comfortable with low 5k, he said he could do $5,500 but probably not lower. He's had the listing up for about two weeks without takers, so I think he's learning that his price is a bit high.

I agree with you. This other '09 1100 seems a much better deal to me, especially with the wet clutch (forgive me for saying so!). Let's see. I think I will let the '05 sit for a few days and if it's still available, reach out again and see if he will come down at all.

The luggage is definitely a +.

[bonefish 2005 1000S DS (Red)]

Where in The United States are you located? Might help in estamating the price.

[rubbersidedown]

Ha, sorry about that! Obviously new to this forum. I'm located in Philadelphia, PA. Here is the Craigslist post, if interested (price still at $6,200, of course). Thanks in advance for any input! Very much appreciated!

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/mcy/6029173606.html

[eggesw 2004 1000 DS (Red)]

check the photo of the back of the bike. it looks like the tank is starting to warp

[rubbersidedown]

Oh no, really? Impressed that you could tell that. I tried looking, but honestly can't tell. I'm guessing there is no chance of a Ducati dealer replacing the tank for free on such an old bike..? Thank you SO much for pointing that out. Owner said he hasn't had any tank/fuel issues yet, but of course that doesn't mean those issues aren't far off.

[eggesw 2004 1000 DS (Red)]

that body work in back is just one of the early signs. look around the gas cap area for cracking. and under by the fuel pump . I cant tell by the pics, but check the seat where it meets the tank, the gaps should be some what uniform .