I'm sorry RK but obviously there is a problem which means to me it ain't, nothing, so what suggestions have Cornerspeed come up with which might be causing the problem ? Going by what the other people are posting, it seems to me to be very much like a porous head problem.
P&H confirmed that this is the problem with mine and that they will submit a goodwill warranty claim to Ducati (fingers crossed). They said it's £1,500 if Ducati don't cough up. If they don't then I think I will use the small claims court to try and claim the money back. RK - the smoke/steam was coming from the front cylinder head on mine as well as the exhaust.
Too large an amount for the "small claim" track I think (limit is £1,000). It is simply a County Court claim on the fast track or multi-track. You would need to instruct a solicitor unless you know what you're doing.
Hi I firstly must say that Neil at Cornerspeed has been great, answering emails about whats going on no problem at all. His belief is that it is condensation getting evaporated in the exhaust system. The smell is not of antifreeze its more fuel and Neil has even tasted this (rather him than me). On the tests he has done it does not lead him to think its a porous head problem. I will of course keep looking and tbh I am sure its more me doubting whats in front of me than anything else.
Richard, Your video of the "condensation" smoke is identical to what mine was doing before head replacement. After a while you may start seeing this smoke when the bike hasn't been sat unused.....I would even get it after a refuel. My bike never shows the slightest hint of any condensation smoke now. Maybe time for a second opinion. Good luck.
Ducati have just approved the goodwill warranty claim in full and will pay for all parts and labour for both cylinder heads. (phew)
That is superb news! Apart from the smoke I get on start up if its left a few days (and not always) my bike is running fine and starts on the button first time every time. The only thing I am slightly concerned about is the running temp which seems to be 66 ish when on the move but after a few minutes of stop start traffic can go up into the hundreds quite quickly. Now it may be that my previous bike a Benelli Cafe Racer never did this and its just the way Multi's are? Having read on the forum a few links about this it does not seem out of the ordinary. It would be good if someone could start their multi from cold and let it just tick over and time it to see how long it takes to reach 100 degrees so I have something to compare it against? Have also noticed my coolant level has not dropped on my last 2 outings but they were only 100 to 150 miles.
Temp on mine will hover between 69 to 100, but settle around 70,80,90 at motorway speeds - say 75 avg. in town it will get to 100 and higher, but fans will kick in, anything around 110 and above is getting too high and the temp reading will change to Hi and you will get a warning on the dash. when I had coolant issue the temperature even on the motorway shot past the 70's and 80's and kept on rising, slowing down into town it quickly went to 110 and above with the warning. So it gets like out of control when the problem is bad.
As part of the VAG group, they really can't afford to renege on replacing these heads, providing all service history etc is in place?
It sounds OK to me. I'm on my second multi and they both ran at similar temps. 62 - 66 when on the move above 30mph on a cool day and up to 75 on a hot day. When stationary or slow stop/start temp reading increases quickly at something like a degree every second or two until the fans cut in at 102. Temp continues up to 104/106 then begins to fall until the fans cut out at low 90s (I think) then cycles between 90s to 106 until above 30 for a while when it stabilises back at 65 -70 again. It is designed to work this way and nothing to worry about unless you get a 'Hi' warning or if the fluid reservoir falls. Hope this helps to put you at ease!
My fans almost always cut in at about 104 deg. but over the course of 27,000 miles and three years there have been just a couple of occasions when the fans did not cut in and the temperature got alarmingly high. When I took the bike to Snells of Alton for a service last month, we left the engine idling for a while to see what would happen. Astonishingly, the fans failed to cut in on that occasion thus demonstrating the problem to the mechanic. How rare it is for an intermittent fault to manifest itself at just the right moment!
I wouldn't count on it, VAG are well known for weaselling and stonewalling their way out of warranty claims. We had a better chance *before* they came into the picture. :Facepalm:
As I am unable,to ride for the next few weeks I let my bike run for 15 mins yesterday. It took several minutes to get to 70 and never went over 104
Thanks Michel. Mine takes 3'36" to go from cold to 70 degrees. 9'30" to get to 100 degrees 11'30" to peak at 105 degrees 12'40" to go back down to 98 degrees I am guessing that this is fairly normal behaviour now.
Finally got the bike back yesterday after a month without it. It was a bit of a change jumping off the loan bike (Yamaha 600 Diversion - excellent front and back brakes, spins up like a windmill in a hurricane, terrible suspension, good in traffic). First impressions of the rebuild are it seems to have gained some mid range at the expense of some new lumpiness at low range. Not really gunned it yet though... I'm thinking of fitting some Fac Ducs (if I can hold of a pair) to try and help with the low end in town.
