1200 High Mileage Problems - Any Common Ones?

I have a 2015 DVT with 28500 miles on it. The only age/mileage related issue I have had is the steering head bearings got notchy. I have just had them replaced with taper rollers; the OE bearings are caged ball bearings which I believe are inferior for use as head bearings. The Ducati trained mechanic who did the job said I was fortunate to have got that mileage out of the originals.
So it seems higher mileage bikes should check their steering head bearings. It's quite easy if you have a centre stand. Load up the rear to raise the front tyre off the ground then slowly move the handlebars side to side to see if there is a point that isn't entirely smooth or is notchy. Mine had a point with the wheel straight ahead where you could feel just that.

 

My S Touring is the same age and with a similar, if slightly higher mileage. It’s currently on its 3rd fuel gauge sender which is still about as accurate as measuring water with your cupped hands, the fork seals have been changed twice and because the telltale lights in the speedo head were bleeding across, it got a new one under goodwill. I replaced the clutch case because it was very badly corroded and I’ve had to use Helicoil thread inserts in every 5mm and 6mm threaded hole in the swing arm. I’ve also cleaned off all the flaking paint on the swing arm and rattle can resprayed it in situ. It’s my go-to road bike of choice, it still makes me smile every time I ride it and I will continue to ride it until it melts or becomes no longer cost effective to keep running. The 2010-2012 Multistrada has a similar throttle body assembly to the 1st generation Diavel and on ours, a throttle butterfly stepper motor has packed up which is not replaceable, you need a new complete throttle body assembly Andy

 

I had a 2010 that I sold with 45,000 on it, I did 30,000 of them.
Problems were;
Idiot lights in the dash glowing dimly when they shouldn't
Cylinder heads replaced FOC by Ducati at 21,000 miles after horiz developed a porosity into the exh por. (A well documented problem with the early bikes)
Broken wire in loom at steering head causing disconnection of front speed sensor. (Easy fix along with re-routing of loom tail to allow more slack)
Paint flaking off the swinging arm and engine cases (Easily rectified)
Rear shock bottom bearing needed replaced at 40,000. That's when I discovered the bottom bolt was seized into the swinging arm (also a common problem and not easy to deal with).

 

Not sure where to start, could be a long list
But after seeing today that my front fork has busted another seal since 5 months after being rebuilt. But I love the bike and smile every time I ride it so I don't worry about which bit is going to break next, .

 

I'm at around 25,000 miles on my '16 and no issues at all yet. The fuel gauge went wonky for a week recently, but seems to have fixed itself. Have to go now and find some wood to touch!

 

2010 with 34k miles:

• One issue to watch for is the rear wheel hub bearing, refer to https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/rear-wheel-hub-2010-2015-problem.57734/ Mine was gone at 28k due to water/dirt/gravel getting in.

• Dash - Still on original, some light bleed but didn't get worse over time.
• Fuel gauge sender replaced once
• Heads replaced
• Forks still on original seals
• Still on first replacement chain & sprockets but nearing replacement time
• Engine case flaked and replaced under warranty, other side started flaking recently so fitted R&G engine cover whick is an easy solution.
• Swing arm paint is just starting to bubble....
• Engine goes like it's in it's sweet spot, a little noisy now the Mivv Suono has lost it's wadding.
• Just changed the air filter for Pipercross at £42 - highly recommended - Note that it can be changed without removing more than the one black side trim, if you are careful with a long allen key!

Overall, what a fantastic bike it's been from 2010 until now. Up to Scotland for a trip in a couple of weeks.

 

My last 1200 GT was written off with about 38500 on it

the issues i had were as follows

1) Front brakes discs were starting to show cracks around the mounts so replaced a few thousand miles before it was wrecked
2) Fork seals didnt last longer than 10000 miles until i fitted a set of kriega seal covers for MX bikes
3) As Derek said above i had an issue in the loom where the wire broke giving a DSS warning light but it was a false flag and my local Ducati tech knew the issue and sorted it every 8-9000 miles when it happened
4) Swingarm would get full of gravel and rocks as i had done a lot of gravel trails but the accumulation ended up locking the rear eccentric chain adjustment until it was taken apart and cleaned out
5) I didnt suffer much corrosion as i ACF'ed the bike myself every winter but i did ride it through 2 winters commuting and wasnt any real sign of rust.
6) The paint on the front of the engine ...i think it is part of the emission system flaked as did the rad paint so i repainted them myself
7) Paint on the engine casing by the rear brake lever is easily worn away by boots if you use the rear a lot for slow speed control on gravel downhill hairpins as is the exhaust shield by the heel of he boot ...might be just my foot position
8) Fuel sender, but every Multi has it replaced along with rear wheel speed sensor ....mine also had an air mass sensor replaced

I dont see any of the above as a major issue as i use my bikes all year round and fairly hard so for a supposedly fragile Italian Princess i think she did quite well till she was killed. I was impressed enough to buy another one the same.

