Hi guys, I have been lurking around and Ducati ms forum since the new dvt is available. Compare to the S1KXR forum, the problems reported from DVT riders really makes me feel no confidence at all. Btw, I'm living in Singapore. The only dealer we have here is shitty. So right now my heart almost fully swing to the XR
I am on my second 1200 Multistrada, the DVT. I have had no problems with the current bike, but had one or two with the previous one. All were sorted in a timely fashion by Italia Moto and Ducati, a couple of them out of warranty. I do wonder whether some of the warranty problems experienced by other forum members are down to the dealership not doing their job, rather than Ducati refusing to honour warranties. Dave
I have an XR and you're right there's nothing like the list of issues with that as there is with the dvt, main one was vibration in the handle bars that some people feel and some don't. If you do feel it then it's a £40 fix for heavy bar ends. Having said that the dvt isn't all doom and gloom, there's loads of happy owners and not all bikes are effected. I wouldn't be put off especially if buying new, granted if these things were still happening in 12 months then buying a 2nd hand one with no warranty would make me think twice, but buying now you at least have the safety net of warranty cover
Overall I prefer MTS DVT, but The various issues I've seen so far really puts me off. Will continue keep an eye on the forums until July before I make the decision. The 1200s with touring option cost around 27000 pounds in Singapore.
Well I was nearly put off but after a stonking test ride today I'm going to bite the bullet and get mine, awesome bit of kit
I had a GS, 18 month old last version one, and the forums were full of failing drive shafts, immobiliser rings, rockers....and plenty more, and BMW were not very good at honouring and certainly wouldnt address corrosion Ducati did on my last multistrada, and have been know to replace 10yr old plastic tanks
That's been my historical experience of Ducati, too: they've been great in the past, even when out of warranty. Which is why their 'not our problem' attitude when I pointed out severe corrosion on a bike that was then still under warranty was so surprising.
I am still registered on GS owners site and finding a lot of the same reports on warranty claims for the new LC 1200 corrosion and problems with BMW honouring the claims as each warranty corrosion issue on engines means a new engine ...... they cant repaint the engine so its 7K a time to replace the engine ...... again its probably down to dealers attitude and my local Ducati one has been superb to date as my bike is only on an aftermarket warranty as almost 3 years old yet they have sorted every issue without any problems and given me a courtesy bike each time The issues I have heard and read about the GS warranty claims were part of the reason I opted for the Ducati as well as feeling its the better bike when I rode them both back to back as an ex GS owner
People have said this is unacceptable on a $20k bike, but more expensive has never translated into more reliable.
I had a bad experience with my previous bike a 2014 BMW R1200GSA-TE. This was my first ever brand new bike and having owned an air cooled Adventure before that, I didn't think the new bike would be worse than the outgoing model, but sadly it was. Unfortunately I fell for all the rave reviews from the motorcycle journalists, and whilst the engine was fantastic, the clutch and gearbox were dreadful, particularly 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In my view, clutch drag. The bike also had a very cheap and unfinished look and feel, not helped by the starter switch failing and the rubbish stitching on the seat causing unsightly lumps after only a thousand miles (3 replacements in all). That said, I could have lived with the cosmetic stuff but I couldn't with that clutch and gearbox. Having searched online, the Internet was littered with tales of woe about the crunching gearboxes. Some owners had rejected their bikes and had been supplied with new ones. I have a friend who has had a replacement bike from BMW following his rejection of a secondhand GS demo but the new one has the same gearbox and clutch problems. Strange that there is never any mention of this by the biking press? In my case, I was so disappointed with my bike that I too rejected it. I had by this time covered over 3 thousand miles on it because I was told by the dealer this would loosen up the gearbox.....rubbish! Unfortunately by the time I rejected the bike I think BMW had realised they had a real problem on their hands with the new bike (same issue with the standard GS) and so started claiming it was a characteristic of the bike. I decided to cut my losses and traded it in for a new 2015 MTS 1200S DVT in White. I have to say that whilst I've had all the minor issues everyone else has had, such as the trip fault, fuel sender replacement, bobbling seams on the seat and a recall for the side stand, I still love it. The overall quality feel and finished look of the bike is awesome, as is the cornering ABS and other electronic gadgetry, but best of all it has a gearbox and clutch that actually works, meaning I can properly enjoy the riding experience. All that aside, I have to say that my dealer, M&S Motorcycles in Newcastle, has been superb and delivered a great service thus far. Unlike my experience with BMW. It is a very expensive bike and in my case not without some minor problems but all in all I love it!
