I had exactly the same on my 821 monster and reported it to the dealer as I wanted it recorded in case of any future warranty issues. They said its not a problem and pretty regular.
I just carry on, only oil change it gets is at the annual service. It's fair to say it is not the hardest worked bike out there, especially last year when circumstances meant not a lot of miles done, but it doesn't seem to have suffered at all for it. Always runs well and doesn't use any oil (to date anyway), always gets reasonable runs when it is used. Just about 3,500 miles now since new in 2013.
Open the oil filler to vent the g/box and gently heat the window with a hairdryer the oil/water mist will vanish,make sure the bikes on the side stand leaning away from the window to speed the process up,
I'll take a 12mm Allen key home tonight and change the oil but I'll try heating the window as it's still not clear enough to check the oil.
i tried the hairdryer trick this evening, i had the best results blowing directly into the oil filler, it cleared a little but as it's emulsified oil rather than mist it was taking far too long and after 25 minutes swmbo's hairdryer over heated and cut out. dropped the oil and i'm happy to say it was totally clear and as i would expect. fresh oil and filter and I can relax knowing it's just condensation
That should help but as @Pete1950 suggests, our bikes run inherently cool at speed, so maybe not as much as one might think. I'd love to know Ducati's thinking about fitting thermostats that open so very early...
A nice ride across London from one side to the other and back, traffic and all, is highly effective at heating the engine fully and boiling away water, I find. So the mayonnaise effect is a problem I don't suffer from. Although the water thermostats open quite early, the fans don't turn on until well over 100 degrees. This arrangement prevents the cylinder heads from overheating while also ensuring water can be driven off. About ideal, I would say. A thermostatically-controlled oil cooler bypass would be good though (some BMWs have these).
Yes, having the fans come on at just over 100c is great but having the engine running on an open road at a temperature so low that the ecu may well still be providing a rich mixture is less so, so I intend to try and find and fit a thermostat that will open at 80 or 85c.
Must admit, when I went out yesterday the temp when going along was about 83-ish and in traffic got up to 103 so a nice bit of heat from a 40odd mile ride!
I went out Saturday about 10degs tops and the 996 hardly touched 60. Went through a town deliberately to get her to 80 for a bit.
My 939SP is the same. I replaced the oil and filter once it did it. 2600 miles on clock now. It did it once the weather got colder.
Just googling this cos my 821 is doing it, and found this thread. I do 11 miles each way which is nit insubstantial so very surprised to get this condensation. Compared to the japs I’m afraid Ducati build quality isn’t good. My sight glass is so milky I can’t even see the oil level at all. Also I note this thread was a similar time of year so must be the cooler ambient t does it. Mines been fine up till now.
I don’t really see that this is a build quality issue. I had the same issue on my multistrada so had the oil tested in the lab at work and the water content turned out to be negligible. It’s not something I’ll be worrying myself about now.
