cracked frame
 

Hi all, 900ss 1995 . New to the club. Just found a crack in the top frame tube near the weld for the tank bracket. Am I right in thinking Ducati will replace this or should I get it welded? How safe is it to weld these? The rest of the bike is good and I would hate to part with it after all these years (6, trouble-free ) Any comments would be massively appreciated.
Thanks.

Go to your local dealer, take photos with you and ask them to get in touch with Ducati UK and ask for a "Goodwill warranty replacement". I've not heard of anyone being turned down which considering the bikes tend to be at least 10 years old is pretty stunning...

Mine took a couple of months to turn up but it got here in the end, S'gonna take more than a couple of months for me to rebuild the bleedin' thing though...

Darren

Get in touch with Derek on here,I think he had a similar problem.

Couldn't agree more I approached Ducati UK last year after asking the same question on this site. Had loads of responses/advice from the other DSC'ers. I got in touch with Ducati UK and had a new frame within weeks. Working for a motor manufacturer on the service side I know how awkward post warranty claims like this are and I cannot fault Ducati UK in anyway. Just be plessant to them and I am sure you will be well looked after.
Cheers Allan R

I had a similarly cracked on my previous '95 900ss. Get on to Ducati UK Customer Services <Info@ducatiuk.com>. They will ask you to take the bike to a Ducati dealer who will then confirm that the frame is indeed cracked. All going well they will offer you a replacement frame but how long it takes will depend on availablilty from Italy. Last year, Mike Vaughn had to wait more than 6 months. Their offer wil not include labour but they will probably allow you to do the work yourself. In my case the dealer wanted the old frame before they would hand over the new one. I stripped it down in a day, did the exchange with the dealer the following day and rebuilt it over the next 2 days with an excellent opportunity to get everything nice and sparkly clean at the same time.
Here is the original thread http://ducatisportingclub.com/xmb/vi...=6410#pid51974

Big thanks for the prompt replies, very useful. I am still undecided as to wether to just weld the thing , as its offto the painters any how. I am hoping to be back on the road soon so i wouldnt want to spend months waiting for a replacement. It was interesting to read the article concerning the Australian recall. Many thanks once again, really appreciated.

The problem with 'just' welding the frame is that where it cracks is a weak point, and any weld will always introduce another weakness due to the heat stresses.
If you look at the frames that come as replacements (900FE usually) they have a different gusset in the area that cracks.
If you then have an accident that can be attributed to the frame breaking, it will be your problem not ducati's.

Technically, you may also have to tell your insurer's you have a modified bike :D :lol:

My bro-in-law also (fairly recently) had a replacement.
I'm sure he'll be along soon.

Welcome to the board by the way, and thank you for asking, I'll have another ice-cold v-guinness.

The replacement I received a month or so ago was visually identical to my old '95 one (without the crack obviously...). Surprised both Pete at ProTwins and myself.

Still if it lasts another ten years it'll be doing ok. Wonder if I'll be able to get another warranty replacement in 2015?

Just to echo what's already been said!... Ducati UK were extremely helpful for me, came up with a replacement frame within a couple of weeks for '97 bike. I can't say the frame looks any different to the old one, but I think going for a replacement is preferable to welding, although having a repair done by a decent frame builder such as Spondon may actually be better than a replacement, but undoubtedly more expensive.
Strangely, in an idle moment yesterday, I was thinking about 'ideal bike', and for me it would probably be a mix of a 1980 900ss (that bike REALLY affected me!!) and my current 1997 900ss ... ie a Baines job. A belt 900ss with a cracked frame is the perfect donor if you have the means and the will!