Maintenance I just had a few questions concerning maintenance on this 2006 620 Dark. How often do oil changes need to take place? How much do they typically run? How often do tires need to be replaced and where is best place to purchase these? Really just typical up keep with it...I know some service has to be done around 6k miles which is kind of costly I have heard. My concern is that should I keep this bike that now has 1600 miles on it but is paid off or sell it for around 5k and have that extra money in the bank. Is it worth saving on gas since I have a Ford full size truck (43 mpg vs 16 mpg) versus the up keep and such on this Ducati...Thanks for all you guys/gals time and info

I change the oil & filter every 2500mi; this boils down to maybe once every 2 months or so. I've been buying K&N filters since the last 2 Ducati-brand filters I've used have either blown out or just been crap; either way they're around $10-12/ea or there are possibly cheaper alternatives but I haven't looked. I've been using Golden Spectro full-synth 10w40 which my local shop hooks me up with for $5-7/bottle. I usually buy 3 at a pop. Adjust your numbers accordingly by mileage brands flavors & frequency. Tires are a trickier question. A harder compound, touring-type tire will get you more miles, possibly at the expense of grip. If you're a straight-up-and-down rider or spend a vast majority of your time on the superslab, it's probably worth your penny to aim for this type of tire. If you're a hooligan or like to try & scrub the manufacturer's name off the sidewall of the tire, these tires won't do you any good. The general concensus is: the stickier you get, expect fewer miles (but quite possibly more smiles); the harder you get, expect more miles but possibly less grip - so adjust your antics accordingly. There is also a happy medium to be had - and I'm finding this on my Pilot Powers, at the moment. Great grip, and I've been abusing them for a while now. In terms of price ... you can generally expect to pay for them in person at your local shop than if you order them online. However, when you take them to your local shop to get them mounted, expect to make up the difference or close to it. So far, it's been cheaper for me to order them online and have my shop mount them - but I also bring them the rims off the bike. If I brought them the bike and the new sneakers, there's a $10-15 surcharge for putting the bike on the rack to pull the tires off. I usually pay $20/tire for mount & balance, and I bring my old rubber back with me (or pay another $5/tire to let the shop dispose of it). Every once in a while you'll find a manufacturer doing some sort of buy a rear, we'll send you a front deal - both Pirelli and Avon did this last year, and I took advantage of Avon's offer & scored a new pair of meats for about $160, all told - call it $200 w/ M&B. But generally, I think you can expect to pay anywhere from $225-350 for a pair, mounted, depending what you buy & from whom. In terms of valve service, if you're at all handy, you could do it yourself. First time might be a little scary, but after you've lost your virginity it's a piece of cake. I think shop charge is like $350 for a 2v engine (your 620) valve service?, but I honestly wouldn't know. Personally, I also have a gas hog (an old Land Rover Disco I - maybe 13-15mpg), but I don't ride for that reason. The only reason I have a truck is to haul stuff around when I have to, but primarily because mrs.fasterdammit won't let me buy an enduro w/ knobbies to ride in the winter here (we get 3' of snow at a pop). So I need a cage once in while. But last year I only put 2500 miles on my truck all year. My advice is keep the bike because you enjoy it; don't rationalize it, just enjoy it. If rationalizing MPG makes you feel better, great - but only think about that when you're behind the wheel. Just think about riding while you're in the saddle,,,