2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC Complaints

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED 2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC SPORT 1000 FROM THE DEALER (TOURING SPORT IN GREENVILLE, SC) THAT SOLD IT TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THEN TO ME. THE GAS TANK HAS DEFORMED TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS NO LONGER SECURELY HELD IN PLACE ON THE FRAME. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MOTORCYCLE. MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE NHTSA. I HAVE SUFFERED NO CATACLYSMIC EVENTS DUE TO THIS DEFECT. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL IS GREAT AND I MUST HAVE SOME RESOLUTION BEFORE I WILL CONSIDER THE MOTORCYCLE SAFE TO DRIVE. THANK-YOU. *TR

FUEL TANK ON MY 2006 DUCATI PAUL SMART (PS1000LE) HAS DEVELOPED WAVES ON THE SURFACE AND NUMEROUS DIMPLES. THE SURFACE IS NO LONGER UNIFORM. ALSO, IT SEEM TO HAVE INCRESED ITS OUTSIDE SIZE. THIS IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE HOWEVER. DUE TO THE TANK DEFORMATION IT IS NO LONGER FIRMLY ATTACHED TO THE FRAME AND CAN ESILY BE MOVED(ROCKED) SIDE TO SIDE. THIS IS EXTREMEMLY DANGEORUS AND I AM WORRIED THAT IF THIS DEFORMATION CONTINUES THE TANK CAN BECOME DISLOGED OR CRACK CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND FIRE. I ASKED MY DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT, I WAS REFUSED.

GAS TANK WARPS AND DEFORMS AS AIR TEMP OR PRESSURE CHANGES. CAUSES LOUD POP AND CONTRACTION OF TANK AT FUEL STOPS, AND AFTER A WHILE WILL CAUSE PAINT TO BUBBLE. DUCATI HAS ALREADY REPLACED THE ORIGINAL TANK AFTER 18 MONTHS AND NOW THE SECOND IS STARTING TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT A BIT. *TR

MY PLASTIC FUEL TANK EXPANDS AND DEFORMS, A PHENOMENON SUPPOSEDLY CAUSED BY A CHEMICAL REACTION OF THE PLASTIC TANK TO THE ETHANOL IN THE FUEL (THIS PROBLEM SEEMS ONLY TO OCCUR FOR THE BIKES THAT ARE IN THE UNITED STATES, BECAUSE OTHER COUNTRIES APPARENTLY DO NOT HAVE ETHANOL IN THE GAS). THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. THERE ARE OVER 100 COMPLAINTS FILED IN THIS NHTSA SITE, MOSTLY WITH THE SPORT CLASSIC LINE, BUT ALSO WITH THE MONSTER, HYPERMOTARD, AND SUPERBIKE LINES AS WELL. ANY OF DUCATI'S BIKES WITH PLASTIC FUEL TANKS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE. ON A POPULAR WEBSITE, DUCATI.MS, 238 SPORT CLASSIC OWNERS STATED THEY EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE TANK EXPANDING. THE CONCERN IS THAT EVEN THE REPLACEMENT TANKS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. MY SECOND TANK HAS ALSO DEFORMED AND NOW I AM SEEKING A THIRD TANK FROM DUCATI. THE WORRY FOR ALL SPORT CLASSIC OWNERS IS THAT SOON DUCATI WILL STOP HONORING THESE CLAIMS AS OUR WARRANTY PERIODS HAVE ENDED. THE SPORT CLASSICS WERE SUCH LIMITED EDITION BIKES, THAT THERE IS ALSO CONCERN THAT DUCATI WILL NOT MANUFACTURE ANY MORE REPLACEMENT TANKS. BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE FRUSTRATION IS THAT TO THIS DATE, DUCATI STILL HAS NOT INTRODUCED A REPLACEMENT PLASTIC FUEL TANK THAT WILL NOT EXPAND. AGAIN, ALTHOUGH THIS PROBLEM IS MOST PREVALENT FOR OWNERS OF THE SPORT CLASSIC LINE, DEALERS INFORM ME THEY ARE SEEING SIMILAR PROBLEMS NOW WITH ALL DUCATI BIKES EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC FUEL TANKS, SOMETHING DUCATI NEVER DID BEFORE, INTRODUCING THEM IN 2006. THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING FILED WITH HOPES THAT THE NHTSA CAN MAKE SURE DUCATI CONTINUES TO DEVELOP A REPLACEMENT TANK THAT WILL NOT DEFORM (AGAIN THE REPLACEMENT TANKS NOW ARE NO BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL ONES). AND UNTIL THEY DO THAT, I HOPE THE NHTSA CAN PERSUADE DUCATI TO CONTINUE TO REPLACE THESE PROBLEM TANKS, REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE BIKE WAS PURCHASED, AND TO SPECIFICALLY PROVIDE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THOSE REPLACEMENTS. *TR

