Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Duc V Jap

[Ian]

this is a topic that I would like to cover in Pronto, - as there is still this great misconception about Duc reliability. Any examples or comments please let me have.

I have first hand experience of 2 bikes right now, 1 Duc, 1 non Duc (and not Jap either). The customer service from the Ducati dealer and Ducati UK (who got involved with an out of warranty claim on my Numpty ) has been superb. I recently thanked Andy and Tim of DUK, -they did not know until then who owned the bike as I left everything in the hands of my dealer who was great. Now the non Duc bike has a warranty claim on it which the dealer has agreed is warranty, but they cannot source the replacement part, as there is no stock due to the amount of claims. There is about 3 months of warranty left on the bike and the dealer said to me that he hoped that the part would be available before the warranty ran out or it would be tough. From others that I have spoken to with the same bike this is not uncommon. If that is the case there will be aletter going to their Bracknell H/O.

[twpd]

Moto748, 748, 50k miles.

Enough said.

Ducati's rep stems mostly from the late 70's to the mid 80's when the bikes were unreliable with crappy electrics. Now it's mostly a myth peddled by jealousy and ignorance and perpetuated by lazy stupid jounos.
I ride with a lot of the lads from hartside.com and I'm sick of the **** they talk about Ducati reliability despite the fact that the only bikes that have ever gone wrong/broken down in the group are Jap bikes. I get all the **** about service intervals (despite the Ducs having longer intervals), costs (despite paying about 1/2 - 2/3rds of their service costs) , parts prices etc.

None of them have first hand experience of owning a Ducati over any length of time - yet time & time again the same rubbish is trotted out - it's always the same old friend of a friend nonsense. In 11 years of owning Ducs not one of mine had broken down bar my SP which, was down to owner-stupidity when I broke it.
I went to the south of France on my SP - my "mates" were runnng bets on it breaking down. It never missed a beat but, both Blades broke with electrical probs.
On Hartside we've had a Gixxer 1000's gearbox s h i t itself, ditto a Thundercat, a CBR develop fuel pump probs plus sevral other bikes go wrong. Meanwhile my Duca keep on running. Most amusing.

If people choose to be blind or ignore the evidence before them then there's little you can do. Life is too short.

[TopiToo]

Hello

748er

"Last week on holiday in Scotland I got chatting to a ZX10 owner who told me he wouldn't thank me if I gave him a Ducati"


This is what I am getting at . . . . I know a lot of people feel this way, but is this a handicap of Ducati marketing, clearly they are small fry against the might of the Jap manufactures, but we all remember the Honda adverts on TV, maybe in this day and age Ducati must look towards TV advertising.


Ian

This is a topic that I would like to cover in Pronto, - as there is still this great misconception about Duc reliability. Any examples or comments please let me have.

Ian that would make a change, real time issues, I never realised that peoples opinions were so strong with regards to Ducati reliability, what made me start this debate at work was due to a comment I over heard at Cadwell
on day 2. I was f**ting around near my tent, and two guys walked passed my bike one said to the other " Ducati’s are nice but a hassle to keep" which to be fair could mean anything.
But what does that mean?, obviously its a subconscious thing and if so are Ducati UK/Italy getting the message across, or is it always going to be a niche market we belong too.

twpd

my first engine (me 4th owner) went bang, so the guys know that at work, and will rib me to my grave, even though my new engine had a clean bill of health at 12k servive.

And yes they have never owned/ridden or even worked on a Duc, but you try and change their minds . . pointless

"If people choose to be blind or ignore the evidence before them then there's little you can do"

very true . .

TopiToo

[TopiToo]

Hello

maybe all's not lost

The catalogue of brands was drawn up by a panel of experts from advertising and marketing, along with television presenter Dermot O'Leary and DJ Carl Cox.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2195536.stm


TopiToo

[Jools]

Putting an article in Pronto is a great idea, I would love to read it. It wouldn't do much to spread the word to jap bike owners though.

I agree with TWPD, it's lazy journos who can't be bothered to research a story that help perpetuate the myth of Ducatis being unreliable. Want to write a little filler story about the pros and cons of owning a ducati? Easy, just press this button on your word processor and it comes out Pros: Italian Style, sublime handling Cons: Dodgy electrics and service costs. The same thing has been in their cliché database since 1997.

