DUCATI Complaints

FUEL TANK SWELLED AND DEFORMED RESULTING IS A FUEL LEAK AT THE FUEL PUMP UNDER THE SEAT. *TR

I JUST BOUGHT A DUCATI DIAVEL 2012 AND WHILE DRIVING THE REAR BRAKES LOCKED, I ALMOST WENT THROUGH TRAFFIC WITHOUT BRAKES THEN FLAMING BRAKE PARTS OF THE BIKE FLEW OFF AND MELTED IN THE STREET. THEN BRAKE FLUID SPRAYED ALL OVER THE BACK OF THE BIKE. THE ROTORS WERE SCARED AND THERE WERE CHIPS OF THE BIKE ON THE REAR WHEEL. BRAKE FLUID SPAYED EVERYWHERE AND THERE WAS COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE PRESSURE AND THE PEDDLE WAS IN A 5 O'CLOCK POSITION. THE BIKE DROPPED BECAUSE I WAS STARTLED AND GRIPPED THE FRONT BRAKE. I HAD TO RIDE HOME WITH ONLY THE FRONT BRAKES. I HAVE A PICTURE OF THE BRAKE PAD MELTED INTO THE ASPHALT OF THE STREET. *TR

HEADLIGHT, HIGH AND LOW BEAMS, FAILED. SEEMS TO BE DUE TO MELTED PLASTIC IN CONNECTOR BOX IN RIGHT FRONT OF VEHICLE. *TR

GAS TANK IS SWELLING DUE TO ETHANOL EXPANSION AND BEGINNING TO PUT BODY OUT OF ALIGNMENT, INHIBIT STEERING AND AFFECT SEATING. *TR

THE GAS TANK DEFORMED SO MUCH THAT INSTEAD OF A THREE POINT FIT, IT IS NOW ONLY HELD IN PLACE BY THE BOLT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE SEAT. THE TANK CAN EASILY BE LIFTED UP ON THE FRONT OF THE BIKE. THE TANK HAS ALSO DEVELOPED 'DIMPLES' ON THE SURFACE (AS IN LARGE 'DENT'). BASICALLY THE TANK IS COLLAPSING. THIS WILL BE THE THIRD GAS TANK REPLACEMENT FOR THIS BIKE. DUCATI COVERS IT UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, IT IS GUARANTEED THAT THIS ISSUE WILL RE-OCCUR. CURRENTLY THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO HAVE THE NEW TANK COATED BY A THIRD PARTY. THE COST FOR THIS IS NOT COVERED BY DUCATI (APPROX. $300) AND THIS PREVENTATIVE STEP WILL EFFECTIVELY VOID THE WARRANTY. THE COATING OF THE TANK MAY OR MAY NOT PREVENT THIS ISSUE FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. BUT SHOULD THE SAME ISSUE OCCUR AGAIN A REPLACEMENT MAY NO LONGER BE COVERED BY DUCATI. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AT APPROXIMATE 30-35 MPH THE ENGINE ON MY 2012 DUCATI 1199 MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY DIED. I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONTO THE GRASS MEDIAN. THE ENGINE WAS ABLE TO BE STARTED NORMALLY WITH ONE ATTEMPT USING THE STARTER AFTER I WAS STOPPED. THERE WERE NO OTHER SECONDARY INDICATIONS. OUTSIDE AIR TEMP. WAS APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ENGINE TEMP.180-187 DEGREES F. I HAD JUST COME OFF OF A 30 MILE RIDE ON COUNTRY ROADS AND HAD NORMAL INDICATIONS DURING THE RIDE. THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY ON THE REMAINDER OF THE RIDE HOME. SINCE THIS OCCURRENCE THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE I WAS DOWNSHIFTING PREPARING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR FOR TRAFFIC AHEAD. THE COMMON FACTORS HAVE BEEN DOWNSHIFTING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 40-20 MPH WITH THE CLUTCH ENGAGED. IN EACH CASE I WAS ABLE TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP USING THE STARTER. THIS ALSO HAPPENED TO ME ONCE AT NIGHT , LIGHTS OUT IN THE DARK STOPPED AT A MAJOR HI-WAY INTERSECTION. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS MENTALLY MORE PREPARED FOR IT. I INSURED THE BIKE WAS IN GEAR RELEASED THE CLUTCH AND THE ENGINE STARTED BACK. I HAVE REPORTED THESE EVENTS AS FAR BACK AS JUNE 2012 TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND AS OF THIS REPORT DATE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. I CHECKED ON DUCATI MS.ORG A FORUM WHERE OTHER DUCATI OWNERS DISCUSS DUCATI MOTORCYCLES AND DISCOVERED AT LEAST ONE OTHER 1199 PANIGALE OWNER HAD ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

