Ducati "quality"

[jimbo14]

Hello all,

I was just doing some research on Ducati Superbikes (eg, 749, 999, 1098) and have been spending alot of time on www.ducati.ms. It really seems that reliablity and quailty is not fantastic in these bikes. In threads on the forums, the Ducati owners are constantly asking for technical assistance with their motorcycles. Constantly breaking down, having alot of trouble ordering in spare parts via Ducati and the general build quality decreasing.

I love Ducati's and really hope this is not the reality. Can somebody please shed some light on this?

-Jimbo14

[Mr Payne]

Italian. Plenty of positives, there are downsides though...

[jimbo14]

Thanks for the realistic responce. I can see one positive is the resale value of these bikes is great.

Anymore opinions gentlemen?

[Choptop]

Ducati's have a "reputation" for needing service and breaking down... not really deservedly so. The desmo system does REQUIRE that you pay attention to it at regular intervals, do the suggested service and do it right. This is different than most sport bikes (which most riders just ride and give little thought to maint). So that right off the top gives them a bad rap.

Add to that some mistakes along the way on a few components (flaking metal on a very limited run of desmo arms comes to mind) and you have a bad rep.

For the most part, they are no more unreliable than any other superbike. Also note that they are up against VERY stiff competition... I'm reasonably sure you could pour sand in the crank case of a Honda 1000RR and it would run just fine for a long time . They just dont go boom (having said that, as a racer I've seen just about every brand of bike blow up in one way or another when pushed real hard).

Parts can be a little bit of a problem. This is an Italian thing. When I had my Aprilia's there were 5 levels to the parts chain...
1. in stock, in house
2. in stock, at a different dealer
3. in the country, at the warehouse
4. on the boat
5. None to be had, Luigi will make one for you in the next production run at the factory, this will take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months.

The key to good parts avail. is a good dealer. Modesto Ducati comes to mind. They are the #2 Ducati Superbike dealer in the country. They can get ya parts when they just arent available.


Ducks can be a little more finiky than other brands on a couple levels, but "unreliable"? I dont know if I would go that far. I know more than a few people with high milage ducks that ride the snot out of them and they do just fine. I also know a few that have had a problem or two with their bikes. Really no more so that other bikes, and actually much less than some othetrs (ask me about owning a 1999 Buell sometime ).

in the end, they are Italian. Dead sexy go fast machinery on two wheels. You'll never ride anything like it again. Everyone should have one at some point in their lives.

[starboy444]

Originally Posted by Mr Payne

Italian. Plenty of positives, there are downsides though...

lol! I was going to say the same thing....


Welcome to the wonderful world of Italian machinery.

Low volumes, classic yet modern technology, strange parts and mechanisms, many non-standard items, and parts which are hard to source.

And of course there are the oil leaks!

Ducs, Aprilia's, MV's, etc.... are designed and manufactured in a totally different manner than the Japanese, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on which way you look at it....

[Wade]

Originally Posted by jimbo14

Hello all,

I was just doing some research on Ducati Superbikes (eg, 749, 999, 1098) and have been spending alot of time on www.ducati.ms. It really seems that reliablity and quailty is not fantastic in these bikes. In threads on the forums, the Ducati owners are constantly asking for technical assistance with their motorcycles. Constantly breaking down, having alot of trouble ordering in spare parts via Ducati and the general build quality decreasing.

I love Ducati's and really hope this is not the reality. Can somebody please shed some light on this?

-Jimbo14

If you go straight to the source you'll find this;

"50% less maintenance cost on every 2007 Ducati
We are proud to announce that all 2007 Ducati models require less frequent service, fewer parts and less labour during each service and, as a result, greatly reduced scheduled maintenance costs – by as much as 50%.

Reducing the cost of service when you visit your Ducati dealer for maintenance is one way to measure the new quality of Ducati. It also contributes immensely to making the Ducati ownership experience as satisfying as the Ducati riding experience.

Research and development is the number one investment at the Ducati factory. This investment in performance and quality includes our factory processes, machinery and the people who build each Ducati. By ‘engineering-in’ quality through design, materials and testing, every Ducati owner will enjoy significant and quantifiable improvements in every Ducati motorcycle.

To a rider, the best measure of quality is by the riding experience. You can feel a new smoothness to the legendary Ducati L-Twin, a more progressive nature to the powerful brakes and more confident road holding in every turn. Reliability and quality – one ride is all the proof you will need.

50% less – 100% Ducati – standard equipment in every 2007 model."

http://www.ducati.com/

[Fred2]

Originally Posted by jimbo14

Hello all,

I was just doing some research on Ducati Superbikes (eg, 749, 999, 1098) and have been spending alot of time on www.ducati.ms. It really seems that reliablity and quailty is not fantastic in these bikes. In threads on the forums, the Ducati owners are constantly asking for technical assistance with their motorcycles. Constantly breaking down, having alot of trouble ordering in spare parts via Ducati and the general build quality decreasing.

I love Ducati's and really hope this is not the reality. Can somebody please shed some light on this?

-Jimbo14

The site is down, possibly due to an italian made server ? ;-)

[dave_fonz_164]

They say the same things about Alfas, Lancias, Fiats, Maseratis.......so you get the picture, they require more frequent maintenance intervals, but are just as reliable and sometimes even more reliable than the competition, and this is from experience!