1) THE PLASTIC GAS TANK HAS "SPREAD" OR DEFORMED AND NO LONGER MOUNTS TO THE MOTORCYCLE FRAME CORRECTLY. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT THE TANK COULD COME LOOSE. 2) THE SPREADING SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY FUEL CONTAINING ETHANOL AND ONCE THE TANK HAS SPREAD IT DOES NOT RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL SHAPE. 3) DUCATI IS CURRENTLY REPLACING TANKS, BUT FOR HOW LONG? THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE MY TANK, BUT THE REPLACEMENT TANK WOULD NOT BE AUTOGRAPHED (THE ORIGINAL TANK IS AUTOGRAPHED WHICH ADDS TO THE VALUE OF THE MOTORCYCLE. DUCATI PAID TO HAVE THE MOTORCYCLE RACER COME TO THE US AND AUTOGRAPH THE TANKS IN ORDER TO SELL THE MOTORCYCLES - SO THEY ADDED THE VALUE). I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL, DEFORMED TANK. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I HAVE A 2006 DUCATI SPORT1000 MOTORCYCLE [XXX] [XXX] WITH A FUEL TANK WHICH HAS BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE MOUNTING TO THE FRAME OF THE MOTORCYCLE. THIS IS DUE TO A WELL KNOWN DEFECT ON DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLES, IN WHICH THE FUEL TANK SLOWLY SPREADS APART, SO THAT THE RUBBER MOUNTS NO LONGER PROPERLY ENGAGE. THIS IS BOTH A SAFETY AND EMISSIONS RISK. THIS DEFECT WAS DOCUMENTED IN MY MOTORCYCLE BY DUCATI SEATTLE ON MARCH 5, 2010, BUT THE DESIGN FLAW IS KNOWN TO HAVE EXISTED FROM THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE. *TR

I HAVE A MOTORCYCLE THAT WAS INCLUDED IN A RECALL FOR A DEFECTIVE FUEL LINE CONNECTOR: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V017000 COMPONENT: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS BECAUSE OF AN OVERSIGHT BY EITHER DUCATI NORTH AMERICA, OR THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY MOTORCYCLE, EASTSIDE MOTORSPORTS, OR WHERE I HAD RECENTLY HAD SERVICE, DUCATI SEATTLE, I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE RECALL. INSTEAD, MY ENGINE FAILED WHILE ON A CURVED ON-RAMP, WHICH WAS VERY DANGEROUS. NOBODY KNOWS WHY I WASN'T INFORMED, OR WHO IS RESPONSIBLE. *TR

AFTER ONLY 3000 MILES, THE GAS TANK WARPS AND SPREADS UNTIL IT IS NOT SECURE ON THE FRAME. THIS IS POSSIBLY DUE TO GAS INTERACTIONS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY DUCATI. *TR

THE FUEL TANK ON MY DUCATI MOTORCYCLE IS SPREADING AND HAS FALLEN OFF INTO FRAME MOUNT ON THE LEFT SIDE AND IS COMING CLOSE TO FALLING OFF ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE SPORTCLASSIC SERIES. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR DEFORMATION AT THE FUEL PUMP SUMP. I'M WORRIED ABOUT LEAKS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE. *TR

THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON MY MOTORCYCLE EXPANDED, 'BUBBLED' AND WARPED TO A POINT THAT IT WAS UNSAFELY ATTACHED TO MOTORCYCLE. THE DEALER REPLACED FUEL TANK WITH AN IDENTICAL COPY, WHICH WORRIES ME ABOUT FUTURE ISSUES. *TR