2012 DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 S TOURING. HAS NO REAR BRAKE. DUCATI INSTALLED "THE REAR BRAKE KIT" WHICH IS SOME SORT OF UPGRADE. THIS PROVIDED A VERY TEMPORARY FIX, THE REAR BRAKE WORKED BETTER THAN STOCK, BUT THEN QUICKLY RETURNED TO THE ORIGINAL STATE- NO REAR BRAKE. THIS MOTORCYCLE WAS PURCHASED IN MID AUGUST 2012, THE REAR BRAKE DOES NOT WORK. DUCATI IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, THAT IS WHY THEY INSTALLED "THE KIT". THE REAR BRAKE SHOULD WORK, IT HAS LESS THAN 1500 MILES ON IT, IT'S A NEW MOTORCYCLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

THE REAR BRAKE ON MY MULTISTRADA WAS VERY GOOD AT PURCHASE. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE REAR DEGRADED SLOWLY AT FIRST. THEN, DURING A 2100 MILE TRIP, THE REAR BRAKE FAILED TO FUNCTION WHATSOEVER. I LEARNED THAT DUCATI WOULD REPLACE SOME COMPONENTS OF THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE. HAD THE UPDATED PARTS INSTALLED BY A DUCATI SERVICE TECHNICIAN APRIL OF 2012. MILEAGE ON MY DUCATI WAS ABOUT 7000 AT THAT TIME. UPON PICKING UP THE BIKE FROM SERVICE, THE REAR BRAKE WAS FUNCTIONAL BUT NOT AS GOOD AS WHEN THE BIKE WAS NEW. OVER TIME (5MONTHS) AND MILES (1500) THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM HAS BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD ONCE AGAIN. THE TRAVEL THAT THE PEDAL HAS IS RIDICULOUSLY EXCESSIVE RENDERING THE REAR BRAKE UNRELIABLE TO EFFECTIVELY SLOW AND CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE MANY REPORTS ON THE "DUCATI MS" SITE IN THE MULTISRADA SECTION THAT MULTIPLE OTHER REAR BRAKE UPGRADED BIKES CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM DEFECTS RENDERING THE REAR BRAKE USELESS OR NEARLY SO. THERE ARE ALSO PUBLICIZED, PUBLIC ARTICLES SPEAKING ON THE BRAKE LACK OF PERFORMANCE SUBJECT. DUCATI HAS REPORTEDLY COMPLETELY REDESIGNED THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM ON THE 2013 MODEL AND HAS ADMITTEDLY DONE SO DUE TO THE POOR PERFORMANCE ON THE 2010-2012 MODELS. EVEN THE UNITS WITH THE DUCATI REAR BRAKE UPDATE. *TR

THE REAR BRAKE DOES NOT WORK, AND THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ON A MOTORCYCLE. OVER SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL SLOWLY INCREASES TRAVEL, AND THEN GOES TO THE STOP AND DOES NOT ENGAGE THE REAR BRAKE AT ALL. DUCATI HAS TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO FIX THIS (I ALSO OWNED A 2011 MULTISTRADA WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM), AND ALL THEIR ATTEMPTS HAVE FAILED. I, AND MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS BIKE, HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY PATIENT IN TRYING TO ALLOW DUCATI THE TIME TO DEVELOP A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM, WHICH TO DATE HAS NOT HAPPENED. HAVING TO TAKE THE BIKE IN TO HAVE A DEALER BLEED THE REAR BRAKE CIRCUIT EVERY FEW HUNDRED MILES IS AN UNREALISTIC 'FIX' WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE. DUCATI HAS NOW PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM (PLEASE SEE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH HERE: HTTP://ASHONBIKES.COM/CONTENT/ANDREA-FORNI-INTERVIEW ) AND HAS INSTITUTED A FIX ON THE UPCOMING 2013 MODEL. TO DATE THERE HAS BEEN NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY DUCATI TO THOSE WITH REPEATED REAR BRAKE FAILURES ON THE CURRENT MODEL THAT THEY HAVE NOW FOUND A WAY TO ADDRESS, AND HOPEFULLY SOLVE, THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HESITATED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT FOR A VERY LONG TIME, BUT NOW THAT DUCATI HAS PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, AND THEY HAVE APPARENTLY NOW INSTITUTED A FIX, I FEEL THAT I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

FAILURE OF GAS TANK. GAS TANK SEEMS TO UNDERGO CHANGES OVER TIME A USE. THE CHANGES ARE, SWELLING, LEAKING, INTERNAL FAILURE, DAMAGE TO FUEL SYSTEM. SWELLING CAUSES INABILITY TO TURN HANDLE BARS TO MOVE TO FULL TURN. LEAKING CAUSES HARMFUL GAS FUMES TO BE CONSUMED BY RIDER WHICH CAN LEAD TO CANCER AND OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS, FIRE OR EXPLOSION IS ALSO A PROBLEM. INTERNAL FAILURE ALSO CAUSES THE ABOVE PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT ALSO THE INSIDE OF THE TANKS ALSO UNDERGO FLEX AND CAUSE CRACKING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE TANKS. DAMAGE TO FUEL SYSTEM FROM THE MATERIALS THAT MIX AND FALL INTO THE TANK. THIS CAN CLOG THE FUEL LINES CAUSING INJECTOR FAILURE OR EVEN ENGINE FAILURE. *TR