Probably. I'll know more tomorrow. My MY10 died on Sunday...fine fine fine, then what felt like fuel starvation (extremely poor running and no power). I stopped, it ticked over, I blipped the throttle a couple of times and after a puff of black smoke from the exhaust it stopped. All fuses were fine, it had fuel, all the electrics seemed to work, and I couldn't see anything disconnected. When I pressed the starter ...nothing, just "clicks", and the dash backlight went out.... Starter motor didn't turn and there were no engine noises. Strange thing is, when I checked it again later, the fuel light was on and one bar showing on the fuel gauge...plenty of fuel in the tank though! The dealer to collect the bike yesterday. :-( Battery? Nope, well I don't think so. I'd say that the battery was fine. Lights, dash, indicators, horn, all worked, and the display said 12.6 volts in the battery...that's normal for when the engine is not running. No warning lights (except fuel light later this evening) and no errors displayed. According to the dash, all was normal. Also, a duff battery wouldn't explain the poor running would it? Hmmm, except if it prevented something like the fuel pump from working, but I'd already ridden 60 odd fault free miles and the bike started first time, and was still running. It's very strange...it had actually been standing for a month. But...but but but....I was on a spirited run, so it had had plenty of throttle, and I'd covered over 60 continuous miles....... It was odd when it lost power but kept running.....it would pick up eventually, but was really running badly. I was lucky that I was only a few minutes from a friends house, so limped there.... It then idled fine at a standstill until I blipped the throttle and it died.. That puff of black smoke from the exhaust, and it died. Then it wouldn't start again... Having phoned the dealer today and spoken to the mechanic it is unconfirmed, but the prognosis is that the engine is toast! A dropped valve and damaged front cylinder/head is the expectation. :-( It will be off the road for "weeks"... I'll know the full extent of the damage tomorrow. How "lucky" am I that I DID manage to extend the warranty. The mechanic expects a possible final bill of around £5k!!! Ouch. Well, more news tomorrow...
Jeez, mine is a May 2010 with 15,200 miles on and a warranty that finishes in May 2013. Hearing this kind of stuff makes me a bit nervous about my long term ownership plans? Anyone know of any 3rd party warranty Companies that are worth bothering with?
My mates Multi packed up recently, exactly the same symptoms as you describe.......Carl Harrison fixed it....faulty throttle position sensor. AL
Well here's hoping! It is always possible...the tech wasn't so optimistic, but I WILL post when I know more because at this stage it is a "suspicion". He will call tomorrow and give me the full diagnosis once he has stripped it all down. He was pretty certain that is was a dropped valve and heads were damaged in the making of this post. The only other time I have had that is on my VTR1000 Firestorm...the cam chain tensioner failed (they all do that sir) and it dropped a valve... valve piston interface resulted in a destroyed front cylinder. It wasn't in warranty, so although Honda offered 50% of the parts it was actually cheaper to source a "new" engine and matching carbs. It is a little worrying, but until this point it had run faultlessly and was a blast. Things do happen, so I'm not on a downer. It will get fixed eventually, so hopefully that will be soon. In the meantime I'm on the bus! I hope the other passengers aren't scared by a 6ft bloke in full leathers and a helmet... ;-)
Hope it gets sorted. To those worrying about their pride and joy, lets get real; thousands sold and a few exploding for whatever reason doesnt mean they are all 'doomed' :smile:
I'm sure Ducati tech's diagnosis is correct But the dreaded exhaust exl valve would be worth an inspection ! Could be stuck closed, wouldnt be the 1st time that's happened... Doesn't answer the click starter or dash out issue...? But that could be a dead battery,,,? Just a thought....??
Oh, don't worry, he's pulling it all apart....reckons on BOTH heads needing to be replaced.. He reckons the dropped valve seized the engine, hence the motor not turning over. It's likely to be messy inside. The battery is fine, but the dash just doesn't like the starter button bring held in. The dash didn't go out, just the backlight...it's a bit like when the headlights go out when you are starting the bike.. Nothing to worry about I think. Oh, and I've got The QDs on, so it isn't the exlv valve....
oh yes...the tech at Parkies reckons so...he's a really good guy and knows his onions...he will confirm tomorrow, but his opinion was a dropped valve and head...more than that, he reckons the rear is not in great shape either... Well, all "speculation" for now....ahem. I'll be after that "runaround" now so will look at your PM... ;-)
I'm not convinced, a dropped valve would make a hell of a racket, possibly prevent the motor rotating etc... I wait to see the outcome, but hope for the best for you.
Is there any chance Ducati might try and renege on the warranty if they know there are QD's fitted?....
wouldnt think so as they only know if the dealer brings it up.....and i wouldnt think theres too many dealers would shaft a customer who has spent over 15k on a bike from him !!!! wouldnt be in their interest for future sales from him or anyone who knew how they treated customers !
