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True Struggle


KCDANO

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Greeting Gents, new to the group first post... So my struggle is which bike to buy.   I am looking for a fun bike outside of my Harley that doesn't kill my old body to ride. I like what i have seen online about the VFR800, the ergo's look really comfy.  I am also looking at my local Ducati dealer at the Supersport S 2017, there are no VFR's near me to be had or seen.  My other stuggle is with the price the dealers are asking for the DLX model which i want, most are asking $10k to $12k  that is what i can get a 2018 Base Supersport for and out the door i can get the S  for $14k.  What i love about the Duc is how skinny it is on my hips and how light as well as the bar risers.  Is the VFR DLX worth the 10k or am i better off going with the Ducati? 

 

 

Thanks 

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This is going to get a ton of responses.  LOL!

 

It's also not an easy question to answer because it all depends on what YOU want.  My take on it is this:

 

The VFR is akin to the girl you marry.  She looks great but she's also very polished, smart, reliable, and loyal.  She will always be by your side and never let you down.  She is also low maintenance (up to a point).  The VFR800 is a lot like that.  These bikes are very polished to a fault.  They are smooth, quiet, refined, yet they are still very fun to ride.  But she will also take you across the country without any trouble.  And she will that reliable year in and year out.

 

The Ducati SS is a sportbike that wants to be a VFR.  And in a way she is like that hot-azz stripper you want to take home and do all kinds of naughty things with.  She will make all the right moves when you push her hard.  But this is a Ducati after all.  So don't expect a centerstand to make maintenance easy.  Don't expect to see anything out of those mirrors (unlike the VFR who will give you a crystal clear view).  Don't expect maintenance to be cheap either.  She may not be as reliable especially years down the road (maybe, maybe not, but I doubt she will match the Honda reliability).  

 

The Ducati will be slightly faster because she is lighter.  But you will have to ride hard to really squeeze that difference because the Honda isn't slow either.  Both are in the 100 rwhp range and both bikes are sleek as hell and will race up to 130 mph in a heartbeat.  

 

Personally for me, if I'm looking for an affair for a few years, Ducati SS.  But if I'm looking for a bike for 5-10+ years of ownership, daily rider, long distance cruiser, I would go straight to a VFR800 (or any other Honda for that matter).  

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My old girl gets as dirty as I dare. All I have to do is ask. But that didn’t help did it?


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You're not looking hard enough!  People have found a new 2014 DLX for under $6k.  It should be very easy to find one for under $8k, and probably under $7k.  My dealer is asking $6100 for my used 22k mile DLX...which is way too much, in my opinion (they gave me $5k on trade in). 

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What part of the country are you in?   There's a lovely new pearl white deluxe in St. Augustine listed on cycletrader for $8,999, see link: https://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/Powersports-St.-Augustine-2891092/listing/2014-Honda-Interceptor-DLX-114168379

If it were me I'd jump on that as I think that's a small price to pay for such a fantastic machine that most people will think is a Ducati anyway :tongue: (see my linked thread below)

 

You should be able to find a used one somewhere to test ride first - that's what I did.  As far as cost, keep in mind that Honda's reliability is about 3 times better than Ducati so cost of long term ownership clearly favors the Honda.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/04/who-makes-the-most-reliable-motorcycle/index.htm

Also, Ducati charges extra for little things which are standard on the deluxe VFR like passenger grab rails ($150), heated grips ($350) and rear seat cowl ($260).  And some very nice features found on the VFR simply aren't available on the Ducati, for example a centerstand and LED headlights.

 

There's a few threads on here and the other forum where the VFR v. Supersport have been compared and contrasted ad nauseum.  I'll try to find a few and link them below.  Good luck and welcome!

 

 

http://vfrworld.com/threads/17-vfr-v-17-ducati-supersport-s-mcn-comparo.53067/

 

http://vfrworld.com/threads/vfr-800f-vs-supersport.54410/

 

 

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The minimalist LCD cluster on the Superpsport really turned me off, made it look low-rent. It's likely a good bit more on the sporty side than the VFR, though, so if you're not after 1,000 mile days, it might be what you want. I wouldn't buy into all the reliability stuff. They all have their problems, whose are you more willing to ignore? Even less of a concern if you're only putting on 5,000 miles a year. Anyways, you can definitely test ride Ducatis, so that should be easy enough to find out if it's for you. You'd have to find a willing owner to ride a VFR, but I'd guess its weight makes it a better long-haul highway companion. It's still plenty of fun, I enjoy my commutes as much as a commute can be enjoyed and find it willing to comply with a lot of my very questionable decisions.


