DUCATI Complaints

THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON MY DUCATI SPORT 1000 IS BULGING AND EXPANDING, CAUSING IT TO COME OUT OF THE FRONT MOUNTS. *TR

GAS TANK SPREADS (EXPANDS) OUT OF THE MOUNTING BRACKETS. THE GAS TANK CAN BE LIFTED OFF THE FRAME. DUCATI HAS REPLACED THE TANK ONCE AND THE NEW TANK IS SPREADING. I AM LOSING STEERING LOCK-TO-LOCK BECAUSE OF THE EXPANDING TANK. *TR

PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON MY 2007 DUCATI GT1000 SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE HAS BECOME WARPED/DEFORMED AND CAME FREE FROM ITS FRAME MOUNTS AS A RESULT. SEVERITY OF ISSUE PRESENTED ITSELF WHILE I WAS OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE, REPRESENTING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TOOK MOTORCYCLE TO REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE SHIMS INSTALLED SO FUEL TANK WOULD NOT BE LOOSE, BUT THE WARPING HAS CONTINUED. FUEL TANK IS NOW AGAIN LOOSE. *TR

I PURCHASED A DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC GT1000 IN EARLY 2007. TANK DEFORMED DURING REGULAR USE. CONTACTED DUCATI DEALER WHICH, AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH, AGREED TO REPLACE THE TANK WITH A NEW ONE. ALREADY AT THAT TIME I WAS WARNED THAT THE NEW TANK IS THE SAME AND THE ISSUE WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE TANK DEFORMED AGAIN AND I JUST (NOVEMBER 2010) VISITED THE DEALER AGAIN. THIS TIME, THE DEALER WAS VERY HELPFUL. THEY TOOK MEASUREMENTS (TANK SPREAD BY 2 CM), RELOCATED THE HOLDING BRACKETS TO TEMPORARILY SECURE THE TANK BETTER AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS I RECEIVED A CALL THAT AN ORDER FOR A NEW TANK HAS BEEN PLACED. NO CHANGES TO THE TANK HAVE BEEN MADE, SO I FULLY EXPECT THIS ISSUE TO HAPPEN AGAIN. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT SOME PEOPLE DECIDED TO COAT THE INSIDE OF THE TANK. HOWEVER, THAT WOULD BE MY EXPENSE. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT FIVE YEARS AFTER PURCHASE DATE, DUCATI WOULD NO LONGER SUPPORT FREE REPLACEMENTS. ONCE THE TANK STARTS SPREADING IT BECOMES VERY LOOSE AND ACTUALLY STARTS INTERFERING WITH STEERING. WHEN TURNING THE HANDLE BARS TO THE RIGHT, THE TOP OF THE FORK ACTUALLY TOUCHES THE TANK. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, AUTHORIZATION FOR THE REPLACEMENT IS GIVEN BY DUCATI NORTH AMERICA. HOWEVER NOTHING IS DONE TO SOLVE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A CALL FROM THE DEALER TO HAVE THE NEW (3RD) TANK INSTALLED ON MY BIKE. *TR

NYLON MOTORCYCLE FUEL TANK EXPANDS & CHANGES DIMENSIONS WHEN E10 IS USED. NYLON ABSORBS WATER FROM E10. *TR

IN JUNE, I PURCHASED A 2009 DUCATI GT1000 BRAND NEW FROM A DEALER IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA. UPON DELIVERY, THE GAS TANK WAS COMPLETELY DEFORMED SO THAT THE RUBBER BUMPERS INTENDED TO SECURE THE TANK TO THE FRAME NO LONGER SAT IN THE FRAME'S BRACKETS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE TANK IS MERELY RESTING ON THE FRAME, UNSECURED TO THE BIKE. THOUGH THE TANK IS BRAND NEW, I'VE TAKEN IT TO A DEALER WHO SAID THE DEFORMITY IS BAD ENOUGH THAT DUCATI IS REPLACING THE TANK UNDER WARRANTY. BUT THEY ARE DOING SO WITH A TANK THAT ISN'T ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE CURRENT TANK, MAKING IT--AND ME--SUSCEPTIBLE TO CONTINUED PROBLEMS AND PROTRACTED INTERVALS OF HAVING THE BIKE AT THE DEALERSHIPS. *TR

PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON 2007 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH FUEL. I HAVE HAD THE TANK REPLACED TWICE SINCE THE BIKE WAS NEW AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS WITH THE NEW REPLACEMENT TANKS. FUEL CAUSES THE TANKS TO DEFORM AND LEAK, CREATING A VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION. *TR

