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StoneY

Love/Hate Ducati ownership

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I've written about my love/hate relationship with the Ducati before, but it has reached epic proportions this time.

Bike has 33,567kms on the clock.
It is due a chain and sprockets, but thats not the kicker.
It has had its starter rebuilt (yet only 32k when it was done? shit!) but I have been told that the high compression makes these motors harder on the starter to turn over.

Now I love this bike to bits, even though I have tried selling it twice, I end up taking it off trade me and carrying on....

This time I am really pissed. Last 3 weeks:

After a new tyre, the rear chain tensioner came loose. Gary McPhee helped me outta that by going home for tools and helped me straighten the now bent bolt to re-tighten it, while at the Gladdy.
Then, my front wheel started making a horrible noise on the way home while on the Paekakariki hill.
So Riffer helps me dismantle the front, and we discover it has a rooted wheel bearing....at 34k and change FFS!

But that's not all we found......
Discovered somehow the wrong diameter rotors are fitted.
There is a story to tell there alone but...never mind.
The rotors were worn only on the bottom 1/3rd of the surface...GAH!
The disk was only shoing 2/3rds of the surface shiny with fresh contact marks.

So now, I painfully await new wavy disk rotors from a chap in the Waikato, sourced from overseas. I am getting new pads from the people who replaced the rotors for ma 2 years back, but don't trust them to supply me rotors again that's for sure (as they fitted them I can feel totally justified they fucked it up, but I am still sourcing my own rotors as I had a decent source)

Sigh...as if the valve service every 10k aint bad enough............

Fuckin Ducati's.......
God I love riding em.........

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Comments

  1. Gremlin's Avatar
    You're replacing the rotors for the second time in 33k? Farken hell... best I go find GiJoe quick, to show him there are people spending more than I on bikes.

    You need to look at my Hornet ticking over the 100,000km mark blog, just beneath yours Rear rotor was replaced around 80,000km, the front wheel bearings around 96,000km I think. Front rotors haven't been replaced yet.
  2. p.dath's Avatar
    That is an expensive run! Is this common with Ducati's, or have you just been really unlucky?
  3. ktm's Avatar
    Ya shoulda kept the KTM and dumped the spag-bog. I once owned a dogcatti, selling it was the best experience I had with it.
  4. scracha's Avatar
    Seconded. Nowt but hassle.
  5. Sliver's Avatar
    memo to self, dont buy a cati
  6. willytheekid's Avatar
    Ya poor bugger!

    The italians are certainly pricey to keep on the road...but the pay off is worth it
    I love Ducati's as well, but the service costs and the some times questionable reliability has always scared me off owning one...and yet I still want one?

    Hope it all works out mate, love seeing these sexy Italians on the road...end of the day...I bet you have a HUGE smile every ride.

    -Willy
  7. Voltaire's Avatar
    I know what you mean, I've had my Ducati for 25 years , sure it needs a bit of maintenance but its better than riding a Japanese appliance.
  8. Corse1's Avatar
    I have had mine 5 years and have no intention of selling. Not usual for Ducati rotors to need replacing after 32k. Rotors are a supply problem. Battery tenders cure starter problems. They need to have m,aximum power for turn over.
  9. Ducrider's Avatar
    I've had mine for over 2 years now and not had any of this trouble.
    I guess making sure the right people are doing the job might help a bit.
    I changed to wave disks because the standards are prone to warping and never looked back.
    Heaps better than the Jap stuff I've had and handles like a dream.
  10. Rubberbands's Avatar
    It must of been a 'Friday' bike.
    It helps if you find a good mechanic & then use them all the time.
    Be patient, with a bit of TLC & and a good checkover, it will be fine.
  11. Eddieb's Avatar
    So the discs are a supplier issue, and bearings are a maintenance item on any bike and can fail at any time, especially if you ride in the rain or you or a previous owner wheelied it. Checking bolts are tight is a maintenance task on any V-twin or single.

    The only thing I'm reading that possibly is an actual bike failure is the starter. Everything else failed due to human intervention, or a lack of it.

    Had my 888 for 6 years and the only issue was a siezed thermostat after it sat for a while.
  12. StoneY's Avatar
    Most excellent feedback from all of you.

    I have fitted wavy rotors and can confirm the 'second set' that were fitted were not correct supply parts... turns out the shudder was fork bushes and never was related to the brakes at all! FFS!

    BTW buy your Wavy Disks from Norm at Stormin Bikes (google it) he rox no shit, he really is a guru and worth his weight in GOLD

    Bearings I take ownership...I like seeing the sky from time to time.

    Starter...high compression twin - par for the course I have decided

    Owning a Ducati - MY FAULT and time to shut the fuck up, take a concrete pill and find a GOOD but CHEAP mechanic to keep around....