I'm effectively lurking here intending to buy a new Multistrada later this summer. This thread could easily put me off purchasing, however, I'm maintaining the assumption, maybe misguided, that we are hearing from the vocal minority here. Your post makes a lot of sense to me. I have long been a Honda owner with their alleged exemplary reliability and build quality, albeit along with a relative lack of character and passion. My current bike, a 2004 VFR, has had three recalls and hasn't been all roses in terms of reliability so proof that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. However, now approaching 40,000 miles, I have completed 6 continental trips on her (well last year was 2000 miles around Scotland...) and set off on those confident that the bike would get me home again under its own power. On all these tours I have been accompanied my best friend on his 996. I even went to the lengths of creating a POI file of Ducati dealers in Europe for my Garmin on his behalf as well as joking about him coming home on a truck. That should teach me as my VFR has had issues on a couple of tours whilst his bike, aside from stripping the clutch in French camp-sites, routine maintenance apparently (he's since upgraded to an improved German made one so this is no longer necessary) has run like a Swiss watch. Thanks to information gleaned on this thread and the forum in general I'm heading towards this purchase with eyes wide open but at the same time hoping that my Ducati ownership experience lives up to my expectations.
I assumed I was just hearing the worst and went and got my multi... then a week later the engine went bang and required a full rebuild. Also had the rad replaced not too long ago. Maybe I just got unlucky but it's my view from where i'm sitting that reliability and build quality is sub par. Wether problems are fixed under warranty or not, they're still problems and ones that can easily reoccur outside of warranty and that's my worry. What happens now that my warranty has just finished, if my engine goes again? This just isn't a worry i've had with any other brand. I do understand forums tend to be people talking about issues and seeking solutions, however that doesn't account for face to face former multi riders telling you why they ditched the bike. Dealers also seem to be inundated with second hand multi's trading in. I don't necessarily think they just want the new bikes, I think a fair amount of them were probably backing away from the bike now it's out of warranty. They are simply scared of a huge bill. What's the trade in people are being offered on 2010-2014 multi's? I bet the dealers are pulling the pants down on trade-in's because they don't want to be lumbered with a bunch of broken multi's, or working ones they cant shift because of the reputation.
deffo. people ask me all the time "recommend me a reliable car". i cant i only ever see the bad ones. but having worked on mostly new cars before i went out on my own i can deffo say three things. most go wrong and usually in the first 2-3 years. certain types of people are drawn to certain brands and certain types of people are more likely to moan over nothing. i call them munchhausens
I take on board that the most vocal of Multi riders are the ones that are having problems. Taken into account. I take on board the riders who have had genuine niggles - discoloured bolts, engine pain flaking, dashboard misting, flaky fuel-senders, etc. Taken into account. What puts me off is the number of people posting about useless rear brakes, clonky front forks, blown engines, dead electrics, malfunctioning suspension - you know ... the non-niggles. People who have lost the use of their new bike for eight weeks out of the biking season. People who have their bike back to the dealer to fix a fault and then have it back to the dealer again to fix the same fault. And then again. It isn't that faults and niggles are completely unacceptable. They are inevitable. I've suffered those myself on most bikes I've own. It's how a manufacturer deals with faults that is important. The tales of things going wrong don't necessarily put me off (although they are often very disconcerting). It's the stories of utter failure in dealing with the faults that I find most worrying. Unless things change for the Multi ... I just don't know. When the time comes for me to change my style of bike, it's unlikely I'll be looking to Ducati (unless I suddenly get smitten with the Scrambler - that could happen).
bang on. its how its dealt with. when i worked for a small fiat dealership (i have worked for others) you got a couple of hours to diagnose. if you couldn't sus it you would phone teseo for a few pointers or request a dealer visit. superb service you wouldn't see in other dealerships. you got a courtesy car in the mean time if the car went Vor because of technical or part supply issues.(paid for by the manufacturer) someone somewhere needs to get on top of the recurring issues and sort out the costumer relations issues. i suspect that's why and for more than any other reason people get pissed off.
