Ducati Maintenance/reliability questions

[Kurlon]

See, BCM is doing exactly what Ducati is trying to crack down on, they are not supposed to be tacking things onto the scheduled maint to up the cost. There is a reason Ducati is saying things don't need to be done or done as often now, the bikes have proven it's excessive. Thats why you should contact Ducati Corporate to let them know what those dealers are up to, so Ducati can crack the whip and get them inline.

[OSJ]

I don't think I've heard a full service quote, with belts over $400?

When my SS was ready for that 12k service I called every dealership in New England. Naults had just closed. Everyone quoted over $700 for that service. I had stopped in Dunbars while on a ride and was starting to get that special feeling towards the Multi and tried to get them to give me a good deal on the service.

[OSJ]

See, BCM is doing exactly what Ducati is trying to crack down on, they are not supposed to be tacking things onto the scheduled maint to up the cost. There is a reason Ducati is saying things don't need to be done or done as often now, the bikes have proven it's excessive. Thats why you should contact Ducati Corporate to let them know what those dealers are up to, so Ducati can crack the whip and get them inline.

Thanks for the info, will do.

Any email addys/names or phone numbers? Or should I just start with Ducati

[dwaltz61]

See, BCM is doing exactly what Ducati is trying to crack down on, they are not supposed to be tacking things onto the scheduled maint to up the cost. There is a reason Ducati is saying things don't need to be done or done as often now, the bikes have proven it's excessive. Thats why you should contact Ducati Corporate to let them know what those dealers are up to, so Ducati can crack the whip and get them inline.

Agreed.

I was vacationing in Maine this weekend. I stopped in at Moto Milano, and talked to the manager about service costs. There prices were 1/2 of what most dealers in the boston area charge. Some of it has to do with hourly services charges and probably passing on higher overhead in boston, but either way i was surprised.

[dwaltz61]

Forgot to mention that even including increased hourly costs/overhead how they could even come close to charging 100% more in boston compared to maine...

[OSJ]

Forgot to mention that even including increased hourly costs/overhead how they could even come close to charging 100% more in boston compared to maine...

Gengras is $88 per hr.

When you say Boston do you mean Riverside or Eastern Cycle?

[dwaltz61]

Gengras is $88 per hr.

When you say Boston do you mean Riverside or Eastern Cycle?

doesn't matter.

[Doc]

Call Leslie, Miles or Kyle at BCM and ask... Instead of hearing it from some guy on the web. They are good people.

[dwaltz61]

Call Leslie, Miles or Kyle at BCM and ask... Instead of hearing it from some guy on the web. They are good people.

I believe that most of the dealers in Boston aren't f'ing anyone over. I just think that some dealers have less overhead than others, thus, they don't have to pass as much over to the customer as other dealers.

[OSJ]

Call Leslie, Miles or Kyle at BCM and ask... Instead of hearing it from some guy on the web. They are good people.

Its not just some guy on the web, its someone I know and ride with. There has been some discussion on multistrada.net about this subject. I just put up another thread to see what others have been paying for these services.

Ive heard great things about BCM, and also heard its not the place it once was since Bruce is no longer involved. I am leaning towards them for future service with my duck

I really like using the dealer I purchased the bike from, its just too bad Gengras handled some things the way they did.

[GixerJockey]

I really like using the dealer I purchased the bike from, its just too bad Gengras handled some things the way they did.

Par for the course with them...

They are car dealers and havn't quite come close to figuring out how to deal in European motorcycles...


Where in Ct are you from? Don't forget about Doc's... They are a great dealership.

[Brian675]

Call Leslie, Miles or Kyle at BCM and ask... Instead of hearing it from some guy on the web. They are good people.

+1 Be there with friends and they are extremely nice and tentative to what there customers need.

[BCT748]

Its not just some guy on the web, its someone I know and ride with. There has been some discussion on multistrada.net about this subject. I just put up another thread to see what others have been paying for these services.

Ive heard great things about BCM, and also heard its not the place it once was since Bruce is no longer involved. I am leaning towards them for future service with my duck

I really like using the dealer I purchased the bike from, its just too bad Gengras handled some things the way they did.

You are talking about a $40 difference between BCM and another dealership. Are you sure that the bike didn't need something small added into it to make up that $40? I've dealt with BCM a few times and I cannot picture them purposely screwing someone out of $40. They are one of the very few dealers that I would consider honest and wouldn't second guess them if they told me the bike needed more service than originally quoted.

