DUCATI Complaints

I HAVE PURCHASE A 2007 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC 1000 1 AND 1/2 YEARS AGO AND RECENTLY FOUND MY GAS TANK IS SPREADING APART. THE GAS TANK HAS SPREAD FAR ENOUGH WHERE THERE IS NOTHING HOLDING THE TANK, I CAN LIFT THE TANK UP AWAY. I AM VERY CONCERN OF THE SAFETY. THERE IS A WEBSITE PEOPLE WITH A SIMILAR BIKE POST THERE COMPLAIN HTTP://WWW.DUCATI.MS/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=BE1A4D887F06512308D4A640C94C82E4&T=55155. *TR

I JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2009 DUCATI SPORT 1000 MOTORCYCLE. HAVE PUT ABOUT 160 MILES ON THE BIKE AND PARKED IT OUTSIDE WORK FOR 2 HOURS IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. THE GAS TANK WAS HALF FULL. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE BIKE THE TANK HAD EXPANDED APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND 1 INCH FROM FRONT TO BACK. IT STARTED TO LOOK LIKE THE SHAPE OF A BANANA. THE TANK WAS COMPLETELY LOOSE ENOUGH TO LIFT OFF THE FRAME. I OPENED THE GAS TANK AND A GUSH OF AIR ESCAPED AND THE TANK SHRUNK BACK DOWN ABOUT 75% WHICH LEFT CREASES IN THE TANKS SURFACE ALONG WITH RIPPLES IN THE SURFACE. IF I WAS RIDING WHEN THIS OCCURRED I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED! THE BIKE HAS ONLY BEEN REFUELED ONCE WITH 93 OCTANE PREMIUM FUEL. I HAVE PICTURES AVAILABLE THAT WERE TAKEN AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. *TR

FUEL TANK HAD BLISTERED, REPLACED, BLISTERED AND BUCKLED AGAIN, REPLACED. THE BIKE IS NOW OFF WARRANTY, AND I ASSUME IT'S ONLY A QUESTION OF TIME BEFORE THE TANK GOES AGAIN. *TR

I OWN A 2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE. THE GAS TANK IS PLASTIC AND THE TANK IS SPREADING APART FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKETS TO THE POINT WHERE THE BRACKETS DO NOT ENGAGE THE TANK ANY LONGER. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AS THE TANK COULD SEPARATE FROM THE MOTORCYCLE. I READ ON OWNER FORUMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAS SO FAR FAILED TO ADDRESS. I ALSO READ THAT THIS WAS BEING INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA AND THAT I SHOULD FILE A COMPLAINT. I FIRST OBSERVED THIS CONDITION IN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND IT HAS CONTINUED TO WORSEN. *TR

GAS TANK ON '07 DUCATI GT1000 IS SPREADING APART. TANK IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND OVER TIME THE TANK HAS SPREAD AWAY FROM THE FRONT MOUNTING BRACKETS. *TR

THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON MY 2006 DUCATI PAUL SMART 1000 MOTORCYCLE IS SPREADING IN WIDTH, SO THAT IT NO LONGER SITS SECURELY ON THE MOUNTS THAT ATTACH IT TO THE VEHICLE. THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK IS ALSO BECOMING DIMPLED, WAS SMOOTH WHEN NEW. I SUSPECT IT MAY THE POLYMER USED IN THE FUEL TANK REACTING BADLY WITH THE ETHANOL WE HAVE IN USA GASOLINE. *TR

FUEL TANK HAS SPREAD APPROXIMATELY 1" AND NO LONGER FITS THE MOUNTING POINTS. TANK IS LOOSE AND WOULD SEPARATE FROM THE FRAME IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I OWN A 2007 DUCATI GT1000. THERE IS APPARENTLY A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE PLASTIC COMPOSITE GAS TANK IN WHICH THE FRONT BOTTOM OF THE TANK SPREADS OUT OVER TIME CAUSING THE FRONT TANK PEGS TO LOSE CONTACT WITH THE RETAINING BRACKETS CONNECTED TO THE MOTORCYCLE FRAME. THE RESULT IS THAT THE TANK IS ONLY SECURED TO THE FRAME BY A SINGLE BOLT AT THE REAR OF THE TANK. THIS COULD EASILY SNAP OFF IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH SPILLING FUEL AND POSSIBLY CAUSING A FIRE. DUCATI HAS AGREED TO REPLACE THE TANK AS THE MOTORCYCLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE MATERIAL, THIS ISSUE WILL CONTINUE TO RECUR. *TR

DUCATI SPORT 1000 FUEL TANK WAS LOOSE UPON DELIVERY OF NEW MOTORCYCLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM RELATED TO THIS SERIES OF MOTORCYCLES. THE FUEL TANK IS HELD ON BY TWO RUBBER MOUNTS AT THE FRONT, AND A SINGLE BOLT AT THE REAR OF THE ASSEMBLY. IN THIS CASE, THE TANK HAD SPREAD ABOUT ONE INCH AND NO LONGER WOULD SECURE TO THE FRONT MOUNTS SAFELY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TANK ON INSPECTION, BUT I WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE COMMUNITY TO FILE A REPORT NONETHELESS. *TR

I OWN A 2006 PAUL SMART 1000LE, FROM THE SPORT CLASSIC LINE BY DUCATI. THE GAS TANK, WHICH IS MADE FROM SOME SORT OF PLASTIC HAS BEGUN TO SPREAD APART AND IS NOT CONNECTED TO ITS MOORING POINTS. BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ ON WWW.DUCATI.MS, THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THESE TANKS, AND I AM WORRIED THAT IT MAY FALL OFF WHILE RIDING AND PERHAPS EVEN START A FIRE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHERS HAVE GOTTEN REPLACEMENT TANKS ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME SPREADING OCCUR. *TR