Duc Owners - Just How Reliable Are They?

[Busa@11K]

I've never owned a Ducati, but am getting pretty interested in the new 1098.

I'm not up on the reliability and maintenance issues that Ducs have, so maybe some owner's can chime in with their real world experience.  What are the biggest maintenance items ... valve adjustment #1?

Is the engine in the 1098 basically a tweaked 999, or is it all new?  Hopefully a tweaked version of something proven.

[MisterSmooth]

Well, Duc owners are willing to sacrifice practicality, and some would say reliability, for style.

So I'd say that Duc owners may not be all that reliable, but they're worth the wait.










 

[RickC1957]

I have a 2005 ST3 that is reliable as any other bike out there...just over 19000 miles....absolutely no problems...a 2005 620 monster...no problems either

[2DFlyer]

I struggled awhile with the same concern before buying an ST3.  I'm not willing to sacrifice reliability but after reading enough testimonials I bought without hesitation.  Ducati has come a long ways the past few years in over coming perceptions fueled by previous model year problems.  Having a two year warranty helps too.  I only had 2500 miles on the ST when we parted ways but they were absolutely trouble free.  

Once you've convinced yourself reliability isn't an issue why not get Marc11 going by saying you've heard Ducati maintenance is stupid expensive and the dealers are a bunch of crooks.  

[JoBu]

I've got about 25,000 miles on my '99 900SS with zero problems.  I do stay on top of the scheduled maintenance but it has served me very well.  When I bought my Duc (back in 2000) the Service Manager (who was also a friend of mine) advised me to stick to the 2-valve air-cooled models.  He said that their track record was much better than the 4-valve liquid-cooled models.  He also pointed out that their maintenance was much cheaper.  Later, during the end of the 996/998 phase, he told me that the 4-valve units were doing much better than before.  But, when the 749/999 came out, they had quite a few of the early models in for warranty work.  I love the new 1098, but I think I would personally wait for the 2nd year to see if the early models had any bugs.  Just my $.02, as always, YMMV.  Good luck.

Best regards,

Joe

[marc11]

14k on my 2004 ST4s-ABS (purchased as a left over in 2005), only trouble was a bad dash (known to be an issue with the 2004's) and a rotor that warped (also known to be an issue), both replaced under warranty with no troubles and no wait for parts.  Otherwise, the bike is rock solid and I wouldn't hesitate to go across country on it right now...in fact, I may being doing just that this summer!

Biggest maintenance cost will be the 12k/15k service, which is the big service, belts, valves, filters and fluids.  The 6k/7.5k service is now basically just a valve check, which should run under $300.  The bigger service will run you $600 or so.  This also depends on what you tell your dealer to do and what you do yourself.  Me, I change my own oil, filters and all fluids, so, my services, big or small are not expensive at all.  Also, after speaking with owners of Ducati shops as well as many owners of the bikes, I have modified my maintenance schedule as follows:

Oil Changes/screen cleaning - every 3k w/Mobil 1 15w50 CAR OIL.
Oil Filter Change - Every other oil change
Valve Check - 7.5k and then every 9k
Belts/valves/fluid/filter/spark plug service - 2 Years or every 18k which ever comes first.

But this is just me, YMMV, IMHO, follow your own feelings, etc....


Download the new MY 2007 owners manual, the new service schedule is far less than what the previous model years were.

[marc11]

Once you've convinced yourself reliability isn't an issue why not get Marc11 going by saying you've heard Ducati maintenance is stupid expensive and the dealers are a bunch of crooks.  

   Maybe someone at DNA should hire me as a pissed off PR guy!  

[atypical1]

The 4 valve motors are, by nature, more maint intensive than the 2v ones (obviously). They have extended out the service intervals now and what used to be done yearly regardless of mileage is now just a check. This should save you money especially if you are looking for a track and weekend bike.

There is a LOT of maint you can do yourself. Tire changes, oil changes, fluids, brakes, etc. I am not good enough to mess with the valves but the rest is pretty simple. If you get a good mech and the valves get done right then you might not need to have then adjusted again.

The expensive bit are the mods!  

[BikerRN]

My wife and I both ride 2-Valve air cooled Multistradas.  They are very reliable.

I agree that the 2-Valve motors are more reliable, from what I've seen and heard at my local shop.  If you are looking at the 1098 I would wait a year, so the bugs can be "ironed out".

Ducati has come a long way in regards to reliability and I would compare their reliability with any bike out there.  They are good, but do require that you look after them.  They are not forgiving of sloppy or skipped maintenance!

