YAY my Multistrada just turned 40k on the clock!!

[chromekid01]

Since this is a milestone for me and the Ducati I figured I would share a bit,
about a year and half ago I purchased my Ducati with zero miles and just the other day I turned 40,000 miles on the clocks and have loved every minute/mile, so for all those that think they are expensive and don't hold up well I am here to beg the differ:D

Oh the stories of the trips and the things that have happened over the last year and a half with this machine and myself....but that is for another thread for sure.

as soon as I can get the crappy cell phone pics uploaded I will post this for posterity:)


Who says that you can't ride and treat your 2v Ducati like its a honda

[atypical1]

Glad your 40k experience was vastly different than mine. I love hearing about high mileage Ducs.

james

[chromekid01]

Glad your 40k experience was vastly different than mine. I love hearing about high mileage Ducs.

james

Well I did have a valve guide issue that destroyed my horizontal head at about 16k (remember my thread about helpin me choose a replacement) but warranty covered that and since then trouble free aside from lots of chains,sprockets,tires,brake pads,track days,trips and gas

[Fun Dog]

I'm curious how often you changed your chain, sprockets, and brake pads.  I'm coming up on 18K miles on my Futura and the chain looks great, but this will be my first chain change and I'm leary about it.  And I can't see my front brake pads, so don't know how worn they are.  Just trying to get an idea of approximate mileage/wear characteristics.

Congratulations on 40K.  Those are really nice bikes.  Coincidentally, I'm in Marietta.

[chromekid01]

I'm curious how often you changed your chain, sprockets, and brake pads.  I'm coming up on 18K miles on my Futura and the chain looks great, but this will be my first chain change and I'm leary about it.  And I can't see my front brake pads, so do know how worn they are.  Just trying to get an idea.

Congratulations on 40K.  Those are really nice bikes.  Coincidentally, I'm in Marietta.

I am in Austell off the east west connector we should get a ride or two in since we are so close....

well I beat the hell out of my Ducati since its my only mode of transport and it see's track day duties so you may experience differences in your wear of said items

[scott-sts]

Since this is a milestone for me and the Ducati I figured I would share a bit,
about a year and half ago I purchased my Ducati with zero miles and just the other day I turned 40,000 miles on the clocks and have loved every minute/mile, so for all those that think they are expensive and don't hold up well I am here to beg the differ:D

Oh the stories of the trips and the things that have happened over the last year and a half with this machine and myself....but that is for another thread for sure.

as soon as I can get the crappy cell phone pics uploaded I will post this for posterity:)


Who says that you can't ride and treat your 2v Ducati like its a honda

Honda's don't need new heads every 16,000 miles.
Seriously, congrats.

[chromekid01]

Honda's don't need new heads every 16,000 miles.
Seriously, congrats.

neither has mine but because of a faulty install by a ducati technician the valve guide backed out and took the horizontal head with it other than that its been trouble free miles and I am already 8k beyond the next 16k miles

Thank you

[Fun Dog]

I am in Austell off the east west connector we should get a ride or two in since we are so close....

well I beat the hell out of my Ducati since its my only mode of transport and it see's track day duties so you may experience differences in your wear of said items

You'd probably leave me way behind if you've done track days.  I'm a slow rider, but thanks anyway and congratulations again on your milestone.

[chromekid01]

You'd probably leave me way behind if you've done track days.  I'm a slow rider, but thanks anyway and congratulations again on your milestone.

Track days and their speeds are reserved for the track, typically I like to explore and enjoy the street rides

[MadMax96]

Wow - 40k miles in a year and a half?  That's quite a bit, even for a car.  I *WISH* I had the time to ride that much!

BTW, congrats!  

[falcofred]

I've got almost 30,000 on my 04 Multistrada with really no issues at all. I had the original side stand replaced under warranty, my valves are fine. The bike uses absolutely no oil between 6,000 mile oil changes.
I bought the bike with 8000 miles and had to replace the chain and sprockets at 12,000 miles. Current DID chain is going strong showing no wear for almost 18,000 miles. I replaced my stock clutch friction disks recently with a Barnett clutch pack, not for loss of clutch engagement, but to quiet the clutch. I recently replaced my rear brake pads, my front ones are still good.

Meanwhile my friend who only rides Hondas because he wants to ride them, not work on them has had to rebuild his front brake calibers, replace his rotors, replace his clutch basket, and after 20,000+ miles finally have his valves adjusted.

I ride it hard, and have replaced many sets of tires. It's a great bike, sport bike handling, relaxed upright riding position, real world torque and HP, with luggage and a rack, I can do trips, even camping.
I really enjoy the bike.

[mugwump58]

Spend much time on dirt roads? That's a concern as the move to a 'Strada is big expenditure to me.

[VIVID1]

Who says that you can't ride and treat your 2v Ducati like its a honda

You got lucky my Honda just turned 40K because my Ducati was broken and couldn't make the trip  

[chromekid01]

Spend much time on dirt roads? That's a concern as the move to a 'Strada is big expenditure to me.

Well the Multi is no BMW GS when it comes to off road but for sure I get it dirty and play on dirt roads whenever I can, I love drifting the rear around dirt corners

[canyonchaser]

Everything I've read and learned about Ducati's is that they hold up better when ridden frequently.  Something about being garage queen's seems to upset the Italians.

I've owned several Ducati's - not a one of them has been unrealiable. I did have one 99 Monster 900 that was a dog. Didn't handle very well and didn't have much power.  But every other Ducati I've owned has been a gem!  Plus, I loved the MTS so much, I bought a second one!

