Hi guys. I wondered if anyone else has had similar issues to me or have I just been very unlucky (Again) The bike was new last June and I have now completed 5200 miles. I have ridden it throughout the winter as conditions allowed. The bike has always been carefully hand washed and then dried with hot air on the same day as the ride or the day after as required. Although I have videos about this on my YouTube channel I am not sure if I am allowed to post them here, so I will just describe the faults. I also paid a more local Ducati dealer to have the touring pack fitted, basically screen and panniers, with revised non LED rear lights. The button above the tank to start the bike with a PIN code is virtually impossible to activate. It has been like that from delivery and sometimes simple brute force applied to the button may activate it. It is due to go back to the dealer for the 4th time as the previous 3 times have not resolved the problem. A large chip of paint was missing from the rack, noticed on collecting the bike after the touring pack was fitted. Still waiting for it to be changed, as promised, 5 months later. The zip stitching on the right panier has broken and the pannier is now open at the break. The zip stitching on the left pannier is frayed and about to break. They rarely get used, have a few cables in them and a IAM and Roadcraft book. So no weight and absolutely no wear or friction on the outsides. The pillion seat cover has been ruined because it rubs on the touring pack seat sub-frame. The brake and clutch fluid reservoirs are leaking hydraulic fluid, this is bubbling up the finish of the reservoirs but strangely not affecting the carbon look reservoir caps. The clutch lever is extensively corroded and I have had to fit after market levers. The left rear view mirror is corroded on the arm in one spot, lifting the surface finish off. Multiple bolts are corroded, caliper mounting bolts, rear axle pinch bolts, disc rotor mounting bolts, the list goes on and on. I have started replacing them with Titanium but this is very expensive and I really don't think I should have to at this price range of bike. The left handlebar switch pack is tempermental in the damp/rain. The indicator switch needs operating a few times before the indicators actually work. The same with the bottom switch on the pack. The rear brake light has been stuck on frequently after rain or damp conditions. Both brake switches have been replaced 2 weeks ago but I have had the rear brake light stuck on once since then. And as a warning to other Diavel owners, the wiring from the front brake micro switch is run in a tube down to the headstock and into a socket/plug arrangement down the side of the tank. This tube is open to the elements and moisture runs down the tube, this in itself would not be a problem BUT someone at Ducati thought it would be very clever to crimp two pieces of cable together to make up the correct length. Water got into these crimp connections and caused corrosion, in turn this caused the electronics to assume the rear lights should be turned on. If you run your fingers along the length of wiring you will find a bump in the wiring. That is the crimped on connectors. Sadly the new wiring replacement fitted 2 weeks ago has the same ridiculous connector......... I had already stripped out the old wires and soldered them correctly and then used heatshrink to seal, silicon sealant applied at each end sealed the tube. Ideally a slit in the tube at the lowest point may allow moisture an exit path. But to join wires in this manner is bad practise at best and a serious safety issue at worst. Water accumulates under the seat up near the seat key lock. This causes condensation under the seat and around the electronics/fuse boxes. I believe this may be the reason the rear brake lights are being activated despite the switches being changed. Double trouble....... I am still hopeful that the dealer will get this sorted out under warranty but some things are dragging on a bit to say the least. An interesting point to remember is that my contract is not with the selling dealer but with the finance company. The solicitors at Which told me to put this in writing to the finance company and also the dealer asking for a resolution within a reasonable time frame. DO NOT ignore a fault on a new bike hoping it will be resolved at the first service or at some point in the future. 14 days is regarded as a reasonable time frame to expect a fault to be corrected. Report it in writing, email is acceptable to the dealer and/or finance company. You can reject a bike with a fault from new quite easily within the first 6 months. After that it is a little trickier but still within your rights. I just want the bike I bought back in the condition I feel it should be in. Functioning correctly with reasonable cosmetic appearance. I will happily add the video links if it is OK to do so.
Just realised my signature has the links to my YouTube channel. So you can see the issues if you would like to. Must have set that up last year.........
Good luck with having to fixed Trevor, but I'll give the channel a miss: I have enough misery in my life already
The misery of others is......... and all that. I felt that some may require proof. And this may be useful to someone else in the future. I am not looking for channel views etc etc.
