Crankcase paint update.
 

I called in at Italia today to check on the progress of the Multistuka.Its been in there a while having some recall/warranty work done.One of the jobs being the crankcase paint,or rather the lack of it!The paint had chipped away at the front of the motor and corroded the alloy.
With the engine out of the bike,I could see the full extent of the corrosion.
OMG!:o:o:o
There is no way that is gonna get repaired,...new crankcases it is then!..Oh, and new cylinder head!
Thank Gawd for warranties,..gonna be off the road for a while yet tho.:(

Shouldnt take them more than a couple of days to do the crank cases Keefy (she types, speaking form experience of having current & last bikes ones done:o )

Hope its all sorted soon,

C:)

Yeah it should'nt,but they are snowed under with work at the mo.New bikes flying out of the showroom that need PDI'ing,services,etc.Besides not that bothered as my new 999S is ready and I'll have that to hoon around on!:devil:

Does anyone happen to have a rough cost on getting crank cases re-sprayed? My '99 SS is starting to look a bit shabby in that area. Some largish flecks peeling off.

I'm not sure I'd buy another half-faired Ducati again, mainly for the reason that I do a reasonable amount of winter riding and keeping the corrosion at bay is a never ending mission!

Did it on my fully faired SS too.... I reckon it's just a Ducati thing...

Darren

I too have the same problem with my Multi, the paint has flaked off in various places and corrosion (white powdery deposits) are widespread.
I think that this is due to expansion and contraction (engine getting hot and cold) this leaves a void between the paint and engine thus enabling the paint to crack and flake off and allowing water and salt to penetrate and corrode the aluminium.
It also appears that not only is the paint a thin coat, I don't think Ducati used a primer :o this is particularly important with aluminium because an etching primer is required prior to a top or finishing coat.
As I am the second owner unfortunately I do not have recourse with Ducati or a dealer.
I shall approach somebody who can paint the engine properly, after all as with most other jobs 95% of the work is in the preparation.

If anyone receives any quotes to carry out remedial work I would be very interested to know.

Why should you being the second owner stop Ducati being liable? How old is the bike? Multistradas aren't that old anyway are they...?

Darren

Hello FiscusFish,

I have had my license for 20 years and love riding bikes. Having owned several makes and models throughout the last two decades I have always had a penchant for Italian motorcycles, particularly the Ducati.

I totally agree with you, Ducati should be liable for faults/problems, for example the feed and return oil lines, front brake banjo bolt and latterly side/kick stand all of which need replacing on my bike, the stand on my bike is an absolute joke, I need to place 2 slabs underneath, each of which is about 25-30mm thick. I am not knocking Ducati, I'm indeed enthusiastic about them however I do feel that they have a responsibility to replace without cost the above parts to all Multi owners. I also Understand that if an owner wants to upgrade his exhaust pipes for a pair of Termi's this is different.

Take care and safe motorcycling :cool:

[Edited on 4-7-2005 by Italian Stallion]

You would think that the wise business decision would be to make it right first and reduce warranty problems. Nice to have the system in place but a little more effort in design and assembly would seem to pay off in a decrease in warranty costs. Isn't that basic business knowledge??

I have heard of some owners repainting the cases themselves.There is a thread on Multistrada.net somewhere.
You can get some silver heat resisting paint and laquer from good car supply shops that will do the job.
Depending on the affected area,its gotta be easier with the motor out of the frame.Then there is all the wiring/plumbing/brackets to mask/remove...........hmm,a big job I think.
When the problem first arose on my bike,Italia said they have a guy that airbrushes the new paint on.(It was then just a small area of flakey paint)It was when the motor was lifted out of the frame they found out the full extent of the damage.:oThe painter said no way could he do anything with that.