Ducati is the most misunderstood motorcycle company, and the Multistrada their most misunderstood motorcycle

dp

[atypical1]

I will say that my SS was much, much more reliable than my MTS was. You have all heard the stories so I won't bore you with any more details but suffice to say that my experience was the antithesis of yours. I think that the problem with Ducati is that they are just not very consistent wit their quality control. This leads to people like you with minimum problems and people like me who had nothing but problems.  

My bike had just as many miles as your bike so it definitely was not a garage queen. When it was running it was a great bike but it seemed to be running between bouts of being broken down.

I sincerely hope that your new example lasts as long as your previous one did!

james

[VIVID1]

I think that the problem with Ducati is that they are just not very consistent wit their quality control. This leads to people like you with minimum problems and people like me who had nothing but problems.  

I agree. And some of the dealers are worthless too, so when a problem happens it last for months. My Duc started having problems over Memorial Day Weekend and it's still not resolved. I've actually just decided to call Ducati NA and file a complaint  

[Mr. Whippy]

I agree. And some of the dealers are worthless too, so when a problem happens it last for months. My Duc started having problems over Memorial Day Weekend and it's still not resolved. I've actually just decided to call Ducati NA and file a complaint  

I suspect that is a bigger part of the problem.  A crappy mechanic can turn a simple problem with an easy solution into a mass of chronic problems of a horribly unreliable bike.  I was actually headed that way until I switched dealer service for what was originally a warranty repair.  Luckily I have enough personal experience with working on engines that I knew that the "sudden" poor running condition after repairing an oil leak was highly suspect for a mistake in reassembly.

[Emerson00]

My Multi   was great but the original dealer sucked. An exhaust leak caused 2 years of shop visits because that dealer refused to correct the problem intelligently. Took it to a better local dealer and it's been fine since. The refusal (and it was a refusal, on the grounds that it didn't matter) to fix a simple exhaust leak is beyond reason.

The bike itself had, aside from that exhaust leak, no issues (in the mere 15000 miles I've had it).

The buyer of that bike is supposed to be calling any second now to say he's in town... Why am I selling? because land rovers SUCK!

Oops, there e is.

[atypical1]

But it isn't just dealers, it is the company. I used to go to one of the best dealers in California. The mechs are awesome and took care of me above and beyond what they had to because I was a good customer. And they know their stuff. But my bike grenaded at the track on its own accord (the final straw). When I asked why it happened and was it something I did they just said "maybe you got a Friday bike".  

That being said, I used to love the brand and their products. Now I am finding out that the D16RR is suffering from broken valve springs which is amazing to hear about a $65k bike. That tells me that they are less concerned about the owners than they should be.

james

[Mr. Whippy]

That being said, I used to love the brand and their products. Now I am finding out that the D16RR is suffering from broken valve springs which is amazing to hear about a $65k bike. That tells me that they are less concerned about the owners than they should be.

james

Hmmm....

Small company putting out a motor which is different in design from everything else they've produced for decades--might just be shaking out good vs bad parts suppliers for essentially a first year product.  It really depends on how they're handling the failures.

[atypical1]

But it's not a "first year product". It's an "only year product" and one that costs over $65k.

james

[Mr. Whippy]

Correct.  When problems crop up, it generally in a minor component (valve spring, bolt shearing, wire damage) rather than a fundamental design flaw.  

Again, it really depends on how they handle the failures.

BTW, BMW rider complaining about another company's customer service?  

[atypical1]

Well, it is not a minor component. It requires taking the motor apart as the valve springs are not scattered throughout the motor. They are fixing the problem but the owners are without their bikes for a month. Oh, and Ducati is short changing the dealers on the cost of the service so how motivated are they going to be to do the work?

Yeah, I know. But so far (8k since May) the BMW has been perfect and has had no problems and the service has been great.

I really am not trying to bash Ducati. I have owned three of them so far but I just think that they don't think of their owners as well as they should considering the loyalty the brand has.

james

[Mr. Whippy]

Well, yes a valve spring is a minor component.  It may be difficult to get to, but valve springs are like bolts or bearings.  Lots of suppliers who have various levels of consistency between manufacturers and even within a single suppliers' various types of valve springs.  

Not unlike the ignition coil failures in Audi engines (manufacturer problem) but certainly not like the oil starvation problems of the BMW M-series from a few years ago--which was related to bad shell bearings IIRC. --and which BMW denied until a group of racing enthusiasts threatened to sue.

[canyonchaser]

Every manufacturer is going to produce an occasional Lemon.  Its too bad you couldn't get covered in the lemon law.  If you think Honda is immune to these problems, spend some time over on the cbr forums.  There's some awful stories over there - and from what I've seen, Ducati tends to stand behind their bikes better than the Japanese companies.

That said, it totally sucks when it happens to you, and its really hard to get behind that mark ever again.  My first Ducati experience was less than ideal, but the next two Ducati's were fantastic.  This latest one its too early to tell, but I've already found a few issues with assembly.  The throttle cables were twisted and binding - I fixed that last night, and I lost a couple of fairing bolts the first big ride.  Not inspring, but nothing too tragic-- at least not yet.

dp

[couchflyer]

Congrats on 40,000.  Mt ST-3 will turn 20,000 miles soon.  

Dealers are a PITA, so I have been doing the maintenance on my bikes.  Its their mechanics that's wrong not the bike.