If you do the simple stuff yourself it's not too bad.  Changing the oil and other fluids should be something you can do.  As far as valve checks, if you can do that do it too.  I would have the shop do the valve replacements though.  Not a slight on your mechanical abilities, just what I would do.

There is nothing like a Ducati, and it's worth it.  

[Aero]

I had my '98 ST2 for six years and around 25k miles with no problems other than a failed clutch slave cylinder master seal which took me half an hour to fix once I had bought a new seal off the shelf at my dealer. I rode it from the UK to Prague and Budapest, cruising at over 100mph fully loaded on German autobahns, covered 3500 miles in two weeks and the only maintenance it needed was one chain adjustment and an oil change when I got home. Then I shipped it to California and rode it there for a year including a trip to Las Vegas via Yosemite and Death Valley. Changed my cam belts once, an easy job once I was shown how to do it. The valves never needed adjustment after the 6000 mile service. That's about it for maintenance really. I will definitely have another Ducati, they are really a unique riding experience. I think it is to do with the precise valve control allowed by the desmodromic system, it makes the motor really come alive.

[BikerRN]

+1  

[Bodhi]

I'll be honest with you, I had more maintenance issues with my Honda Shadow than with my ST3. Grant it the Shadow was six years old. But my Duc is now one-year old with just over 6000 miles on it (I know - I need to get out more). And I have no issues yet. I bought the Shadow used for $2,700 and almost paid for it a second time in the three years I owned it with:

• bad stator
• cracked battery
• blown fork seal
• gunked up carb
• hole in seat
• wiring problem

I know not all of these are the fault of the bike per se, but I was stranded waiting for a tow three times in one year. I sold that dog and bought a Ducati and have no qualms.

[TalkingHead]

I had a 2000 Monster 750 that had incurable fueling issues. My brother has had two Monster 900s and a 748 with which he had zero issues. I would say that at this point Ducs are as reliable as any other bike, but the ratio to good bikes to bad backs from the factory is more pronounced because they don't make as many.

[Busa@11K]

I love the new 1098, but I think I would personally wait for the 2nd year to see if the early models had any bugs.  Just my $.02, as always, YMMV.  Good luck.

I was thinking of waiting for the 2nd year too ... but by default that might happen because it seems almost all the local dealers have already got deposits on the 1098s ... they seem to be selling before even arriving at the dealers.  I'd probably wait anyway for the 2008 model year and see how they do in "real world testing".

Thanks to all so far for the inputs.

[Busa@11K]

Download the new MY 2007 owners manual, the new service schedule is far less than what the previous model years were.

Yes, I was looking at the Ducati website last night and found the new 1098 Owner's Manual there, which I down loaded.  Lots of info in just the Owner's Manual.  The maintenance doesn't look too bad, and Ducati claims it's only 50% for the 2007 models compared to what it use to be.

Thanks  

[atypical1]

 it's only 50% for the 2007 models compared to what it use to be.

Well, they claim it is up to 50% less. Meaning that if you don't have the mileage then it is just a check and not the complete service.

[2DFlyer]

My wife and I both ride 2-Valve air cooled Multistradas.  They are very reliable.

I agree that the 2-Valve motors are more reliable, from what I've seen and heard at my local shop.  

Does anybody know how they get cooling air to the rear cylinder?  The motors wouldn't be reliable if they couldn't cool the back half but I can't see where the air flow goes.

[UFO]

The 1098 looks like a sweet machine, and fairly affordable.

Sadly, I don't fit well on typical "sport" bikes.  I wonder what the 1098 ergos are like.  

[timatwood]

Does anybody know how they get cooling air to the rear cylinder?  The motors wouldn't be reliable if they couldn't cool the back half but I can't see where the air flow goes.

You're thinking of the harley problems, since the front cylinder blocks the rear. The L twin gets sufficient cooling from air flow to the rear because the front is almost horizontal and out of the way. You just need slightly bigger tolerances on the cam belt since it runs slightly hotter.

Regarding reliability in general: from my experiences with the multi, they still have some work to do. Too many incidences of bad valve guides and cylinder scoring on the engine, plus other things like brake shudder, bad instrument clusters, bad castings (on the 600 anyway). Warranty coverage helps a lot, but its still a PITA to have to depend so much on your dealer. I'd wait for 2nd year on the 1098.

[JoBu]

Does anybody know how they get cooling air to the rear cylinder?  The motors wouldn't be reliable if they couldn't cool the back half but I can't see where the air flow goes.

My SS has two ducts that channel a little extra air to the rear cylinder.  They probably do this on the SS since the motor is fairly well-hidden by the bodywork.  

Cheers,

Joe