DUCATI Complaints

ENGINE STALLING ISSUES WHILE IN MOTION. THIS PROBLEM IS SINCE JULY 2010. THE MANUFACTURER RELEASED A COUPLE OF ENGINE MAPPING UPDATES WHICH DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CURRENTLY HAVE THE LATEST ECU MAPPING ON THE MOTORCYCLE, BUT STILL HAVE ISSUES. *TR

THE FUEL TANK ON MY 2004 DUCATI MULTISTRADA HAS EXPANDED TO THE POINT WHERE IT CAN NO LONGER BE SAFELY REMOVED FROM THE FRAME. THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY AN AUTHORIZED DUCATI DEALERSHIP. *TR

THE FUEL TANK ON MY 2007 DUCATI S4RS HAS EXPANDED TO THE POINT IT COULD NO LONGER FIT ON THE BIKE. THIS TANK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR THE SAME PROBLEM LESS THEN A YEAR AGO. THE ISSUE APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK REACTING THE FUEL. IT MAY BE RELATED TO ETHANOL IN THE FUEL. THE COMPANY CONTINUES TO REPLACE THE TANKS UNDER WARRANTY BUT I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE STARTED SINCE THIS PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO A TANK BEING UNLOCKED ON THE FRAME WITHOUT KNOWING IT. IN ADDITION THE FUEL LINES CAN LEAK DUE TO THE SHIFTING OF THE TANK AND THIS CAN LEAD TO FUEL SPILLING ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST LEADING TO FIRE. DUCATI SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REDESIGN THE TANK EITHER IN A BETTER PLASTIC OR METAL. *TR

ON MY 2007 DUCAT GT1000 MOTORCYCLE, THE GAS TANK IS FAULTY AND THE TANK IS SPREADING AS TIME PASSES. MY TANK HAS SPREAD ENOUGH THAT THE FRONT RIGHT PART OF THE TANK IS TOUCHING THE FORK WHEN CRANKED TO THE RIGHT. IT IS ALSO INCREASINGLY BECOMING LOSE FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKETS AND TANK CAN BE MOVED UP AND DOWN. I WILL BE TAKING THE MOTORCYCLE INTO A LOCAL DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT. *TR

ON THREE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE RIDING AT STEADY THROTTLE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THE BIKE CONTINUES TO RUN, BUT THE POWER AND SPEED DROP DRAMATICALLY. THE POWER LOSS LASTS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 SECONDS. ON ONE OCCASION I NOTICED THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS APPEAR ON THE DASH; DID NOT NOTICE THE OTHER TIMES. HAVE CHECKED WITH DUCATI SERVICE AND NO FAULT CODES WERE SEEN, AND SERVICE WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE.