There is a lot of complex technology packed into these modern bikes and maybe the issue is not 'will they go wrong' or 'how often they will go wrong' because they will and often. The important thing seems to be will they go so badly wrong that you get stranded and how good are the dealers/manufacturers at getting them quickly fixed under warranty. I've been doing research using the various manufacturers forums and it seems that the Multi DVT is actually one of the better bikes in the crop. Most of the issues seem to be the kind that can be lived with whilst still using the bike. They are an annoyance but as long as the dealers and Ducati put them right at no charge then owners of these bikes are still better off than those of KTM or BMW... at present anyway. I'm more concerned about ownership outside of the warranty period; I'd be stuffed if I'd had to pay for all the replaced components on my bike + labour + VAT. I can't see how any of these bikes will become much more reliable than they are now - given that many components are just replaced for the same unmodified part that failed within it's first year. Maybe it is time that manufacturers of complex and very expensive bikes start to give longer warranty periods of 3-5 years rather than the standard 2 years. That would give them more time to address design/QA issues with the failing components and therefore iron out these issues to give the customer a fair chance at having a reliable bike once the warranty has expired. We, for our part, would have to put up with the annoyance of having frequent trips to the dealers for warranty work. Personally, I am so happy with the performance of my Multi that I'd put up with the hassle. I know there are lots of good bikes out there performance wise but nothing that comes as close to a perfect bike, for me, as the Multi. That said, if I'm still having these issues when the warranty expires I'll be forced to sell, cut my losses and probably buy Jap.
My next Ducati was going to be a second hand 1200 DVT, but this thread has put me off. I have had BMWs all of my life with very few problems and nothing that has needed a dealer visit, but reading all these tales of woe is not good. I bought a new SUV diesel car in 2006 and it has a very complicated electrical system, but has never been to a dealer, not even for servicing, and still has no problems despite 100k miles and 10 years. It probably cost me less than a new 1200 DVT too. I will stick to the 848 for a few years instead.
Suprising mix of reviews for Ducati and BMW. I sold my mts at 15k and bought an S1r. Did 5k miles (sold as was going to loose license or life on it...) build quality was superb. Stainless fasteners. Non rust chain. Etc. Now got a 14 plate Gs. Build quality seems very good again. Early days as only been out half a dozen times over the winter but looking good. Seems to be a luck factor involved with all....but Ducati fasteners were of shocking quality. Fact.
Never broke down on my MTS but did have a bad experience on my 1st Euro tour. Sat waiting to board the ferry and the temperature gauge just kept climbing, fan not cutting in. Had to keep an eye on it especially in Italy with the higher ambient temperatures. This meant switching the engine off when stopped for traffic, lights etc. Oddly the fan started to cut in on the way home through Austria (why??). I reported the issue to MandS Newcastle at the next service, when checked out there was no fault.....never happened again. The second Euro trip I had air in the clutch master slave, resulting in very rough gear changes. Easily sorted when I got back, but didn't want to touch anything when in was 'sort' of working okay when away. Had one 'no start' fixed by giving the transponder a gentle tap (battery I think). So not a biggie. Why not just have a key though? Much more practical.
My Multi has been in at the dealers all week for it's 12th warranty claim. It has left me stranded once with a DVT fault which killed the engine power and has had many of the faults reported on this and the DucatiMS forum. It cuts out randomly and leaves me stuck in the traffic with no power then restarts fine. My dealers can't reproduce the fault so don't know what to do and Ducati are clueless. It surges at idle and low rpm and is now leaking oil from a broken shouldered stud in the lower cylinder. I calculated that it has been in the dealers for around 6 weeks in total in it's first year (anniversary today) and 3 and half weeks of that was just for 2 faults. I love the bike when it works but am now completely unable to trust it on anything other than local trips - for a so called 'Adventure Bike' this is pretty poor. I've had enough and am now looking to find a more reliable bike. I've been thoroughly researching all the various options and although other manufacturers have issues too I will have take my chances - if my luck is bad enough to get another bike as utterly awful as this one then I'll pack my rucksack and find a dark cave in the hills to hide away in. I'm going to lose big time when I trade mine in - can't sell privately as I seriously couldn't look the new owner in the eye, hand him the key and snatch the cash out of his hand. I know it will find a new owner but I never want to meet the poor sod. This was my very first and very last Ducati. I know lots of you are having a ball on these bikes (as 2 of my mates are) and I really hope that continues. My experience with this brand has been terrible and I'm not looking back. Goodbye Ducati!
I'd have thought that, with all these problems fully documented, you'd have a good case for rejecting it altogether. Ducati may well need a few people doing this with maximum publicity to force them to raise their game.
