If you've stumbled across this guide, you may be in the market for a Ducati motorcycle.  The purpose of this guide is to offer some thoughts and opinions from an adult motorcycle rider with 15+ years of riding experience.

My bike is a 2005 Ducati Monster S2R with approximately 18,000 miles on it.  I have done my own maintenance on this bike since I bought it new, and have kept it in stock condition.

My experiences with various Ducatis suggests that they are generally well-made, superbly balanced machines that are a lot of fun to ride.  Many Ducati owners criticize Japanese bikes as "lacking" in character and soul.  I'm not going to get into the paranormal aspects of owning an Italian motorcycle, but I will say that this bike is neither the fastest, nor the most expensive bike I have ever owned.  It does, however, leave me smiling widely after riding it.

Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the Ducati line is the desmodromic valve system.  I haven't seen a motorcycle technology more fraught with misunderstanding and myth than this.  Simply put: there is one valve lifter (and cam lobe) to open the valve, and another separate lifter (and cam lobe) to close the valve.  This takes the place of the more common valve spring, and it eliminates the possibility of valve float.

It's well-known that adjusting the Ducati desmodromic valves is a little more difficult than most conventional motorcycles.  My experiences with adjusting the valves suggest that it only takes a little more time than a conventional set of valves.  If you have the mechanical aptitude to adjust "regular" valves, I don't see any reason why - with some patience and willingness to learn - you can't adjust the desmo valves in these bikes.  Note that it *will* take longer than conventional valves, though.

With any do-it-yourself repair job, I suggest buying the factory service manual.  They are about $200, and worth every penny.  The manual is well-written and well-illustrated, and helps me avoid making costly maintenance mistakes.

Speaking of which, we should mention cost.  Please - if you're really stretching your budget to get in the saddle of a Ducati, think twice.  Ducati motorcycles *do* cost more to maintain than a Japanese bike.  If you drop it, expect the costs to rise significantly.  Ducati is proud of their products, and they price things accordingly.  That said, I have not found the operating costs to be that much higher than any other motorcycle.  Standard maintenance items like filters and fluids fall are no more expensive than any other bike, and I haven't found my Ducati to be any harder on standard wear items (brakes, tires, etc) than any other bike.  The only real surprise so far has been the cost of valve shims for adjusting the valves.  I replaced two shims during my last valve adjustment (one opening shim and one closing shim), and spent about $35 on the two precious little slivers of metal.

Driving.  If you've never opened the throttle on a really well-designed V-twin, you're in for a treat.  The Ducati Monster's closest competitor may be the Suzuki SV650 and SV1000.  The Suzukis are as smooth as a turbine, but they lack the sounds and the "oomph" torque of the Ducati.  Even during break-in, I found it hard to resist the bottomless torque that the Ducati motor has.  Once I had it broken in enough to really open it up, I was amazed at how flexible the engine really is.  It's remarkably linear right up to the redline, and very tractable around town.

There's also the visual aura of the Ducati.  Even a relatively "naked" bike like the Monster exudes an air of cool energy that most Japanese bikes can't touch.  An added touch is the nod of approval that comes from many Harley owners.  The Ducati and Harley air-cooled V-twins may be similar only in the number of cylinders and method of cooling, but there seems to be some sort of "understanding" about this engine configuration that wins the respect of a lot of hog riders.

Used Ducati motorcycles *can* be a good deal, but please check the maintenance records.  As I said before, the cost of replacement parts is not insignificant, and a poorly maintained bike could be a financial hole-in-the-water waiting to strike.  I'm particularly wary of heavily modified bikes; small sport bikes take a lot of abuse, and modifications suggest that the bike may have been ridden even harder.

Good luck in your Ducati hunting!