Is Ducati skimping on quality control again?

[Ho Lee Kau]

I thought old days of unreliable Ducatis were gone, but it seems the latest V4 has recall after recall after recall.
The latest one - due to potential timing chain defect. Solution, according to Ducati, is to tighten timing chain bolts...
Wait, what? The bolts were loose from the factory? That is a bit disconcerting.
Italians, you gotta love them....

[Ho Lee Kau]

Tango13 said:

Ducati had a cutaway V4 at the NEC bike show and a car mechanic mate took one look at the cam chain and commented that VW use the same chain in their cars and they stretch 'cos they're ste...

I guess that also depends on a model of VW?
I remember they had Big problems with the 3.2 V6 engine in TTs, the chain stretch problem.
Like another poster said it cannot be the same force running through car chain and bike chain though?

[Ho Lee Kau]

graylag said:

It’s a new model. Pretty much every car and bike ever made have recalls on a regular basis to rectify defects.

Didn’t the S1000RR have a similar problem in its first iteration?

Sure thing, each one has had recalls.
I have GSXR1000, it had now 2 recalls I believe, ECU and now some fuel pump seal.
BMW, Yamaha...
Seems Ducati has a (significantly) longer list of recalls on V4 Panigale though?

[Ho Lee Kau]

Walter Sobchak said:

FFS is there another recall?!.

How many have you done so far, Walter?

[Ho Lee Kau]

Krikkit said:

Ho Lee Kau said:

graylag said:

It’s a new model. Pretty much every car and bike ever made have recalls on a regular basis to rectify defects.

Didn’t the S1000RR have a similar problem in its first iteration?

Sure thing, each one has had recalls.
I have GSXR1000, it had now 2 recalls I believe, ECU and now some fuel pump seal.
BMW, Yamaha...
Seems Ducati has a (significantly) longer list of recalls on V4 Panigale though?

5 recalls on the V4 so far:
1) Timing chain bolts cause an oil leak (not tension failure)
2) Oil cooler port cracking
3) A bad batch of Brembo rear pads
4) A bad batch of Brembo master cylinders
5) Fuel cap pressurising

Doesn't seem too bad for a totally new engine. Worth noting that not all bikes have every issue - the brake pads were 72 bikes iirc.

Edited by Krikkit on Monday 17th December 09:06

indeed, completely new road engine
maybe not that bad then, the list of teething problems

[Ho Lee Kau]

Prof Prolapse said:

I mean in my circumstances a heavily financed GSXR-1000RR is the logical alternative inkeeping with stereotypes... Or a 'Busa with urban camo trousers and a "Bandit" lid.

shouldn't it be a heavily financed base model then?

[Ho Lee Kau]

mickrick said:

It's Italian, they don't do quality control. Just look at the state of the place, it's a fking dump!

It is not a dump, it is Italy.
As soon as I cross the border from Switzerland to Italy I feel at home (I am not Italian, I am not Swiss), culture, language, food, people, I am big fan of it all.

[Ho Lee Kau]

Krikkit said:

And that's part of it, much like German cars, the Japanese reputation for reliability is assumed, the Ducati (and other Italian brands I'm sure) will automatically be assumed to be crap.

Doesn't matter how they really perform overall, as soon as a Jap bike has issues it's the exception, with an Italian it'd be "Aha, it had to break down sooner or later"... They can't win.

Nothing is "automatically assumed" out of the blue though