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1 hour ago, GatorGreg said:

What part of the country are you in?   There's a lovely new pearl white deluxe in St. Augustine listed on cycletrader for $8,999, see link: https://www.cycletrader.com/dealers/Powersports-St.-Augustine-2891092/listing/2014-Honda-Interceptor-DLX-114168379

If it were me I'd jump on that as I think that's a small price to pay for such a fantastic machine that most people will think is a Ducati anyway :tongue: (see my linked thread below)

 

You should be able to find a used one somewhere to test ride first - that's what I did.  As far as cost, keep in mind that Honda's reliability is about 3 times better than Ducati so cost of long term ownership clearly favors the Honda.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/04/who-makes-the-most-reliable-motorcycle/index.htm

Also, Ducati charges extra for little things which are standard on the deluxe VFR like passenger grab rails ($150), heated grips ($350) and rear seat cowl ($260).  And some very nice features found on the VFR simply aren't available on the Ducati, for example a centerstand and LED headlights.

 

There's a few threads on here and the other forum where the VFR v. Supersport have been compared and contrasted ad nauseum.  I'll try to find a few and link them below.  Good luck and welcome!

 

 

http://vfrworld.com/threads/17-vfr-v-17-ducati-supersport-s-mcn-comparo.53067/

 

http://vfrworld.com/threads/vfr-800f-vs-supersport.54410/

 

 

i called that dealer today and the lie about the price they are asking $10K

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3 minutes ago, KCDANO said:

i called that dealer today and the lie about the price they are asking $10K

 

That's too bad - I assume that's after adding dealer prep and other junk fees to the $8,999?

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3 hours ago, DriverDave said:

You're not looking hard enough!  People have found a new 2014 DLX for under $6k.  It should be very easy to find one for under $8k, and probably under $7k.  My dealer is asking $6100 for my used 22k mile DLX...which is way too much, in my opinion (they gave me $5k on trade in). 

Please point me in the correct direction? I spent 8 hrs on the phone day calling and calling.  I can find a new red non DLX for $6999 

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There is not a VFR that i can find within 3hrs of my house. I can test ride the SS easy.  can any of you owners that have ridden the SS give me a seat hight and bar riser feel and the tank feel.  I am sorry but i have to use you guys since you own the VFR. 

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10 hours ago, KCDANO said:

Please point me in the correct direction? I spent 8 hrs on the phone day calling and calling.  I can find a new red non DLX for $6999 

 

I haven't actually searched for a few months, so I can't say what's out there now. Perhaps the leftovers are drying up.  I'm sure there are still some deals to be had, it might just require some digging online to find them. 

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So my question is this when you sit on them do the feel the same? I have sit-in on the SS but there is not a VRF with 300 miles of me in Kansas City.  I love the ergo's of the SS..  Also on the VFR is the DLX worth the extra money? 

 
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One of the problems in buying a Ducati is that you have to pay closer to what the sticker price says or even what list is.   Few VFR owners are willing (or able) to do that on a VFR so I would very carefully find out why that is in your own mind, not someone else's.  Sometimes what you pay is what something is worth, sometimes not.    

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5 hours ago, Bent said:

One of the problems in buying a Ducati is that you have to pay closer to what the sticker price says or even what list is.

 

You just have to find one 1 - 3 years oldish, with few miles. Let someone else take the big depreciation hit.

Say a '14 Monster 1200, there are a few around here in the $10k range. Were $13.5 MSRP if google serves, and new '17 models are $14.7k on Cycletrader.

 

I imagine the availability of Ducati is much less in Kansas than here though.

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I don't think you'll find a (leftover) DLX for under 6K but you should be able to find a standard for that. I had my heart set on the Ducati SuperSport after owning a 1994 that I loved but the practical side of my brain grabbed hold of me. I ended up getting a  standard 2014 for several reasons. 1. Price - 10 grand cheaper! I got mine at Glen Burnie Motorsports in MD.  2. Better luggage options - I got the full set of hard cases (pannoers and top case) with all brackets from Northwest Motorcycles in the UK while the dollar was strong. I also went for the larger top case (45L) which is not available in the US. I got the whole bundle with the under seat power adapter for $1300. The Supersport Luggage is $1599 for 2 side cases with zippers on them! NOT WATERPROOF! 3. Insurance - most insurance companies don't consider the VFR a sportbike so my insurance payments are lower (still astronomical in NYC though) than the Ducati.  After living with it for about 1500 miles I love the bike. I actually think it looks better than the Duc! And as others have said, it's a Honda it will run and run. I loved Rogue_Biker's analogy "Do you want the hot stripper or the steady wife?" Good stuff...

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