1200 Enduro 2yr Owner/quality Of Parts (pic Heavy)

That end can is proper guff!!

Just a question but you do hose the bike down after every ride especially in winter yeah?

 

When I first rode an XDiavel, I said that, if Ducati produced a Multistrada with the 1260 engine, I’d buy one. And I was all set to do just that, but posts like this - with the photographic evidence - have convinced me not to consider a(nother) new Ducati until such time as VAG+Ducati stop so cynically downgrading components and finishes. There you go, Ducati: that’s a 2018 sale lost.

 

I don't think the bike is any worse than anything else at that age used all year round.
A Pal has an FJR1300 with 250.000 miles on it and it looks pretty much the same.
Cosmetics can be sorted, it's what the motor and running gear are like in six years which interests me more than anything.
the only gripe I'd have is the poor show with the crash bars rubbing the body work, looks like they're not formed right to me.

 

The Touratech crash bars are obviously made slightly askew. When I switched dealers recently, I started to mention the discrepancy and the service guy finished my sentence for me, that the gaps are unequal. Apparently they have had 'loads' of complaints about it, but no proposed solution from Ducati yet (or ever?). Luckily for me, mine currently has a little finger width one side and about 1-2mm gap the other, but thankfully not yet actually touching.

 

If it's under warranty, go hard! Salt causes corrosion, everyone knows this. As long as the bike has been ridden as marketed, and inspected and serviced at an Authorised Dealer as per the log book, you have recourse. Don't entertain anything less.

 

I was going to slate you and say easy come easy go looking at the state of your bike. I was thinking how can you let it get in that state, that quick?
I have to admit I'm still on the fence, either your just lazy and dont care how much your bike depreciates, or you gave up trying to keep it from deteriorating and hoped ACF50 would save you some effort.
like you I ride most of the year I have a 50 mile each way commute and my bike has been white with salt and spray, I ride trough the lanes of the lake district with leaves and slimy badgers on the roads but my bike still looks new, sure a few bits are starting to show like the running lights are spotting and some of the clips under the number plate are changing colour but other than that I like to think it's not bad.
But here's the crux, I wash my bike and dry it whenever I've been out in the wet or whenever it's been on salted roads, even if I get home at 10 at night I clean it down before I put her to bed. to be honest I cant afford not to.
From a warranty point of view, are they obliged to honor it if they feel you haven't taken proper care of the item?
I'm not having a go or wanting to start an argument, but these bikes are works of art and need alot of TLC. it's sad to see one thats gone down hill so fast.

 

I think most would say that is beyond what is reasonable. These bikes aren’t works of art, they are vehicles and I’m afraid Ducati are no exception to this. They may charge more, but nowadays they are only charging more for this fabled ‘Ducati Soul’, which isn’t tangible and can’t be cleaned and dried after each ride.

 

The soul's there. Those of you that watched the Moto GP at Mugello will attest to this.
A Multistrada is however not a finely fettled minimalist race bike and it's build quality should reflect it's intended use. It's build in Europe, and sold worldwide. It should be engineered to withstand the rigours of these environments. The mirrors on my Monster 1200S are both corroded on the forward facing surfaces despite it never being ridden in the rain, let alone on salted roads which are the norm in Europe's winter months. As long as the owner has followed the manufacturer's reasonable cleaning instructions, and the onus is on Ducati to prove otherwise, you have recourse for product failure.
And yes, I understand the difference between a warranty and a guarantee.
Be that squeaky door, particularly if you've purchased an extended warranty.

 

The test in civil law is what is considered reasonable, and it would be very interesting to see a test case here - I suspect that most pragmatic judges would take the view that expecting an owner to clean their bike once a week when it's used through the winter is reasonable; expecting them to wash AND dry it after every ride in adverse conditions is not.

 

Think they might even laugh if that were the defence.

 

in ducati's defense, its all enviromental regulations to wich every manufacturer has to oblige.

Even my Honda from 2014 suffered from paint issues, and I've seen dreadfull specimens from UK owners of the same bike....

 

Whoa!...best wash that bitch after every 'winter' use.

Mine's just done 37,000 miles and looks brand spanking new.

Then again i live in Arizona (USA) were is rains 10 days a year and road salt has never been used.

 

Have to say that for a bike ridden all year round it doesn't look THAT bad, however if you do go down the road of repainting components then I would urge you to consider Cerakoting. It is not cheap but few good products really are. The finish is virtually bomb proof and was originally designed for coating firearms to withstand intense heat cycles on discharging ammunition, but proved very effective at staving off corrosion as well. Ultimately nothing is impervious to the dreaded rust BUT Cerakoting plus liberal application of ACF50 and you'd have seen a lot less damage over the course of ownership than your pictures depict.

 

What products do you use to clean it ?

I had one of my bikes professionally cleaned a few years back, and he used a product undiluted that took the plating off a bunch of bolts, so whilst it looked great when he had finished it didn't take long for the bolts to change
Also I'm sure you already knew this, cow crap (and especially pig crap) have to be one of the most corrosive things out there.

Your bike does look in a right state, and I wouldn't be best pleased. Compare it to things like a ktm off Roader and they weather far better than that despite having a much harsher life. Goes to show imo that the endure is still really a road bike aimed at the GSA.
I think the problem you will have is that they don't all corrode to this extent, so it's something peculiar to your use.

Good luck with getting it sorted, I would be on the case ASAP. The longer you leave it and the older/more miles the less chance of them doing anything.

 

Best not take Ducatis out in bad weather that's why I use my Panther if the weather's bad

 

Looking at the pics I was thinking "man I wonder if he knows about ACF?" and then I reached the part you said you'd used ACF... I'm quite shocked TBH. I take your point that it's only cosmetic, but frankly I'd be apoplectic if I'd taken care of the bike and this was the result. It's not a cheap hack by any means.

For this kind of bike Ducati should expect that the thing is going to be spending time in all weathers and conditions and build accordingly. I'd be questioning whether it's fit for purpose cosmetically.

I've toyed repeatedly with the idea of a Multi enduro but this puts me off.

 

Its not the bad weather per se but road salt.

Its corrosive regardless of how the metal is treated. Even ships rust and if it were possible to prevent that i have no doubt they would.

 

My 2013 Multi GT was also ACF-50 treated every winter then rinsed down with cold water after each days commuting. It did 36000 miles over the 3 years and 2 winters i rode it.

The main areas i had for corrosion were the top box rack, centre-stand same as GnB and also the disc mounting bolts etc on the front wheel. I also replaced the pinch bolts a couple of times as they dissolved with frequent tyre changes.

The front brake discs lasted 30000 miles then started to crack around the mounts, wheel bearings were replaced at the same time. Brake Calipers also needed full rebuilds despite being cleaned out every 8-10 weeks over winter. The servo in the exhaust seized solid after 25000 miles but in the open position so i just left it.

I also noticed the bar grips were almost worn smooth at the outside edge of each grip but the heated elements still worked

After 2 sets of fork seals in less than 12000 miles i put on some Kriega MX seal covers and never had a problem since...... the replacement Multi will be getting those fitted ASAP but this one wont be winter ridden and my little POS car will be used instead

 

The centre stand gets hit by all the crap thrown by the front wheel, so it's not surprising it end up with no paint on it.

Just replaced the 2nd set of fork seals in 8 years.

Oh and my grips wore smooth too but were replaced under warranty. The replacement set are miles better.