[vfr99999]

Had an ST3 bought new within 1400 had to replace rocker arms. brake hose and clutch was getting weak have been riding for 37 yrs. Bike was falling apart before my eyes. Have had H1,H2,KZ, GSXRs,FZR,FZ,ST1100,VFR,KTM,Husqvarna and Aprilia Tuono. Nothing was more fragile than Ducati.

[brewmaster]

Ok Ok I am giving in to reply.

First off I DO NOT own a newer Ducati. Nor are they 4V motors. I have a 2000 SS750ie race bike and a 2000 M900ie (Monster) and have had a 1999 SS750ie. So this might not be appropriate to the original question.

My experience has been very good with all of them. They have not been expensive to maintenance, but I do almost all of my own maintenance. The valve & belt adjustments are not a problem on these bikes and is not difficult to do. I have always checked the valves in the winter and adjusted them as necessary. This has become just a check on the M900 due to the valves remaining in adjustment without need of maintenance for the last two years (4000 miles). That included a few track days on that bike which as you know wears more on the bike, so no problems.

The SS's have also been fine. I needed to adjust the valves on the 99 SS motor once. It was a stock motor and I was racing it also. Not bad for a bike that saw 4-5 track days and a full season of racing. If the new engines are better than this, which I would hope they are, you should be fine.

Now on to the dealer subject. Personally due to the vast majority of maintenance being done by myself the service cost is much less. However the experience of the different dealers service and parts departments becomes paramount to the equation.

An experienced service tech KNOWS what needs to be done. They have seen it and know it and know how to fix it and or prevent it. Ducati's are not like your standard HoYaSuKa--i they have been engineered from a different perspective. This means they require someone experienced with the quirks of the breed. Many dealers have not been fortunate enough to have techs that really know their stuff. Plenty think they do but my experience is that there are few truly talented ones.

The parts department is equally important! This means people behind the counter who actually know the bikes. They should know what the part is that you are looking for, you shouldn't have to walk into a dealer with a diagram and a part # to get the correct part (unless it is a strange request).
They should also have on the self common maintenance and service parts! An example would be a dealer NOT having a valve shim, belt or filter for a bike! Shims can be a little difficult but they should have a shim kit on hand.
Beware of any dealer who can't fill these requirements! If they have to special order these parts they most likely can't service it well either.

All I can say is a good dealer is worth the $$ to take your bike to. They will get to know you & your bike and will better service your needs by doing so. Hopefully this is the dealer you bought your bike from. I think you should give them the business first until they prove not able to the provide service/parts timely and correctly.

Personally BCM has all the components to do this well. There are other dealers who I am sure can also provide great service also. Just don't settle for substandard service.

Ok I'm done sorry for the long post.

p.s.- If I ever buy a New Duc it will be from a dealer who I know will service it too.

[OSJ]

You are talking about a $40 difference between BCM and another dealership. Are you sure that the bike didn't need something small added into it to make up that $40? I've dealt with BCM a few times and I cannot picture them purposely screwing someone out of $40. They are one of the very few dealers that I would consider honest and wouldn't second guess them if they told me the bike needed more service than originally quoted.

The point to the post with the prices was not the difference between the dealerships with prices, but just the fact they were all over $650 for that service. Someone was implying that BCM would be much cheaper than the other dealerships

My dealer gave me a quote of $650, put when I went to pick up the bike the bill was $780. I put up a stink and got the bill back down to the quoted amount.

I contacted Ducati about this issue and hope to hear from them soon. I will post up their response.

I do plan on contacting BCM and seeing if they will take over the maintenance on my Multi.

[BCT748]

The point to the post with the prices was not the difference between the dealerships with prices, but just the fact they were all over $650 for that service. Someone was implying that BCM would be much cheaper than the other dealerships

My dealer gave me a quote of $650, put when I went to pick up the bike the bill was $780. I put up a stink and got the bill back down to the quoted amount.

I contacted Ducati about this issue and hope to hear from them soon. I will post up their response.

I do plan on contacting BCM and seeing if they will take over the maintenance on my Multi.

I guess I missed what you were trying to say, sorry.

I'm sure BCM will take over your maintenance. Every person I have met there has been very helpful. The last time I was up there was to pick up a part for my bike and Leslie went out of his way to take me and two other people I was with out back to check out a 848 that just came in. He knew that none of us had any intention of buying one but he did it anyway. He loves talking about bikes and will stop whatever he is doing if you give him a chance to talk about them. You'll be extremely happy with them.