I doubt it would be well received by them but would it be reasonable to ask a supplying dealer to commit, in writing, to providing a comparable loan bike in the event of such a failure as part of the purchase negotiations. With my 'local' Ducati franchise being over 50 miles away any warranty issues are going to be a PITA. The apparent withdrawal of the extended warranty by Ducati is a concern as I tend to buy bikes and keep them for quite a few years. That third year would have been reassuring, I have no real faith in third party warranties.
deffo. i wont be doing or dealing with after market warranty companies again.maybe i am to small or to busy to bother now but they shaft you at every turn. jump through this hoop jump through that hoop, pay you book times (eventually) i know i am not on my own here ether.
Sitting here with a Multi that is now 4 years years old and whilst it hasn't been without fault it has never let me down and always brings a smile to my face. It has always been fixed by my local Ducati dealership with minimal cost to myself, up till now, and the idea of trading it for a new one, at great expense, and then to possibly have yet more problems doesn't fill me with joy. Complexity benefits new owners, with a warranty, but if it is at the expense of longer term reliability and value then what is the point. Maybe we get what we deserve as a result of what we buy but I think that we are going down a blind alley at the moment.
Slow down tiger, I still have most of my hair. I'd be happy to test ride a Scrambler back-to-back with a Guzzi V7 ... but not until I find my sport bikes to be too much to handle.
Majority of new bikes will have issues of some sort manufacturing is outsourced with components coming from China, take the Bmw GS WC 70% of its components are manufactured by Taiwan/Chinese companies the Bmw accountants allow big offsets for replacement parts even engines being replaced still means they will make a profit. But as stated its how the dealer deals with the issue and the turn around, My bike had sat in the dealers for near on 5wks to have the handsfree replaced, no loan bike diddly squat, so I got it back on sat and the sender is faulty !! Will I have to wait another 5 wks !! So you buy a BMW and you have a breakdown, call BMW assist and they will loan you a car foc whilst they recover your bike and if you take this option the dealer that your bike goes to has a 48hr window to get the bike back to you fixed or loan you a bike, if not they are charged for the loan car after this period. This alone is a great service. Ducati offer this ! AA have the Ducati recovery contract, your bike gets put on an open trailer and taken to the nearest dealer (you can't chose like BMW) my neighbour works for the AA and told me one AA bod forgot to strap a bike down correctly and it fell off the trailer. I have several other bikes all out of warranty now and I don't worry, would you OWN A DUCATI OUT OF WARRANTY !
Is it not standard practice for Ducati dealers to loan you a bike whilst yours is being investigated /fixed under warranty? Maybe Ducati Manchester are different but they've always lent me a bike even when my 899 was sat in the workshop for near 3 months. I had to go back and change the bike if someone called for a demo at the weekend. On the other hand if I spent £15k on a bike and it was my only mode of transport I'd be fuming if they had it 5 weeks with no loan bike.
You may well have to make regular trips to your dealer thanks to some of the niggles that others on here find acceptable. My dealer was 10 miles away, and I got fed up with the time I had to spend travelling, dropping off, showing docs for loan bike, getting to work late, etc etc. I went back to Honda after horrendous reliability problems with the Multi, which were exacerbated by poor after-sales service by Ducati UK. See here and here for details. The Crosstourer isn't as sexy or exciting to ride, but I've had no problems with it and it hasn't rusted to shit despite two winters' riding. Ultimately, you're paying premium-bike prices for budget-bike reliability. Your choice...
My 2010 has most of the problems listed, including being off the road for 6 months waiting for new cylinder heads, so at 26k miles and 6 years old it hasn't been a painless marriage. But, I must be easy going as I don't really give a toss, it's only a toy/hobby for me, so....
A little birdy told me, Ducati had to drop the 3rd year as it was insurance backed, and for whatever reason weren't allowed to offer it.
The third year warranty was dropped because it was costing too much.... No other reason.. Ducati have no faith in the reliability of their products and with good reason and this proves it....sorry! :Bucktooth:
Have you noticed with Ducati Manchester that their courtesy bike policy is a bit like when you forgot your pe kit at school The teacher would bring out some massive pumps and some 1950's shorts where as with Ducati Manchester you either get a knackered old monster or a ds1000 that rattles like a bag of spanners