Ducati UK haven't always helped themselves mind, there have been a couple of incidents where the Duke that the mags were given to test didn't start due to....yes, you guessed it....dodgy electrics. One of the first shoot-out type tests that the 999 was involved in I think. We also know that journos love to see themselves as riding gods - Wheelies, stoppies and knee down everywhere, and I've heard (anecdotally) that the Jap factories make sure that their test fleet is set up to pander to over infllated egos, so all their suspension settings are geared towards the sharpest turning, most track influenced handling (even on there less focussed bikes). Ducati on the other hand seem to just hand over a standard bike straight out of the crate. For example, everyone who has an ST knows that if you jack the rear ride height up by a mere 10cm over stock and adjust the pre-load properly, you can turn a soggy bike, slow turning bike into one that is pretty damn nimble for a bike of it's type - and yet, Ducati still seemed content to let their ST3 out in standard trim for a shoot out against the Trumpet ST and VFR

[doogalman]

It don't make any difference what make the bike is , all the different makes build bikes that break-down. Italian, German, British, American, japanesse, Indian, Austrian, Chinese. They are only pieces of metal and plastic assembled by man and machine. Talk to mechanics who work on the different makes and they are all the same, they all breakdown at some point . Be it a problem with a regulator or a blown engine.
Look at KTM Superdukes! they have been replacing engines that are barely run-in without even opening them up. No questions asked just swop it over and get the punter back on the road = happy punter=good reputation (even if some bikes have been a problem).

[DC]

Originally Posted by Jools

For example, everyone who has an ST knows that if you jack the rear ride height up by a mere 10cm over stock and adjust the pre-load properly, you can turn a soggy bike, slow turning bike into one that is pretty damn nimble for a bike of it's type

Eeeek. 10 mm surley??? LOL.

[749er]

Originally Posted by Jools

Ducati on the other hand seem to just hand over a standard bike straight out of the crate.

next months fast bikes magazine will have reviews of modded and properly set 999 and RSV1000R

Lazy journos always say 999 for the road and RSV1000R for the track.I have my 749 set up for fast A road/track. it can be a bit bumpy on some roads but was amazed by it first time on track at Cadwell. So am pretty sure a 999 can be set up to be as good if not better than the Aprilia. When you look at the RSVR website the advice on setup is "soften the the supension as much as you can" Seems to me the main difference is just how they leave the factory and that the journos are being lazy and not getting the bikes set up for them before they test, but maybe they dont get the time to play with them? Dont recall a Duke being used as a`long term test bike

[crm250]

Reliability is something i was concerned about before i bought, but i still took the plunge. I knew about early model issues but still plumped for a 9000 mile 2 owner 1995 916bp over a later model 748.
In nearly 4 years of ownership it has given me tears and much joy at the same time, that said i actualy do use my bike and in all seasons. The bike now shows around 28k on it so i have done on average over 5000 miles a year on it although the last year it has been limited somewhat.
As for reliability it has let me down twice, both times were rectifier failures. first time was near chester and resulted in a local recovery home. new rectifier and battery and was sorted and never missed a beat for another 10,000 miles. second time was coming back from spain, and after 2000 miles of severe heat and town traffic (major contrib factor) the new jap spec rectifier failed once again resulting in a boiled battery and a 100 mile recover to le havre before getting the ferry back to the UK and recovery home. This needed a new generator this time as this has suffered in the heat.
I have now fitted a new loom, got rid of the alarm, and certain gremlins are now completly gone and it runs like a gem ready for another 10,000 miles plus i hope.
I also own a RC30 which can be more sensitive to ride. Being a honda it should be pretty reliable and no cause for concern, however its not the run of the mill road bike churned out from honda. While it has never let me down in over 3000 miles, it has had a few issues like fuel leaks from perished fuel pipes and seals in the carbs, also it requires some mechanical sympathy on par with the ducati. things like on a hot day be aware its going to run very hot, not like doing less than 50mph to keep it cool etc etc.
I accept that the 916 is going to have issues from time to time, but it still doesnt deter me from riding it, however i accept it for what it is and try to avoid things i know it wont like.
All said i dont think they are much less reliable that later ducati's or your average jap bike, i believe prevention is better than cure so what i would say is if you are slightly skint, or not someone who likes to tinker then a jap bike may be a better and less stressfull option.
I bought a new CBR600RR in april this year and to date has over 6000 miles. It has broken down once (cause still not known) and been recovered back to the dealer for a diagnostic "dunno mate" cause of the fault which is not really a good start. It is horrendous on fuel and i think the ducati is cheaper to run over distance.
On the upside parts are actually quite cheap for ducati's compared to Honda. granted they may be made from dog poo and not last as long as your jap parts, but usualy cheaper when unexpected.