Belts and things to go wrong
 

Following on from a previous thread I started and sorry in advance if this is getting boring for some.

Does anyone know the actual reason for Ducati sticking to a belt system?

Secondly what are the major things to go wrong with a Ducati, what can be done to prevent such occurances for "peace of mind" (nothings fool proof but there's always preventative measures).

Thirdly if such preventative measures are taken or parts replaced such as rockers, is that the end of it or might they need replacing again in the future?

Thanks again.

1) No...guess its just down to their belief in the design they have used for sometime...with mucho success.

2) Regulator/rectifier unit and wiring, alternator nut, rockers

3) If you replace the wiring upto the reg/rec with heavier guage stuff you should be fine, get the alt nut tightened and loctited at the next service...and as for rockers...it seems thats down more to good maintenance and warming up. If you don't want to play this potentially expensive game of rocker roulette...buy a Jap IL4 or a new 749/999 with better oil feed.

[Edited on 22-2-2006 by Harv748]

[Edited on 22-2-2006 by Harv748]

I've ridden Ducatis for 11 years - never had a belt let go or show signs of letting go/wearing so, I don't worry about it. I change belts myself. IMO a bigger fuss is made about them than needs to be.

The rockers issue is well documented here - there doesn't seem to be a definitive cause and solution to it but, careful warming of the engine, not revving it at all from cold and using the proper oil goes a long way to keeping it at bay.

This picture speaks for itself i think if you kid yourselves into thinking that belts don't break.

I took this off our M600 at the weekend. The bike has done 7500 miles and according to the previous owner the belts had been changed regularly. He's a well known member of this site as well so i know he wouldn't be lying to me.

Okay so it hadn't actually snapped but it wasn't going to last much longer.

As long as Ducati don't start using Honda designed camchains we will be ok ;)

for the stupid of us..................well ok me :D

What's wrong with Honda's cam chain design?

I think the tensioners were Hondas downfall rather than the chains! It went on my CX500 and cost a packet to fix.

400 four
CBX 750
CBX 550
CB900

+ others, they just don't adjust

and as for early V4 cams!!!!

I change my own belts too, and have never seen one looking that bad. The last ones I changed (after two years and 5000 miles) looked almost as good as new - albeit they'd slackened a little.

Here's what one of the most respected Ducati 'gurus' says about potential problems:

http://www.ducati-john.co.uk/ducati-points.htm

[Edited on 22-2-2006 by weeveetwin]

Oh dear sad fact time.

Of my 3 CX500's 1 had stood for 2 years and snapped its cam chain within a few hundred miles of buying it, so i agree with Paul, very expensive.

The first one just ate cam chains, the second a later model was better, needing them every 30,000 miles (almost to the mile) religiously, and the third one the latest model never needed a cam chain in 70,000 miles.

Honda released various supposed cam chain tensioner updates.

Why the third bike was OK i'll never know.

Don't believe that all Jap bikes are faultless. CX's alternators also failed regularly and it was an engine out job coz it was at the back of the engine. And right hand indicator switches packed up, and.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz SORRY:o