Wow, that weld looks like horse manure. It's painful to think about where else corners were cut like this to make a quick buck.
I really do think this stems partly from the Audi purchase of Ducati. My 2001 Monster 900 has had 30k trouble-free miles. Nothing but wear items and service items.
Washed my 'tard yesterday and after reading this thread took a closer look and while I can't be sure that I'm not just being paranoid, it looks like mine has a hairline crack as well. I thought it'd gotten louder a while back but kinda assumed I was just getting used to the sound.
Yeah, I've looked at a few more reports on the web, I think I'm being paranoid and I'm probably ok. Bike needs an oil change and tires anyway so I'll have people smarter than me take a look.