im new to the forums and ducatis. i found a 1997 M750 w/ 7k miles, all original for $3000.

is this a good price for an 11 year old bike?
also how good is it compared to the newer ones?
and what should i look for when checking one out?

btw this will be my 1st bike

thanks for the input in advance

  A bit high IMHO.
I bought mine almost 3 years ago with 7100 miles for $2500.00.
See if you can get the service records. Mine wound up needing far more work than the seller originally told me.
All in all, it's a pretty solid bike. Once i got the bugs worked out.
  It had never been serviced at all except for oil changes.

Welcome to the board

The '97 is a little unique as it uses the older Pantah engine.  To my eye it is of the best looking Monsters.  

Price sounds OK, but before buying make sure the timing belts have less than 12K mikes and 2 years on them.  Also find out when the valves were adjusted.  If the belts are old they need to be changed now.  If the tires are 5 years old they need to be changed.  Valve adjustment on a duc is not cheap.  Valves tires and belts need to be considered in the price.  Do have a third party who knows bikes go with you, even if you are an expert.  

the guy that has it told me has service records and he had it serviced at the dealer at 6k. im not sure what was done when he had it serviced

Quote from: chop_suey on June 26, 2008, 02:08:17 PM
the guy that has it told me has service records and he had it serviced at the dealer at 6k. im not sure what was done when he had it serviced

If he can provide a copy of the service records you should be able to find out what was done exactly and at what mileage.

If it's practical, you may want to consider taking it to a Ducati dealer to have them evaluate the bike before you buy. Most dealers will do this for a reasonable fee of $50 - 75. That way you'll have a better idea of some of the cost that may be involved prior to the purchase.

Also, use the search function on this site and dare I say ducatimonster.org to check for buying tips

Regardless, be prepared to take your time. Time and research put in prior to the sale can save you big down the road.

As you've seen from everyone's response, whether $3000 is a good price or not is dependent on condition. If it's in good shape, well maintained, doesn't need much, I think it's ok.

I have this same bike and it is great. Enough power, relatively light weight and super handling. I agree with Howie - it's one of the best looking Monsters.

thanks for the advice guys, i just need to go and look at it in person now, hopefully ill be ducati owner soon

+1 on service history.  With so few miles, that 6K service could have been done 5 years ago!  Tires, belts, oil, battery -- make sure they're not too old.  Don't want to get stuck dropping another $600 on service to make your "good deal" road worthy.  GOOD LUCK!

Quote from: ODrides on June 27, 2008, 10:18:55 AM
+1 on service history.  With so few miles, that 6K service could have been done 5 years ago!

This is a point that should be pounded home.  It's good that the valves were done at 6k as they should be.  But with a bike that age the belts area concern.  Ducati recommends the belts be changed after 2 years, regardless of how many miles.  Old belts that are never run are more of a concern that belts of the same age that are used with regularity.  The ones that have been sitting get stiff and brittle.  Another board member had a belt let go recently and  it makes for a major hassle.

As noted , if the tires are over 5 years old - they need to go.  A replacement set will cost you in the hood of $300+ so that's a big negotiating point.

Other things to check - have a good look at the chain.  IF you can, get to on a rear stand so you can turn the rear wheel by hand and watch the chain go by.  Things to watch out for a links that are kinked - means the chain should be replaced.  Also, lots of rust is a good indicator that the chains gotta go.

There;s some other stuff like flushing the hydraulics that should be done - but if you do it yourself it's a cheap job. 

I love, love, love my '97 750.   Tons of fun to ride, handles great and has decent power with some mods.  I think it'd be a great first bike.   Fast enough to be entertaining, slow enough not to be intimidating.

I think $3k is a great deal if the bike is in decent shape.  I paid $3,800 for mine lst year with 16k on the ticker.  It had some extras and was a pretty cool looking bike, but I definitely paid too much.   I've got almost 20k on the bike now and it still runs great.  I've even got some track time on mine.

I have no plans to get rid of the bike anytime soon.  If I have my way I'll add another bike to the garage and take the time to break down the monster and do some powder coating and re-plating.