Hi all, For those of you with a centre stand, I strongly suggest you take it off and check both the pivot bolts and the mounts they run in. I removed my stand yesterday, and was surprised to see the left hand side pivot bolt is significantly worn (maybe 3 or 4mm). That's fine, because the bolt can be considered sacrificial, and easily changed. On the right hand side the pivot bolt is fine, but the frame is worn instead [I have got pictures but they are only phone. I will try to post them tomorrow.] It's a shite design, having a steel pivot running in an alloy housing with no insert to protect it. This could potentially be a problem, because if it wears too much it will break through. So guys this is a heads up. Go check your stands (easy to do, just remove the spring and right hand side bolt) and make sure you grease the pivots up !
... and while you are looking at the centre stand, check the rubber buffer which stops the stand hitting the cat. The rubber wears and perishes, so you have to replace it every year or two. [Part No. 764.1.063.1A - Rubber pad]
hopefully attached are some pics: This is the left hand side pivot bolt showing its wear This is the rhs pivot point, part of the frame !
Have you spoken to Ducati about this? Serious design flaw and something that should be fixed by them no?
The purpose of my post here was to ensure other owners can check their bikes before the problem gets too bad and potentially the stand fails. Yes i have contacted my dealer (when they finally answered the phone), and pointed them at this thread. :smile: Personally, having the pivot bolts wear is imo acceptible as they are replacable. That makes good design sense to design them for easy replacement, and I can live with that. Having one of them use an alloy frame component as its mating bearing surface without any insert (bush or bearing) is not. I would also expect these to be an item on the service list so that they are greased (or at least inspected and lubricated) at each service. I believe this is a design fault, because it is crazy to have a major section of the frame that becomes sacrificial in this manner. We will see what Ducatis response is.:frown: Cheers, John.
Just a quick one, how often do you use your center stand? And have you ever washed/inspected the joint? Looking at the pics, it looks like a lot of wear and your bike doesn't seem exactly clean so I'm thinking is it possible you just didn't tend to it after a bunch of grit got in there?
Cheeky fecker ! the only dirty bit you can see there is the sump, and that is because I have removed the sump guard to clean it (something I suspect many riders wouldn't bother to do). the bike gets cleaned regularly, and the week prior to these pics had been valeted & acf50'd. I had done a further 60 odd miles of country twisties though, so it might not be totally clean when the pic was taken. its certainly no garage queen, gets ridden regularly, but is looked after. As an indication of how much, I took all the panels off to clea behind them, rear wheel and hugger too to clean the swinging arm. as for using the stand. yes it gets put on the centre stand in the garage, and also every time we stop at a hotel when on a trip to get the luggage off. That's what it's for have I I spected it regularly ? well clearly not. It has been main dealer serviced though, and this is my point, if its a lubrication point then it should be on the list of things for them to do. i check everything else and lube regularly with white grease. To get to the stand is not a drama, but I wouldn't expect this extent of wear, and certainly not of a major frame component... How many other owners actually check inspect or lubricate it though, and might have a simar problem ? i guess we will find out, if anyone checks Ps typing on iPhone on the train, so apologies for any smelling mishtakes
Ahhh, haha, cheeky indeed I was just getting an idea, have Ducati come back to you at all? When I pick mine up on Saturday I will inspect the same and possibly pop into Drews (local iron monger) and see if they can shim the stand and then get some bearings to fit. Might save me a ball ache in the future. Plus, it will be much cheaper than fixing it. I will obviously make a thread and detail what was done with what specifications if I do decide to do that. But chances are, I won't have the centre stand on.
Not having the stand on the bike is definitely the best answer to avoid wear :wink: Shimming is not necessary imo. that would remove lateral movement, and this wear is caused by rotation. The right hand side is where the spring is, so this frame member is also under pressure all the time. There is insufficient 'meat' to allow anything but a small roller cage, or something like a phosphor bronze bush. No reply from the dealers yet but its early days, and from my experience Ducati never give a rapid response. Maybe I will hear by the end of the week, we shall see. I asked about the bolts and they are ~£5 each. I couldn't bring myself to ask how much the frame member is
I don't have a centre stand so it doesn't bother me but if I did I think I'd definitely be fitting a bush in that frame member.
Got a call from dealers yesterday, Ducati have requested proof of service history and more pictures, all of which I supplied last night. On closer inspection the steel bracket the other side is worn too, just not quite as bad as this side. P.S. Derek, I agree. Can't believe there wasn't a bush in there in the first place...
John, why are you accepting the level of wear on the steel bolts? I don’t see the wear you are experiencing on a three year old bike to be acceptable. I’ve had 20 year old bikes that have not worn this much. I don’t know the details of your bike but it looks as though this is just a result of poor design. Looking at the photos, you have steel moving in aluminium with no protection from the elements in an area that is going to get wet so you will have corrosion due to electrolytic action which will increase the wear you would normally expect from dirt getting into a pivot that is carrying a heavy load. I would have thought this should have some form of sealed bearing or bush so the friction surfaces can be greased and have some expectation that grit from the road will not enter the bearing surfaces.
Stevie, I'm not accepting anything yet my point about the bolts were that they are a removable and so easily replaceable item. I priced up the bolts because I needed to speak to the parts counter anyway, so asked while I had them on the phone. I still think it is p!ss poor that it has worn to this extent already. My st4s didn't have anything like this amount of wear on its stand after 6 years and 40k+ miles. I was hoping the mts might have been a keeper, but at this rate there won't be anything left to keep :/
Is this another example of poor design/cost cutting? Will get mine checked soon when it goes in for its 22,500 service soon. Do other bikes with main stands on them have bushed/bearing raced pivot points? This is my first bike with a main stand so don't know. Ta.
This is the first bike I've seen this extent of wear, regardless of age (I have had wuite a few, and still do have a few). a bush would be minimum, ideally with an o ring to keep crap out. I don't think any have roller bearings but could be wrong. possibly the problem here is made worse by the lugs being so exposed. it would certainly be worth you taking a look to check.
Quick update. Spoke to my dealers this morning and Ducati have authorised replacement of the alloy side member, the stand pivot bolts, and the stand rubber. :smile: I have enquired about the other stand pivot bracket which is also worn, just not quite so much. I'm now contemplating how best to stop this occuring again, and will be greasing / inspecting it regularly from now on
I’m wondering if the stand isn’t vibrating and shaking in its mounts as the bikes ridden along. Manually test it for play in both the deployed and stowed away positions and try determine what one allows most movement.
Hi John, I checked mine and it's been regularly greased and doesn't seem to be worn. However, I have yet to take it off, which I will do on Saturday as I leave before the sun rises and get home after the sun sets I have front and back paddock stands so will never justify the need for the center stand, it's just dead weight to me. So will be getting rid. However, I will still show the condition.