HI I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT ANYTHING, JUST ASKING A QUESTION ABOUT A SERIOUS PROBLEM I HAVE HAD WITH MY DUCATI 999S 2004 MODEL. MY FRONT BRAKE SEIZED UP ON ME RECENTLY WITHOUT ME PULLING THE LEVER. THIS RESULTED IN ME NEARLY KILLING MYSELF. I CHECKED YOUR SITE AND NOTICED THERE WAS RECALLS FOR DUCATI 999S 2004- 2005 AND 2006. THIS RECALL WAS IN 2006. I EMAILED DUCATI ASKING THEM IF THERE WAS ANY RECALLS IN EUROPE WITH THIS PROBLEM AND I RECEIVED A PHONECALL THE NEXT DAY SAYING THAT EUROPE HASN'T HAD ANY RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM. I TOOK MY DUCATI TO A DUCATI DEALER IN CARDIFF WALES AND THEY CHECKED THE BRAKES FROM THE CALIPERS UP, CHANGED THE BRAKE FLUID AND SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. I MENTIONED THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POOR PIVOT ALIGNMENT AND I WAS TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT AFFECT UK BIKES. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE I HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN RIDING THE BIKE NOW AND I AM WONDERING IF THIS PART HAS BEEN PUT ON SOME OF THE UK BIKE. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE PART WAS BOUGHT BY A PREVIOUS OWNER. BECAUSE I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FAIRING HAS BEEN SPRAYED SO I DARE SAY THE BIKE MAY HAVE HAD DAMAGE TO THE BRAKE LEVER AND REPLACE WITH EITHER A NEW ONE OR A SECOND HAND ONE. WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN A RECALL PART. COULD ANYONE HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY MOTORCYCLE HAS A PLASTIC GAS TANK WHICH HAS BEGUN TO DEFORM AND PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD. THE OUTER DIMENSIONS OF THE TANK HAVE INCREASED AND IT NO LONGER FUNCTIONS PROPERLY, THE HANDLEBARS HIT IT ON TURNING, AND THE TANK & TANK LATCH PRESS AGAINST THE IGNITION SWITCH HOUSING. THE TANK LATCH IS INOPERABLE AND THE TANK'S RUBBER PADS NO LONGER SIT ON THE FRAME. THE TANK MATERIAL APPEARS TO HAVE EXPANDED INSIDE AS WELL, DECREASING THE FUEL CAPACITY OF THE TANK. THE TANK'S SWELLING HAS MADE IT SO THE HANDLEBARS DO NOT TURN CORRECTLY. THERE HAVE BEEN NO MODIFICATIONS TO THE FUEL TANK OR FUEL PUMP. I AM A DOCTORAL-TRAINED CHEMIST AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS DEFECT WILL RESULT IN DECREASED INTEGRITY OF THE TANK AND LEAD TO TANK RUPTURE OR WORSE, MAY LEAD TO A SERIOUS CRASH! SOME RESEARCH THAT THE TANK IS CONSTRUCTED OF A POLYAMIDE MATERIAL (PA6), WHICH IS A KNOWN ABSORBER OF WATER TO ~8 WEIGHT PERCENT BY MASS. THIS EFFECT IS MAGNIFIED IN THE FUELS CONTAINING ETHANOL AND LEADS TO DECREASED POLYMER PERFORMANCE. IT APPEARS DUCATI IS CURRENTLY REPLACING DEFECTIVE TANKS WITH TANKS CONSTRUCTED OF SIMILAR MATERIALS, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME ISSUES. MOREOVER, THE EPA IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING AN INCREASE IN THE ETHANOL CONTENT OF FUEL; AN ACT THAT WILL LEAD TO ACCELERATED DEGRADATION OF THE TANK MATERIALS. THIS IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE! I HAVE TAKEN THE BIKE TO A DEALER WHO SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO DUCATI NORTH AMERICA (THE IMPORTER/FACTORY). THE DEALER INDICATED IT WOULD BE SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE THE CLAIM WAS EITHER APPROVED OR DENIED. I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT MY TANK WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE OF THE SAME MATERIAL, AS ITS FAILURE IN A SIMILAR TIME FRAME WOULD EXTEND IT BEYOND THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY COVERING PARTS OF THE FUELING SYSTEM. *TR

2008 DUCATI S2R 1000, GAS TANK IS DISTORTING BEYOND ITS INTENDED DIMENSION AND WILL NOT FIT CORRECTLY ON THE FRAME STOPS. IT IS ALSO INTERFERING WITH THE FRONT LATCH (ADJACENT TO THE IGNITION HOUSING) MAKING ACCESS BELOW THE GAS TANK DIFFICULT. INCORRECT FIT IN THESE THREE FORWARD AREAS (TWO ON FRAME, ONE AT LATCH), PUTS EXCESSIVE STRESS ON REAR PIVOT, MAKING A POSSIBLE FAILURE CONDITION. *TR

2005 DUCATI MULTISTRADA FUEL TANK EXPANDED TO SUCH A POINT IT COULD NOT BE REMOVED TO PERFORM THE REQUIRED ENGINE SERVICES. TANK WAS REPLACED 07-09. NEW TANK IS SHOWING SIGNS OF SAME PROBLEM. OTHER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED LEAKING FUEL. IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE FUEL TANK BE REMOVABLE TO MAINTAIN THE ENGINE COMPONENTS. THE DEALER SAYS THAT DUCATI WILL REPLACE THE TANK AGAIN BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW MANY TIMES WILL THEY DO IT AS THE MODEL IS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION. *TR

GAS TANK HAS DEFORMED, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF ETHANOL IN GASOLINE. RESULTED IN TANK SPREADING AND BEING LOOSE FROM MOUNTS. MANUFACTURER'S SOLUTION HAS BEEN TO ADD SHIMS TO TANK MOUNTS, HOWEVER TANK HAS CONTINUED TO SPREAD. A RELATED (NOT A SAFETY ISSUE) ISSUE HAS BEEN SURFACE BUBBLING CAUSING UNACCEPTABLE VISUAL ISSUE. *TR