My previous BMW GS had 55000 miles and 2 previous ZX6's had 58000 and 38000 on them before trade in

 

Hey Majvs, I was about to ask the same question!

My 2013 1200S Touring has just passed 34600 miles and was wondering if I can expect any major issues to crop up. So far It's had one fuel gauge sender (warranty), chain/sprockets at 19000, map sensors and the heated grips packed in about 18 moths ago.

No corrosion or flaking paint issues but then the bike is used for pleasure only, no commuting and salty roads avoided. My right boot has worn through the paint on the eng casing though.

Now the keyless fuel cap has started playing up. Any tips to fix this or do I need to replace?

 

2014 1200 DVT with 33,000 on the clock. Had a lot of minor problems and not many major ones. Exhaust valve sawn off after 7,500 miles. Just back from a 2,200 week-long tour of Switzerland, 15 miles after 30k service. After previous tour, I asked dealer to look at rear suspension as it was bottoming out a lot with passenger and full luggage; they said there was nothing up with it, but it's not been like that before. This tour was better, but I'm still not that convinced that it is OK. Clutch failed in Belgium (fluid was black, but should have been changed at service - fixed by Moto Italia in Lincoln, who are great). This is the second time this has happened. A few occasions on the way back where the fuel light and engine management light came on a random and went off again.

Other than that, panniers are fragile, the back brake has never worked properly, the front brake is squeaking again - it seems to need a complete clean & brush up twice between service, which is unacceptable. Seat is falling apart and it is a difficult bike to clean. The side stand failed once on being strapped down on a ferry, which is pretty poor. My chain & sprockets seem to go around 13k with what I consider very gentle use. Can't read most of the info on the dash on the move. I reckon I've had some minor problem on every trip I've done.

On the plus side, it has been comfortable for me and passenger and I can get 200 miles out of a tank if I'm gentle. The gearing is very uncomfortable in traffic, which is exacerbated by the fact it is wide with panniers on. This matters a lot over distance.

It has been good fun to ride, but it really does not work as a touring bike, which is what I bought it for, so I'm going to have a word with that nice Mr Honda. Don't like the wheels (on the Crosstourer) and there's no comparison with the handling, but it works. All the time.

 

Sold my crosstourer for my multi. First Ducati and the longest I've owned a bike (4 years). The crosstourer is too heavy and the front suspension is way to soft where you will be sitting on a pogo stick in slow traffic .

 

I agree, crosstourer is a heavy bike in comparison, and doesnt have anything like as good a suspension, let alone performance.
A friend has a crosstourer having 'upgraded' from a vtec VFR, and despite it doing what it says on the tin is not feeling the love.

 

I agree with all of the above comments about the XTourer and I've ridden one, but the Multi is just not reliable enough to tour on and I don't do much else on the bike. Perhaps I would go for another if I could get it dealt with by a dealer in the UK who would be familiar with mileage problems, but this is just not practical. I will miss it.

I've had two FJRs which are brilliant, but heavy, expensive and the ergonomics give me back problems, so it's either the XTourer or the SuperTen (which is pig ugly), as I'm not having a BM (almost as unreliable as the MS and nowhere near as good to ride) or the Triumph Barge. Anything else means a chain which is either a soul-less Japanese bike or back to the Multi.

the VFR is woefully under-powered for two persons & luggage.How about a 1299 V4 with shaft drive?

 

Hi Arson,
I agree the vfr is underpowered. I had one and changed it for an ST4S, much better bike
I have toured since 2010 on my multistradas, doing between 5k and 10k miles each year, and with the exception of last year when I had issues, my bikes have been fine.

Personally I've had more issues with hondas than any of my Ducatis.
I belong to a biggish club that do lots of trips, and it is clear to see that no manufacturer is perfect, they all have issues.
So many of the BMW guys have issues on newer bikes with corrosion, fork issues, rear drive issues, etc.
As do the Honda owners, especially with electrical bits like ignition locks and regulators.

We rode the Honda vfr12 when it came out, the wife hated it. I've not ridden it since as its not on my radar as a contender. Those that have had them in our club more recently also complained about the weight, fuel economy, and luggage capacity.

I'm seeing a lot of people buying the new GS, as they seem to have upped their game with the new engine. It looks and goes real well. Its not for me though either, and already I'm hearing some of my mates are having issues.
The only other thing out there imo that comes close is the BMW XR. They have their own set of issues too.

Clearly they are all a compromise, just depends on what area you want to compromise