DUCATI Complaints

REAR BRAKE IS WEAK, SOMETIMES FAULTY, SOMETIMES DEMANDING TOO MUCH PRESSURE TO START ACTING AND IT DOESN'T BRAKE STRONG ENOUGH.

MOTORCYCLE IS EQUIPPED THE DUCATI QUICK SHIFTER (DQS). WHEN DOWNSHIFTING FROM 3RD TO 2ND BIKE WILL OCCASIONALLY, AT LEAST ONCE PER OUTING, POP OUT OF GEAR AND GO INTO A 'FALSE' NEUTRAL. VERY DISCONCERTING ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING INTO A CORNER. HAVE REPEATEDLY COMPLAINED TO MY DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE SITUATION BUT THEY SEEM NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE AND TO BLAME DRIVER ERROR, ME. I HAVE OVER 27K MILES ON THIS BIKE, I THINK I'D KNOW HOW TO RIDE THIS PARTICULAR BIKE PROPERLY BY NOW.

THE FIRST ISSUE ON MY DUCATI IS THE REAR BRAKE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY FOR MANY YEARS NOW. THE REAR BRAKE DOES NOT STOP MY BIKE IN A SAFE DISTANCE AND WHEN WARMED UP WHILE RIDING IT IS VERY SQUISHY AND DOES NOT LOCK UP EVEN WHEN EXTREME PRESSURE IS APPLIED. I HAVE CHANGED THE FLUID RELIGIOUSLY MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR AND HAVE REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WHICH THE SAME RESULTS WITH ALL BRAND NEW EQUIPMENT! THE REAR FLUID LOCATION IS IN MY OPINION THE ISSUE...THE FLUID HEATS UP AND BREAKS DOWN, PREVENTING IT FROM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ADDITIONALLY MY FUEL GAUGE SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH DUCATI'S YET NOBODY SEEMS TO WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM...WHICH IS THE SENSOR FAILS TO READ TO FUEL LEVEL PROPERLY AND AT A COST OF $125 JUST FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART NOT TO MENTION THE LABOR IT COSTS TO REMOVE THE FUEL TANK AND REPLACE THE FAULTY SENSOR WITH A NEW ONE....SEVERAL HOURS IN LABOR LATER EACH TIME...THE NEW SENSOR WILL WORK FOR A FEW MONTHS TO A YEAR THEN STOP WORKING AGAIN AND GIVE ERRORS JUST LIKE BEFORE. I HAVE TRIED EVERY NEW SERIES OF FUEL SENSOR FROM DUCATI FOR MY MOTORCYCLE AND STILL THE SAME RESULT. PLEASE HELP THE DUCATI OWNERS LIKE MYSELF BY INVESTIGATING THESE KNOWN ISSUES AND FORCE DUCATI TO FIX THESE ISSUES ON ALL THEIR BIKES ONCE AND FOR ALL!

MOTORCYCLES REAR BRAKE POWER IS VERY POOR AND IN MANY REPORTED CASES NON-EXISTANT. THE REAR BRAKE IS SO WEAK AS TO BE NORMALLY INCAPABLE OF EVEN ACTIVATING THE ABS SYSTEM AT THE REAR WHEEL. STOPPING THE MOTORCYCLE USING THE REAR BRAKE IS EFFECTIVELY IMPOSSIBLE IN NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. I HAVE A DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND HAVE BEEN A MOTORCYCLE RIDER FOR OVER 50 YEARS. I AM QUALIFIED AND ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THIS REAR BRAKE AS POORLY DESIGNED AND INCAPABLE OF PRODUCING PROPER STOPPING POWER. THE BRAKE HAS BEEN PROPERLY BLED, ABS SYSTEMS PROPERLY PRIMED AND BLED, ONLY THE HIGHEST QUALITY BRAKE FLUIDS HAVE BEEN USED (I.E. CASTROL SRF), THE VERY POOR BRAKING POWER PERSISTS. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE MOTORCYCLES AND IS DISCUSSED IN LENGTH ON PUBLIC FORUMS WHERE OWNERS ARE TRYING TO FIND A FIX. NO SUITABLE FIX TO THE EXISTING SYSTEM IS KNOWN TO MY KNOWLEDGE OR SUBSTANTIAL RESEARCH. THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION.

THE REAR BRAKE DOES NOT FUNCTION AS IT SHOULD, ALMOST NO STOPPING POWER AT ALL, EVEN AT VERY LOW SPEEDS

THE REAR BRAKE IS INEFFECTIVE AT ANY SPEED. THE BLEEDER SCREW IS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CALIPER AND IT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PROPERLY BLEED. THE BRAKE LINE LEADING TO THE CALIPER IS TOO CLOSE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAUSING THE FLUID IN THE LINE TO BOIL. I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I CAN THINK OF TO FIX THESE ISSUES BUT THE BRAKE IS STILL INEFFECTIVE.

THE REAR BRAKE FLUID WILL TURN A DARK COLOR AFTER LESS THAN 1000 MILES OF HAVING BEEN REPLACED AND BLED. THIS RENDERS THE REAR BRAKE ALMOST USELESS. THE REAR PEDAL WILL FEEL SPONGY AT FIRST, THEN I START TO NOTICE A LACK OF REAR BRAKING PERFORMANCE. IF I LEAVE IT FOR MORE THAN 1500 MILES WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE ISSUE, I WILL LOSE ALL REAR BRAKING PERFORMANCE/FUNCTION.

REAR BRAKE IS VERY VERY WEAK, ALMOST NOT WORKING. IT HAS BEEN A STANDING PROBLEM SINCE NEW.

REAR BRAKE IS BASICALLY USELESS. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY A DUCATI DEALER $180.00 AN HOUR TO BLEED THE BRAKE FOR ME, SO I DO IT MYSELF. WORKS FOR A BIT, THEN GOES AWAY AND BARELY STOPS THE WHEEL WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE NEW AND DUCATI HAS NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED IT AS A PROBLEM AS IT AFFECTS A FEW DIFFERENT MODELS.

THE REAR BRAKE STOPS WORKING COMPLETELY AFTER A WHILE, AND THE READ BRAKE PEDAL WONT BRAKE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WITH BEING A ABS SYSTEM. WHICH MAKES IT USELESS.