I have to agree with the rant.....mine is just as bad i have to keep putting fuel in it and the tyres keep wearing out....disgusting
Been there, done that....owned from new. My FZ used to cut out for no reason and then not want to start again. Sh1t in the Alps where I could count seconds before it would pull coming out of corners. My 5 thousand mile gsxr1000 broke down due to fuse box corrosion, the bike was immaculate! Both were completely lacking in character. Good luck.
Give the guy a break guys. He's either picked up a lemon or got a bad dealer; or both! My first Duc dealer was multi-franchise and was pretty crap. Current one much better. Learnt recently multi-franchiser started out as scrap cowboys. I think it does matter to some degree how they build the bike from delivery. Generally trouble free. The ECUs and handsfree ignition can be a bit finicky. But again, nothing that really put me off the road. Fork seal and clutch master cylinder problems more the fault of Ohlins than Ducati. They've sourced what are supposed to be quality parts. So glad they moved to Sachs with progressive springs. What glitters is really not gold! Switch gear can get jammed with rain and road gunk. Nothing a bit of ACF50 or equivalent can't sort out. All bikes need weather proofing and looking after in winter. Nothing including BMWs is resistant to road salt. Hondas do seem to hide corrosion well. Not the best in maintaining my 2010, but didn't rust away. Despite my best efforts to abuse, chain and front sprockets still managed 15k. MY2013 addressed almost every gripe I have. Biggest criticism is that GT is not available in red! To anyone thinking of getting a Duc, find a good dealer who understands and loves the marque. Won't go wrong and you will make friends for life.
Agree on all counts, my 2011 machine looked great rode fantastic but was was total shite as far as reliability, failures and warranty issues. Lost a load of cash but moved on. Had the Triumph 7 months now and nothing has gone wrong, zilch, 0! Good luck to those of you who wish to own one of these bikes out of warranty, you will need to be either rich or be a great mechanic, am am neither.
I once swapped a 1098 that kept dropping gears and stalling for a brand new r1 big bang. R1 lacked something in comparison, so though the 1098 had to go, beware buying jap for reliability as the riding novelty might not last long. In my opinion, having owned 4 ducatis, 3 bmws , and numerous japanese, the ducatis are not as robust and have quirks in comparison, just how the italians do things perhaps. My first one a 1098s, bought from a main dealer, broke down on the way home due to an immobiliser antennae issue. I would also say the ducati dealers try hard but arent as professional as some round my neck of the woods. Good bikes, great styling, quirky design but perhaps audi needs to polish the edges. Just my opinion, i was happy with my 2010 multi and it didnt have any of the issues listed in the original post, that bike should have been replaced by the importers by the sound of things....15 grand is an awful lot of money for a motorcycle.
Hmmmm, my spreadsheet of common issues has become rather large and whilst I enjoyed the test rides... I am starting to be put off buying a MTS 1200 S my self. And I'm a fairly big Ducati fanboy!
wow walking away from a brand based on one bad experience......and putting it down so heavily on a forum of owners of that brand who can obviously lay claim to the fact that not ALL ducatis' are shite. I own a 1999 996 and I kid you not I have never had an issue with it. I work away for long periods leave it on trickle charge come home and she starts pretty much first time every time. Now I am sure there are some horror stories out there but that never put me off owning (at the time) my dream bike... I now have a brand new Hype SP to add to the family and although only 300 miles on the clock seems fine so far... plenty of great reliable stunning Ducatis' most likely in far greater numbers than some that are dogs dinners!!! enjoy what ever you move on to , happy riding oh and i just got ride of a brand new GSXR 750 which is without doubt one of the best bikes on road and track...but completely sterile soulless riding experience give me a Ducati with its nuances every time
Yes, Ducatis are poxy bikes, totally unreliable, always going wrong. Here is my 28 year catalogue of disaster: Pantah: don't recall anything ever went wrong (apart from me continually crashing it) 906: blew up a rectifier in the first weekend from new. Subsequently, no issues in my year of ownership 851: had a blocked radiator from new. Changed after 15 miles. A few weeks later, the starter motor wouldn't turn off. That was replaced. Then followed 50'000 kms and several years with no issues. 907ie: 50'000 hassle-free kms over 10 years or so 916 x2 : No issues in several years and another 50'000 kms (first one was stolen) 749: No issues in my year of ownership, apart from it hitting a false neutral, the gear then dropping in, a subsequent high-side and write off. Suppose it could have happened on any torquey bike. 999s (first version): didn't like rain when engine would suddenly lose power under load (when you were overtaking something...). It was second hand, so I sold it. 999 Bip (later version). 30'000 kms so far in 6 years. Speedo reads random numbers after some miles in heavy rain. Has overheated a couple of times in stinking hot weather and heavy traffic: fans don't seem to work. I reckon I must have now done well over 200'000 kms on Ducatis. A couple have had warranty problems quickly fixed. A couple have had some minor niggles. Nothing terminal or expensive. My Ducatis are kept inside in non-heated garage. They get serviced by a top notch Ducati dealer. They get washed and polished occasionally - that's about it. Strange that the OP mentions the chain being difficult to tension. I haven't tensioned a Ducati chain for many years. The 916 and the 999 went between services without needing their chain tensioned. Of course, I do lube it. I wonder if the OP rode in shit weather (only a few miles of heavy rain takes all the lube off) and didn't oil the chain? The chain and sprockets on the 999 were changed last year after 30'000 km. I'm not complaining.
milk, no sugar, hob- nobs and custard creams please. (I've got a figure to maintain) My MTS was one of the first batch back in April 2010, and its had a few issues. It doesn't mean its a bad bike though. I have had a number of bikes from various manufacturers, some good, some bad (had the most problems with Hondas). I belong to a club with ~450 members who ride regularly, doing various trips and lots of miles a year, and it shows that there is not a single make or model that doesn't suffer some issues. What is noticeable though is just how many of those from other makes like BMW and Honda have migrated over to MTS12s over the last couple of years. None of them have had major issues with their bikes (except me) despite lots of miles, and most have had no issues at all. At the end of the day, all this seems to come down to what your threshold is for issues being consider major (or even considered at all). Personally Dave I think you did the right thing to unload the bike if you were unhappy and having lots of issues. Whether the replacement make/model will be any better, who knows. Good luck mate.
To be fair, a Ducati forum would be the first place I'd go if I was considering a bike, so he's put it in the most effective place, but we are not his target audience
I have to agree I would not buy a Multi, they are the Ducati choice for the moaning bell ends. :biggrin: Ohh and my feet don't touch the floor
Nothing wrong with 1960s reliability,Ducatis ceased to be 'Ducatis' once they became an electronics nightmare.
