Known Fault Checklist
 

Has anyone ever produced a fault list of things to monitor and check on a Ducati 748?

Just wondering as it might be worth listing so that people such as myself can maintain their vehicles with a little extra peace of mind that all "known" issues are checked regularly which should limit any surprises.

Don't know of one but if there is it's probably a long one
:rolleye:

Is this your first Ducati :puzzled:

If your worried about reliability problems and mounting service costs you should have traded in for a UJM



Like i did :(:(:(

I have never seen a definative 'list' as such. The obvious things like Belts, rockers, valve clearances etc are all done at your 24 month service, and providing they are done correctly, you shouldn't even give them a second thought until the next service.

I guess the things that you want to know are common problems...things that can go wrong:

Check your reg/rec connecting block for signs of damage/corrosion.
Check your rear hub area for signs of the hub chewing into the ally collar.
Check your fork and shock seals.
Coolant reservoir can crack and leak/spray coolant.
If you are doing oil changes yourself...check for partcles in the drained oil and the guazes (see shazzams great post on this recently).
Check the clutch basket for signs of excessive notching every now and then, and whilst you are at it, check the plates and clean it out.
Do a general nuts a bolts check as the vibes of a v-twin can loosen a few. I happened to check mine and found three of my four subframe bolts loose.

To be honest most other things are common to all bikes and I give mine a good look over whenever I clean it...for example give mag wheels a good look over for any road damage, check chain tension as incorrect tension will not only give you a poor ride and bugger the chain, but it has a dramatic effect on how well the bike selects gears/neutral.

The main thing is really to get it serviced, particularly the big 24 month one, by some you trust or comes highly recommended...as they will check these things out for you and should notice many of the above.

But don't get paranoid about it...my first 748 needed a little care and attention to get it to a great condition, but once there, it did me good for several years. Looks like the current bike is going to be the same.

[Edited on 3-8-2005 by Harv748]

It is my first Duke yes and I'm fully aware that they can cost more to service and maintain than Jap bikes.

I've previously owned 10 Jap bikes and never once had a problem with any of them, my intention is for this to be the same and I fully believe that if you keep a bike well maintained then this should be the case. Even when there are defective parts which can happen on any machine Jap or Italian, you can usually spot the signs early enough and I wanted to see if there was anything worth knowing about that I do not already know about to ensure that I spot any early signs.

I'm not really paranoid about it giving me problems but I do want to maintain it well myself and because I love it to bits I want to ensure I'm checking all the right bits to keep it running sweet.

Thanks Harv748 for the bits you've added.

This with Ducatis though, is that they don't tend to conform to the rule that says look after it and it will never let you down. The most obscure things tend to go wrong with them.

Yeah but there is different levels of looking after. Previous bikes I've owned all I've had to do is keep clean and serviced and thats all.

I think with Ducati's you do need to be a bit more hands on and check things more frequently to prevent problems occuring.

...Check the clutch slave cylinder as it can leak due to dodgy seals

...and check around the base of the crankcase breather as it can develop a small leak on the older models.