Yeah and it was my 748 :(

My oil never stopped in the engine long enough to be classed as old ,sometimes it could have been changed with less than 500 miles and always before a trackday.
I did put some castrol in it once but cant remember wether i did a trackday with it in.

The crank started to go after chasing a hayabusa around Cadwell for a whole session,the oil pressure light never came on and the level was correct,it just sounded like there was something loose externally and not like the shells were about to give up,it finally gave up the ghost at Donington after chasing a mille around for 2 sessions.........................and thats where Nelly came in :D

would i do another trackday on it ?

No, i bought a track bike (not a Ducati :( )

Shame really as that was what the 748 was bought for.

I know its strange how things work, because i have a 01 gsxr 600 race bike i use for trackdays and on the day in question i only had the duke with me for woolsy coulter to have a fiddle with the suspension, so i thought a couple of laps can do no harm after all it is one of the best race bikes ever built, the temptation was to much and so 5 laps later aaaaarrrggggghhhh!!!!!!. Mine to was a very light knocking and didn't sound like much, now i now different.Still trying with ducati and were nearly at a settlement if they can just come a bit nearer with some help i'm sure we can both be happy.

The thing is guys this seems to be the norm with the 4 valve Ducatis! If it's not the crank or bearings going it's the rockers! Dont forget the electrical problems that were on the early 916's oh and still seems to be still there on the later bikes.

I'm sorry to be negative but there not fit for the purpose IMO. How can you make a race rep that won't take a track day?

I see DJ has got a paint problem on his frame, i had the same problem and mine was less than two years old and it had never seen rain!

I suspect i will get shot down in flames by likes of, i own one so they must be the best, type people but when are we going to wake up and smell the coffee?

When i part exchanged mine the amount of dealers who openly said they did not want the duc because they have had them in part ex before and had nothing but trouble with them!

I'm not saying there all substandard and IMO the 916 shape is one of the best looking bikes ever but they have their problems which me and you pay for!

Why are rockers and cranks still failing, next time there is a factory trip someone should ask this question.

Mark

I agree mark, at last ive come to a deal with ducati, not ideal but i think it makes the best of a bad situation,so hopefully very soon i'll be back out on the bike while there is still some summer left

i had a new 916 back in 98 and did about 20 trackdays on it and 5900 miles, the only problem i had was the rear hub, but that seems to be common,where as my 996s only got 5 laps i suppose its just a bit of bad luck.

Hi ss29, i'm glad you have sorted it out with Ducati, like you say there may be some good weather left when it is fixed, i hope!

Lets hope you have better reliability this time.


All the best

Mark

cheers mark, Came to a deal with ducati on the parts and posted them a cheque on wed, on sat the parts arrived, one crank shaft complete, two con rods, four bearing shells and a fill gasket set, so its of to my mechanic first thing in the morning to get it put back together ( hopefully sooner rather than later) can't wait to get back out on it after all this time and of course the good weather is just ticking away.

The parts arrived very quickly from ducati,they are now fitted and the bike is up and running beautifully at last ! its been a long wait but worth waiting for:D:D:bouncy: ive got a few hundred miles on it. Thanks to everyone who gave me help and advice along the way, i hope i get the chance to return the favor again many thanks !

no worries mate glad you got her running again:sing::sing::sing: