CBR1000RR (05-08) or GSXR750 (K5)?

[Nobbylad]

I know it's down to personal choice and how they ride, however just wanted to canvass some opinions on my next bike.

I'd really like a Ducati 848, however it's not practical due to the 10k or so miles a year I do (mostly commuting). So I've narrowed down my choice to the other 2 bikes that really do it for me.

I'm a big fan of the blade, with the underseat exhaust, however am also quite taken by the K5 Gixer as I don't really think they've ever improved on it.

All opinions welcome

I've got a GSXR750 k7 and its a very good machine. I don't think the maintainance on the Ducati is no where near as bad for high milage riders as you might think. Service intervals on the gixer are 4000 miles and the Ducati is 7500 - good if you are doing the miles. Having said that I've done 24000 miles on my gixer in the last 2 and a bit years and it has never missed a beat, fuel usage is pretty good it you don't rag it everywhere.

[Nobbylad]

I'm just worried by the general concerns over build quality with the Ducati. I appreciate a lot of it is historic guff, however you do tend to find Honda's seem to be bulletproof and Ducati appear to be at the other end of the spectrum.

I'd love the Gixer if I could find a good K5, but quite fancy the blade, especially in Repsol colours!

A properly maintained Ducati is unlikely to let you down. I've heard no horror stories and know of a few 848s that have gone well over the 20k mark with no issues. Like you I do a lot of miles and if I was in the market for a new steed I would not let Ducati build quality rumours put me off as I think they are generally unfounded on bikes since 2007/8 when the 848 replaced the 749.

[NTECUK]

I read a review of the Gixer and they said the blade was worth the extra .

Ask some local shops how much they charge to check valve clearances on the 848, and then ask how much they charge if they actually have to re-shim any of the valves.
I have a friend here in the U.S. who was charged $800 for a valve clearance check on his 748. Just a check, no adjustment needed.
Desmodromic valves were a great idea when metallurgy was too primitive to produce valve springs that would stand up to high rpm, but those days are past.

Yes, as above. I think you'll find that even though the service intervals have gone up for the LATEST Ducati's, the cost of actually doing anything if something goes wrong is quite expensive.

The beauty of the GSXR's and CBR's is the abundance of parts if you need stuff done cheaper or if you can do it yourself.

For mileage and saddle comfort I would say GSXR over Blade, but maybe Blade for looks and Engine (1000 over 750).

Originally Posted by wideguy

Ask some local shops how much they charge to check valve clearances on the 848, and then ask how much they charge if they actually have to re-shim any of the valves.
I have a friend here in the U.S. who was charged $800 for a valve clearance check on his 748. Just a check, no adjustment needed.
Desmodromic valves were a great idea when metallurgy was too primitive to produce valve springs that would stand up to high rpm, but those days are past.

The service costs on the older 748 and 749 are much higher than the 848. Granted the 848 is going to a bit more than a jap 4 but not even close to what the older Testatretta based Ducatis were.

"A bit more than a jap 4" is being generous. I have one main Ducati dealer here in cardiff. To fit a new chain on an 848 will cost upwards of £150 (not including the chain and sprockets). The servicing costs are a minmum £300. It is not a criticism of their quality of service but value for money is very poor. So why have they go such high charges? Because they primarily sell and service BMW/Ducati's. This is how much their customers expect to pay.

So partly, it would be about finding someone who can do the more serious work at a reasonable cost. And partly its about sourcing parts at a reasonable cost. In comparison to the older GSXR's (which still uses a lot of interchangeable parts) and the CBR, it can be a big difference.