[FriskyDingo]

Well my Hyper decided to start showing it's Ducati character today, engine light came on 1/2 way home for lunch, ran fine the rest of the way. Checked the code, STEPPER MOTOR ERROR, can't find much more info. Currently will not start so heading to the dealer tommorrow, hopefully something "reflashable", if parts are required

Not complaining yet, it's been great the 1st 1,500 miles, better every ride till today Hopefully a quick fix and I'll stay happy

[Kurlon]

Get the two into one exhaust for it, no more stepper motor to worry about. : )

[scottieducati]

I've had a similar experience to saxman... problem free thus far and everything from commuting to street rides to track days, she's been a pleasure to own.. and Seacoast replaced my regulator before I ever took delivery of the bike.

I'm a firm believer in buying a Ducati from a top-notch shop that knows about issues with the bike and takes a proactive approach toward fixing those issues.

I plan to have them replace my radiator at the 7,500 mile service (whether it "needs" it or not..) as that, and the regulator are the only real issues I have heard of on the 848's thus far...

I bought my first Ducati this year, the 2008 848, and my experiance has been great!

I have 5000 miles on the bike so far and not a single issue (know on wood).

I've taken the bike through its paces too from daily commuting, quick street rides, to beating the shit out of it at the track.

The schedule for service is very light compared to the older ducati's. 600 mile service, then the next one is at 7500 (valve check, etc).

I am able to do the oil changes myself, etc;.

[Paul_E_D]

Here's my take after owning a duc for 8 years. Ducatis are reliable, and the service is cheap, but you can't be a "warranty victim". By that I mean someone who won't accept that these bikes can have issues, and that shoving it back at the dealer may not be the best way to get something fixed right. Do some research and go to a good shop knowing what will fix the problem. Ask them to do that and only that.

As for the services, I told my dealer to only do the valves, and I would take care of the little stuff. All my services were under 300 bucks. One warranty issue was taken care without any questions.

[FriskyDingo]

UPDATE:

dropped my Hyper off at Razee on a Tues. night with no appointment, said they should be able to check it out by Friday but got a bit backed up, but no problem had it back the following Tues. Stepper motor was fine, ECU error as expected, seems as if 70% of the Hyper ECU's are bad as they have a box of them.

So very minor issue, fixed quickly under warranty with no questions by a Ducati dealer I didn't buy the bike from. 2,000 miles on the Duc now with only this minor issue, no long term test results, but no real problems either.

[DuncanMoto]

My 2003 ss1000ds is an amazing bike, but it did have it initial issues which took 1,200 miles to work out including a new wiring harness, new starter and solenoid, new battery and being stranded twice. Ever since it has been a joy. Everything was taken care of by warantee. Riverside always treated me right as did BCM when I was in N.H.

I have a mint sexy yellow 1098 for sale

[OSJ]

See, BCM is doing exactly what Ducati is trying to crack down on, they are not supposed to be tacking things onto the scheduled maint to up the cost. There is a reason Ducati is saying things don't need to be done or done as often now, the bikes have proven it's excessive. Thats why you should contact Ducati Corporate to let them know what those dealers are up to, so Ducati can crack the whip and get them inline.

Here is an update on this issue
this is copied from a ducati flyer at all dealerships

"50% LESS MAINTENANCE COST ON EVERY 2008 DUCATI
We are proud to announce that all 2008 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%*.

I've sent a few emails to a couple different Ducati NA reps. I've finally received a response from them. They agree with the above statement, but the finish it with this..

" each Ducati dealership is a independently owned business and they are free to charge what they want and do the service they think is appropriate for your motorcycle."

Which seems to fall under false advertising laws to me.

Here is a brake down on costs with the 6k vs. 7.5k assuming you own the bike for 60k. that’s the model they use, and the prices from Gengras in Hartford

6- $700
12-$1015

At 60k you would spend $8575 using those prices

7.5 $700
15k $1015.00

At 60k you would spend $6860 using the same prices

Ive been told " off the record" by some Ducati mechanic that you can do the services every 15k in stead of 7.5k as long as you do regular maintenance yourself ( oil, chain..ect) I think once the bike is out of warranty I may do this.

[a13x]

Heh. During my tenure at Ducati Corporate I can't tell you the number of brand-stinking-new Ducati's I took straight out of the crate and proceeded to beat the shit out of. Straight to the track, straight onto 700+ mile rides (hard as hell), straight into SF doing wheelies and jumps down the hills, etc.

Things always held up great!


Who'd you talk to at DNA in Customer Service? Cintia? Daniel? Mike? If you get the run-around drop JayRoot (NESR Member and LRRS racer) a PM. He's the Northeast Area Sales Manager.

-alex (former Ducati Promotions Manager)


PS: Kyle at BCM = good shit.