So here we are a year later and the bike and the dealer have been an utter disaster. The list of faults and cockups is as follows and not necessarily in chronological order. The Ducati panniers had been changed 3 times. The stitching simply breaks and is now well documented. I recently removed the touring pack and returned it to the dealer as Not Fit For Purpose, I kept the screen and have agreed two free services as compensation. The brake fluid cylinder has been changed twice for leaking, the clutch cylinder has been changed once but is leaking again. The headlamp cowling has been changed because of corrosion. Various bolts have been replaced for corrosion, but I now have titanium bolts fitted. The seat has been replaced because the rubber pad on the pillion seat cover rubbed a mark in to the seat. The pillion seat cover was replaced because it rubbed on the touring pack sub-frame The touring pack sub-frame was replaced because it rubbed on the pillion seat cover. The left switch pack was replaced but I still had issues cancelling the indicators. This seems to have been resolved when I removed the touring pack and fitted the standard LED lights back to the bike. The bike went back 5 times before the hands free button above the tank worked. The wiring for the tracker was found to be hanging down in plain view. Now corrected. After the bike was serviced last summer I went to collect the bike, I noted two things on the invoice, the exhaust clamp was loose and couldn't be tightened and a nail was found in the tyre. I assumed that both issues had been dealt with during the service and joked with the sales assistant that I was very lucky that the tyre didn't go down when the nail was removed. You can imagine my shock when I was told that the exhaust clamp had not been changed, it is a £1 hose clip, and the nail had been left in the tyre. They were going to give a high performance bike back to me with the nail still in the centre of the rear tread......... I told them to remove the nail immediately and the tyre went flat. I then had to wait two hours for a new tyre to be fitted at full price when I had spare wheels at home.... An urgent meeting was arranged with the manager who was as shocked as me. I believe staffing has now changed and some errr training offered. The rack was changed due to the missing paint spotted when it was first fitted. Sadly the dealer didn't fit the protective sponge back to the two magnetic mount broadband aerials I had fitted to the rack and the paintwork was destroyed during my first ride on the bike, bare magnets and paint don't go together. This was never sorted out by the dealer. And was returned with the touring pack just recently. The rear wheel hub nut was massively over tightened as were the chain adjustment bolts on the rear axle. This distorted the stainless steel tool bought to remove the nut and also required a 4 foot length of scafolding tube on the end of the socket to get it undone, the maker tested the tool after hearing about the damage and only got distortion of the tool at around 450-500 NM. His suggestion was that an air wrench had been used to tighten the nut up. The clutch could not be disengaged correctly after the clutch cyclinder had been changed. I bled the system to get an improvement but the bike had to go back again to have another fittted which cured the issue. The fuel gauge sensor was replaced. Both the tank and the side covers were damaged by the mechanic doing the fuel gauge work. The dealer admitted this and had the bike back for two weeks to replace the tank cover and both side covers. It took two weeks because the decals didn't come with the covers....... One ride later and the fuel gauge has failed again, stuck on 40 miles despite the tank being full. This has just happened and currently unresolved. I am told the part number for the sensor has been changed numerous times and the dealer is not sure what to do now. I have lost well over 3 months of time with the bike whilst it has been having warranty repairs and cock-ups repaired. Today I contacted Ducati at Silverstone and was given a direct phone number to Italy. I spoke to a very nice english speaking lady who has promised to look into the bikes history, get technical to deal with the fuel gauge issue and will be discussing an extended warranty period at the end of the two years in June. Having been contacted numerous times via my Youtube account it seems I am not alone in dire dealership service or problems with Ducati bikes. Having chatted to my solicitor it would seem I have a choice to reject the bike as it is on finance. The hoped for response from Ducati will be key to the next stage.
Seems that part of the issue is a rather poor workshop at your dealer, which dealer is it? I would certainly swap to another dealer, even if that means traveling further!, good luck ( see dealer rating on the forum)
Well..... I was thinking of buying my wife a Diavel with the touring pack but after reading all that she can have something else. Sorry to hear about your troubles, that is some shocking details.
I’ve been watching your channel recently I’m surprised your not up for murdering them lovely fokes at the dealers that’s messing you and your bike about
Sounds like only a few niggles to me, you have used it all year round. Nobody buys a Ducati thinking it’s going to be perfect i’m afraid. Are you concentrating too much on small problems and not enjoying what the bike makes you feel like when you ride it because this is where the magic begins. Ducati is not the only brand that has minor niggles regarding products... it’s just a way of life.
What was the outcome? This sounds a complete disaster. And for the money you are paying for a bike like this you are 100% right to complain and expect a refund. Bikers should reasonably expect to be able to use them in winter or in rain and they not fall to bits, they cost as much as a small car and crap build quality is just not acceptable in this day and age!
Hi Trevor, I was wondering if you have an instruction on how to remove the touring pack and what needs to go back on the bike to have the standard Diavel setup? The reason I ask is because I have the Diavel Strada and I also wish to bin the Ducati bags in favour of the shad ones…but I can’t do that at present until I remove the touring frame….