I HAVE A DUCATI MONSTER 796. IT IS APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MONTHS OLD. AFTER THE FIRST 6 WEEKS OF RIDING THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK DEFORMED TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING ONTO THE ENGINE CASING AND THEN TO THE GROUND IN MY PARKING GARAGE. I WAS ADVISED NOT TO RIDE THE BIKE IN FOR REPAIRS BECAUSE THE LEAKING FUEL REPRESENTED A COMBUSTION HAZARD. THE DEFECT POSED A SERIOUS DANGER BOTH TO MYSELF AND OTHER MOTORISTS ON THE ROADS OF NEW YORK STATE. THE PROBLEM HAS YET TO BE RECTIFIED BY DUCATI NORTH AMERICA BUT I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WILL BE TO FIT AN IDENTICAL FUEL TANK TO THE MOTORCYCLE THAT WILL PRESUMABLY FAIL IN A SIMILAR FASHION TO THE FIRST TANK. *TR

ON MOST DUCATI MOTORCYCLES WITH A PLASTIC FUEL TANK, THE TANK HAS BEEN KNOWN AND DOES INDEED DEFORM. IT IS SAID TO AFFECT MOTORCYCLES BUILT AS FAR BACK AS THEY HAVE USED A PLASTIC TANK. IT IS SAID IT IS BECAUSE OF THE ETHANOL IN FUEL SOLD HERE IN THE STATES, BUT NOW IT IS STARTING TO HAPPEN IN EUROPE AS WELL. THE TANK SWELLS AND DEFORMS UNTIL IT NO LONGER WILL SEAT OR SEAL PROPERLY CAUSING A SERIOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK. MY OWN MOTORCYCLE, A DUCATI 1098 MADE IN 2007 IS ALSO IN THIS GROUP. CURRENTLY, DUCATI SAYS THEY WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED TANKS, BUT THEY ARE REPLACING THEM WITH THE SAME TANK, SO IT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. IN ADDITION I HAVE BEEN WAITING NEARLY 2 MONTHS WITH NO WORD FROM DUCATI ABOUT THIS. *TR

I HAVE ENCOUNTERED (3) COMPLETE ENGINE SHUT-DOWNS (FLAMEOUTS) ON MY MOTORCYCLE. FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE IN THE VEHICLES "URBAN" MODE (200 MILES). AT ABOUT 20 MPH AS I WAS GEARING DOWN, THE MOTOR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. I IMMEDIATELY PRESSED THE START BUTTON, AND PROCEEDED ON WITHOUT INCIDENT. ATTRIBUTED THE SHUTDOWN, AT THE TIME, TO A NEW BIKE ENDURING ITS BREAK-IN-PERIOD. SECOND EVENT HAPPENED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT FROM AN INTERSECTION (400 MILES). I ROLLED ON THE THROTTLE, AND BEFORE I LEFT THE CLUTCH OUT, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I AM AN EXPERIENCED MOTORCYCLIST. I HAVE STALLED MOTORCYCLES BEFORE. THIS INCIDENT WAS DUE TO THE MACHINE AND WAS A BIT SCARY. INTERSECTION, CROSS TRAFFIC, ETC. I RE-STARTED THE MOTORCYCLE, AND DROVE AWAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. THIRD EVENT TRANSPIRED AT NIGHTTIME (1750 MILES). THIS WAS BY FAR THE MOST ALARMING OF THE THREE. WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH LEVER TO DOWNSHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR, (20-25 MPH) AGAIN, THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY SHUT OFF. ALSO, WHEN THE SHUT-DOWN OCCURRED, THE MOTORCYCLES HEADLIGHTS WENT DARK. I WAS IN A PREDICAMENT. MY NIGHT-VISION WAS HANDICAPPED FURTHER BY THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS SHINING TOWARD MY EYES. I IMMEDIATELY/CAUTIOUSLY BEGAN LEAVING THE CLUTCH LEVER OUT AS AN ATTEMPT TO REGAIN IGNITION AND LIGHTING(DRIFT START). I HAD ALREADY SELECTED FIRST GEAR, SO, THE COMPRESSION OF THE ENGINE, WAS GREATER THAN MY REAR WHEEL TRACTION, AND I BEGAN A REAR TIRE SKID THAT WAS RESOLVED BY PULLING THE CLUTCH LEVER. I THEN, WITH LOW NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY, DRIFTED THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE ROADWAY SHOULDER. I THEN RESTARTED THE DUCATI, AND CAUTIOUSLY DROVE HOME. I HAVE DISCOVERED THERE ARE MANY MULTISTRADA OWNERS ON THE NET, AT "DUCATI.MS.", THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE UNEXPECTED FLAW WITH THE 2010 MODEL YEAR.