can anyone shed any light on this situation? i had to get the bike recovered yesterday due to coolant leaking and it transpires it was coming from the braised bracket at the top of rad. now the more i start looking its seems to be a common problem, is this something you can Ducati to sort (but i see there is no recall) . Now what is the best way to fix it? get it welded or opt for a after market one? ive had the bike 6 months and is on a 2008 plate.
There is a big long thread on this subject about a week or two old. It has 51 replies to your question.
My 1098R is also a 2008 and sprang a leak a few weeks ago, Ducati refused to help. There's loads of info on the thread above.
cheers for that Robarano..... doesnt look like trying Preston Ducati will work then for a freebie, this has already be J-T welded already so prob go for the pattern one you bought. how long has it be in now?and is it ok? no leaks etc???
My dealer said the only chance that Ducati might do something; was if it had been serviced every year on the dot. There was a period when it wasn't used for 3 years, so Ducati refused to entertain helping out. I haven't used the bike yet, but I have ran it up to temperature and checked it in the garage a couple of times since, and the pattern part is fine. I'm hoping to start getting out on it soon. I repaired my leaking rad with liquid metal and it passed a leak test, so I've kept it as a spare.
just monitoring my service book and its pretty squeaky clean so its worth a shot in the dark.... otherwise its pattern one...
Are these cheap aftermarket radiators any good? They look ok but the doubter inside me says when Ducati charges knocking on £800 (yes I know Ducati pull your pants down) and these cost less than £60 they can't be any good!?, but I'd like to be proved wrong! Ducati Preston replaced my rad for free about 3 years ago when the bike was 4 years old and out of warranty because it's a known fault due to the radiator being over torqued at the mounting point when fitted at the factory, causing a hairline fracture which over time turns into a leak.
So far, so good. I haven't had a chance to ride the bike yet, but I have ran it up to temperature with no problems. My thinking was that it was worth a punt for £56. If it didn't work out, I wasn't that much out of pocket. I can also buy 9 for the price of the Ducati radiator.
Excellent, sounds encouraging and at a good price. I think there was a cut off point where Ducati would honour the leaking rad issue even though people's bikes are still developing the problem now.
Robarano, i have fitted the Rad this afternoon (looks ok so far) but the what i have noticed is that the lack of room to fill the rad up from the pressure cap at the top. is this a problem you encoutered?? if so how did you get around it??
I find the only way is to remove the RH air tube. You can leave the nosecone on, but it is a little fiddly as there is a bolt at the front of the air tube going through the headlight.