2008 DUCATI 1098 Complaints

WHILE RIDING MOTORCYCLE IT DEVELOPED A RADIATOR LEAK WITH COOLANT RUNNING DOWN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE LEAK WAS FOUND TO BE NEAR THE UPPER LEFT RADIATOR MOUNT. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND OTHER DUCATI MODELS WITH THE SAME RADIATOR. DUCATI REPLACED MANY IN WARRANTY AND EVEN FOR SOME TIME AFTER UNDER A "GOOD WILL" PROGRAM. NO RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE FAULTY PART, THOUGH AN UPDATED PART WAS MANUFACTURED. DUCATI PART 548.4.074.2B TO REPLACE 548.4.0741B. THIS COULD LEAK COULD HAVE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES ON A MOTORCYCLE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF COOLANT LEAKING ONTO THE REAR TIRE. A QUICK LOOK ON THE INTERNET WILL SHOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM.

THE FUEL TANK ON MY 2008 DUCATI MODEL MONSTER S4RS TRICOLORE HAS EXPANDED DUE TO A COMMONLY KNOWN PROBLEM OF ETHANOL FUELS REACTING TO THE MATERIAL WHICH THE TANKS ARE MADE FROM. THE TANK HAS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED TO THE POINT WHERE IT NOW IMPEDES THE TURNING OF THE HANDLEBARS AND IS WAVY ALONG THE SIDES WHERE THE KNEES ARE POSITIONED. THE TANK, AS OF YET, DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE LEAKING BUT MANY HAVE HAD LEAKS DEVELOP AND IT CERTAINLY APPEARS TO BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DUCATI 1098 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK SWELLED TO MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS ITS NORMAL SIZE. THIS FAILURE CAUSED FUEL TO LEAK OUT OF THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE ETHANOL USED IN GASOLINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED BUT THE FUEL TANK WOULD BE REPLACED WITH THE SAME TYPE OF FUEL TANK THAT PREVIOUSLY FAILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

WHEN MOTORCYCLE DRIVEN AT SLOW PACE OR IN TRAFFIC THE HEAT IS UNBEARABLE FROM EXHAUST MAKING ME OVER HEAT AND ALMOST PASSED OUT FROM THIS BIKE CAUSING BURNS ON LEG. *TR

STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT START. DEALER FOUND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL HOSE IN TANK DISCONNECTED, DEALER REPLACED FUEL LINE. *TR

I PURCHASED A '08 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC SPORT 1000 IN APRIL 2009. IT WAS USED WITH 1,200 MILES ON IT. WITHIN 2 MONTHS OF PURCHASE THE GAS TANK "SPREAD". THIS MEANS THE PLASTIC GAS TANK DISTORTED IT'S SHAPE ENOUGH TO COME COMPLETELY OFF IT'S MOUNT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GAS TANK. DUCATI IS REPLACING THIS TANK WITH AN EXACT DUPLICATE. SINCE THE REPLACEMENT TANK IS THE SAME MATERIAL AS THE ORIGINAL, I EXPECT THE "SPREADING " PROBLEM TO RE-OCCUR. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE MATERIAL USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GAS TANK. DUCATI IS GIVING US DEFECTIVE TANKS TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TANKS ON THE BIKES. *TR

THE VEHICLE I'M REFERRING TO IS A 2008 1098S DUCATI. WHILE IDLING, DRIVING OR WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE MOTORCYCLE WILL SHUT OFF WHEN THE CLUTCH IS APPLIED. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT GEAR I AM ON OR THE MOTORCYCLE'S TEMPERATURE. THE PROBLEM BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE OFF OF THE DEALERSHIPS LOT. I NOTIFIED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE PROBLEM DURING THE 300 COURTESY INSPECTION. I'VE SINCE TAKEN THE BIKE TO GET REPAIRED FOR THE SAME ISSUE OVER FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. EACH TIME THE BIKE IS RETURNED UNDER THE PREMISE THAT THE ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED. DURING A TWO WEEK PERIOD I DOCUMENTED THAT THE BIKE SHUT OFF 16 TIMES. DURING ONE OF THE SHUT OFFS, I WAS SPLITTING LANES. THE CARS GOT TOO CLOSE TO ME AND UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES AND THE CLUTCH THE MOTORCYCLE SHUT OFF INCREASING MY CHANCES OF GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT. DURING THE TIMES THE MOTORCYCLE WAS SENT TO BE REPAIRED, ASIDE FROM THE INSPECTION DONE ONLY THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND THE THROTTLE BODIES WERE CHANGED. *TR

2008 DUCATI MONSTER S2R 1000, PLASTIC TANK EXPANDS OVER TIME (ABOUT 3000 MILES) TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS COMPLETELY OFF OF THE SUPPORTS ON THE FRAME. THERE WAS A REPORT OF A DUCATI TANK EXPLODING IN NORTH CAROLINA... DUCATI AGREED TO REPLACE MY TANK UNDER THEIR EMISSIONS WARRANTY. HOWEVER, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE BIKE WHEN ITS WARRANTY EXPIRES, OR WHEN THIS ISSUE BECOMES WIDELY KNOWN AND NOONE WOULD WANT THIS BIKES USED. *TR

EXCESSIVE EXHAUST HEAT CAUSED BLISTER BURNS THROUGH LEATHER SUIT ON LEG WHEN MOTORCYCLE DRIVEN SLOW. THIS MOTORCYCLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN SLOW WITH OUT THE EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE EXHAUST HEAT. *TR

DUCATI 1098S 2008 BIKE WAS PURCHASED 29 OCT 2008, RODE HOME FIRST NIGHT WITH NO ISSUES. ON THE SECOND DAY OF RIDING THE BIKE STALLED AS I WAS APPROACHING A LIGHT, I SQUEEZED THE CLUTCH LEVER AND WAS PRESSING BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES AT THE TIME AS I WAS DOWNSHIFTING FROM THIRD INTO SECOND GEAR, WAS ANNOYED BUT WASN'T CONCERNED AT FIRST BECAUSE IT HAPPENED AS I WAS STOPPING AT A LIGHT. IT HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES IN A VERY SIMILAR MANNER AS THE FIRST BUT IN A LESS IDEAL SITUATION DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC. THEN ON 1 NOVEMBER 2008 IT HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY. LAST INCIDENT HAPPENED IN A MIDDLE OF A RIGHT HAND TURN, A TAXI CUT ME OFF CAUSING ME TO BRAKE AND SWERVE OUT OF THE WAY, I WAS STILL LEANED OVER WHEN THE BIKE STALLED AS I SQUEEZED THE CLUTCH LEVER TO DOWN SHIFT. I ALMOST CRASHED WHEN THE BIKE STALLED WITH CARS BEHIND ME BRAKING RAPIDLY TO AVOID BOTH THE TAXI THAT CUT ME OFF AND MY BIKE WHICH STALLED IN THE INTERSECTION. I RODE THE BIKE ON 2 NOV 2008 WITHOUT INCIDENT, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE INTERMITTENT AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS ACTUALLY CAUSING IT. I'VE RODE MOTORCYCLES SINCE 1994 AND HAVE OWNED AND RODE NUMEROUS MOTORCYCLES OVER THE YEARS AND NEVER ONCE HAVE I EXPERIENCED A MOTORCYCLE THAT STALLS WHEN YOU HOLD THE CLUTCH LEVER. *TR