I had a 15yr old Alfa Romeo that leaked oil, had the occasional dash light flicker, sometimes the doors would lock and sometimes they wouldnt but my same 3 close friends had to A) replace an engine on a new Mazda 3 GT, B) Acura RSX Type S firing on 3cylinders and eating oil, C)Volkswagen GTI VR6 elec fails everyday and engine seizure cuz of an oil pump,all this occured while driving my Finicky, Unreliable Italian car...........funniest part was driving to the mazda dealer and volks dealer to pick up my friends, the salesmen looked at me funny, since when does an Alfa become a vallet car for a german and japanese machinery????

all to say, dont believe it, drive it hard, maitain it, if it breaks, fix it, but just be ready that if u do break something, it might cost a lil more !

[jimbo14]

Thanks for the great responces everyone, especially Choptop.

Do Aprilias and Mv Agustas have similar "care requirment/reliability" issues to the Ducati?

Also Choptop, its funny that you mention that about Honda's quality. I have often heard many Yamaha owners and other unbiased opinions say that Hondas motorcycle quality is fantastic. Would you agree with this?

[starboy444]

Originally Posted by jimbo14

Thanks for the great responces everyone, especially Choptop.

Do Aprilias and Mv Agustas have similar "care requirment/reliability" issues to the Ducati?

Also Choptop, its funny that you mention that about Honda's quality. I have often heard many Yamaha owners and other unbiased opinions say that Hondas motorcycle quality is fantastic. Would you agree with this?

I have owned 4 Honda's, and another 4 in my family. I would have to say that is absolutely correct. It would be hard for me to think about buying and riding something else.

Maybe a biased opinion, but I believe Honda was, and still is the best manufacturer in the world .

[Choptop]

Originally Posted by jimbo14

Thanks for the great responces everyone, especially Choptop.

Do Aprilias and Mv Agustas have similar "care requirment/reliability" issues to the Ducati?

Also Choptop, its funny that you mention that about Honda's quality. I have often heard many Yamaha owners and other unbiased opinions say that Hondas motorcycle quality is fantastic. Would you agree with this?

Honda makes amazing bikes... perhaps not the most outstanding in any particular way in their class, but damn close to the top. Put on top of that the reliability reputation, and they are hard to beat. You will ride faster, sharper/better handling, quicker, more sexy bikes than a Honda, but damn... they are just rock solid.

The only criticism is that they are slightly "soul-less"... However one defines that. They are kinda appliance like. Motorcycle - 1 ea. kinda thing. Nothing really memorable. they just keep running, thats all. Everyone should have one at some point in their life.... just like everyone should have some horribly sexy, tempermental, extremely fast and very italian bike in their life.

Aprilia's? Here is another bike with a reputation for being rock solid when it comes to reliability. This is because of the Rotax sourced engine. VERY well put together.

I'll expnad on that more later today... gotta run for now.

But I like me them Aprilia's.

[EarlyCat]

I had a Ducati 900 sp. It was great. Zero problems, the previous guy had the belts replaced. Mine had 22k miles on it. I sold it for a few hundred more than I paid for it. I should have kept it & put it over a pool table! It was a pure pleasure.

[robert biscan]

I had no issues with my 916 in the three years I owned it.

[Ershank]

Soul?

Soul is just something people made up to justify their purchases. Since they know it doesn't perform as well, they say "It has a timeless design, and has soul".

[PCH]

I've been riding Ducati's and Italian bikes for over 15 years with little to no issues.

[Canine64]

My 3 Ducs (900 SS/SP; &48 Bi-posto; and 996S) were pretty much bullet-proof during my ownership. Resale with the 996S was pathetic though---it took a 50% hit in 2 years. So much for the Duc sales guy telling me that the limited edition status of the bike would mimick that of the limited edition Harleys. Oh well, I wouldn't trade the Duc experience for anything.....maybe an MV.....

[Choptop]

Originally Posted by Ershank

Soul?

Soul is just something people made up to justify their purchases. Since they know it doesn't perform as well, they say "It has a timeless design, and has soul".

Some may, I dont.

I've bought and sold many bands of bikes, right now there are 4 different brands, 6 different models in the garage... some have "soul" some dont. I enjoy each for what they are.

Ride two different bikes back to back and its easy to tell which one has "soul" and which does... at least me... perhaps its all in my mind... dunno.

tell ya what.. .the 1098 doesnt need any excuse for low performance... its the real deal, and has "soul".

[jimbo14]

Thanks for the great responses everyone, I really appreaciate it.

[Admiral Thrawn]

Originally Posted by Choptop

some have "soul" some dont.

Which ones?

[Choptop]

Originally Posted by Admiral Thrawn

Which ones?

2001 FZ1 - no soul. Just a solid
2000 GSXR 750 - a little soul. It only really comes out when you push it hard on the track. Has the performance to back it up. Becomes a rocketship.
2001 Aprilia Mille - loads of soul. feels just dead sexy. very Italian
1942 Harley WLA - are friggin kidding me? Loads of soul. Not alot of performance to back it up. But its set 3 world records in its class at Bonneville.
1968 Truimph - lots of soul, lots of oil leaks.