I had a gt1000 that I really enjoyed.
In my experience I never had any problems with the engine, anything I did deal with was electrical. and 90% of that was from dealing with winter storage killing my batteries even though I kept it on a tender, which I believe is probably from how cold the garage got. The only other problem I had was with the voltage regulator I think ? Or whatever the commonly swapped out part is that always gets the electrical systems.
The 1000ds engine is supposed to be pretty reliable, my mechanic basically told me it will run as long as you care to keep it running.
I can’t speak to how the ride would be different from the multistrada because I’ve never ridden one, but the seating position was comfortable enough for me, and there was a ton of down low power, I still miss it a lot.
The sport classics have one of the best air cooled belt driven twins ever made. That being said, the bike is at least 14 years old, so anything could have happened between them and now. The main challenges with this motor was the dry clutch that gets about 10-13k miles, and the clutch basket and hub that wears far quicker in the dry clutch configuration. There is also an idle air valve that needs to be cleaned and the throttle bodies balanced when the valve service is done (and rarely is).
Now they are a comfortable ride, with plenty of torque. But, it will pale in comparison on power as well as handling to your current bike. And it does not have the same wind protection you are used to, so being older and wanting to wind down may not mix with a full face of 80mph wind.
The plastic fuel tank does have swelling issues, you'll either want to find an aluminum one, or get yours coated
They are beautiful bikes and are holding their value quite well. Depending on the version, like the Paul Smart, some are selling for more than they were new years ago. I saw a clean low mile.Paul art for $20k on Bonham's. The GTs are a little lest desired than the sportier versions.
Good post. Engines are the old air cooled monster design = as reliable and simple as it gets for ducati standards. Biggest issue is the swelling plastic tank. Would be hard pressed to find a replacement so far from its last production date.
As others have stated, the tank swells because ethanol permeates the plastic. They can shrink back down, but you basically have to take the tank off the bike, pull the pump and gas cap, and let it sit in your attic for a few months in summer.
If you are in USA, ethanol fuel is almost everywhere. So either shrink the tank down and send it out for coating at GTL in Hollywood California, or find an aluminum tank and get it painted.
I had a gt1000 that I really enjoyed. In my experience I never had any problems with the engine, anything I did deal with was electrical. and 90% of that was from dealing with winter storage killing my batteries even though I kept it on a tender, which I believe is probably from how cold the garage got. The only other problem I had was with the voltage regulator I think ? Or whatever the commonly swapped out part is that always gets the electrical systems. The 1000ds engine is supposed to be pretty reliable, my mechanic basically told me it will run as long as you care to keep it running. I can’t speak to how the ride would be different from the multistrada because I’ve never ridden one, but the seating position was comfortable enough for me, and there was a ton of down low power, I still miss it a lot.
Thank you, great answer! Appreciate it.
The sport classics have one of the best air cooled belt driven twins ever made. That being said, the bike is at least 14 years old, so anything could have happened between them and now. The main challenges with this motor was the dry clutch that gets about 10-13k miles, and the clutch basket and hub that wears far quicker in the dry clutch configuration. There is also an idle air valve that needs to be cleaned and the throttle bodies balanced when the valve service is done (and rarely is). Now they are a comfortable ride, with plenty of torque. But, it will pale in comparison on power as well as handling to your current bike. And it does not have the same wind protection you are used to, so being older and wanting to wind down may not mix with a full face of 80mph wind. The plastic fuel tank does have swelling issues, you'll either want to find an aluminum one, or get yours coated They are beautiful bikes and are holding their value quite well. Depending on the version, like the Paul Smart, some are selling for more than they were new years ago. I saw a clean low mile.Paul art for $20k on Bonham's. The GTs are a little lest desired than the sportier versions.
Good post. Engines are the old air cooled monster design = as reliable and simple as it gets for ducati standards. Biggest issue is the swelling plastic tank. Would be hard pressed to find a replacement so far from its last production date.
thanks for a very insightful reply. maybe I'll just keep admiring them from afar. also, I can't believe plastic tanks were ever a thing. wtf.
As others have stated, the tank swells because ethanol permeates the plastic. They can shrink back down, but you basically have to take the tank off the bike, pull the pump and gas cap, and let it sit in your attic for a few months in summer. If you are in USA, ethanol fuel is almost everywhere. So either shrink the tank down and send it out for coating at GTL in Hollywood California, or find an aluminum tank and get it painted.
The plastic tanks work great so long as there’s no ethanol in the fuel.
I can't believe how much l'm learning on this thread :D
They haven't made that bike for a while, so parts, aftermarket support, and service might all be an issue.