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Warranty Work

gatdammit said:
[snip,snip]

My bike was one of two delivered without a PIN for immobilizer. Just found out this means Duc will have to replace dashboard, along with new keys and PIN. That was an expensive mistake on their part. Dealer doesn't know if this will reset odometer or mileage will be retained.

[snip, snip].
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Unlike previous Ducs I've owned, the Hyperstrada does not ship with one preprogrammed.

Mine was blank and I entered the code I wanted to use via the left hand controls. The owner's manual (pg. 107) says the dealer should be able to reset it.

Eric
 
Pinoy, they later said it wasn't a mistake and Strada's don't get one issued. I don't know much about this feature. Do you have to enter the PIN on startup or does it lock the bike down if tampered with?
 
I think the PIN only comes into play if the key gets damaged and the chip can't be read. I think.
 
New Hotness

NewBrembos.jpg


Got her back from shop this Friday. Only couple quick spins so far but enough for a little feedback:

1. New Rotors/Pads - as far as I can tell they are Brembo Super Sports. Won't know for sure till I get the work order which is held up due to warranty claim. Tech said they are race application and will float more and resist any warping. They certainly look trick and will set me apart from a row of stockers. If you can imagine it, these grip even better than stock rotors - went from 50-0 in a blink. I did get new bads but they are stock, which bothered me because he said EBC doesn't sell upgrades for our bike yet even though a number of you guys have fitted them...oh well, didn't want to piss all over the gesture.

2. Swapped fork oil for Ohlins Racing fluid - nothing to report. Haven't had her out on long enough cruise to look for front end chatter. Honestly, I was just stoked to have her back after nearly a month.

3. Software Updates - 3 of them; couple black boxes and the dash. I think I can honestly say at this point that the throttle response has been dampened in Touring and Sport - not nearly as snappy off the stop as before. It doesn't hunt as bad when cruising at slow speeds. However, something bothered me. It honestly felt slower to fully light when I whacked it. I don't know if the ECU is going through a learning mode but when you haven't rode in a month the bike should almost scare you. I flogged it in Sport on a quick run yesterday and it popped the wheel in 2nd pretty low in the revs (DTC 1) so, the power's there, it just felt slower at first. Maybe they dampened the response through a big chunk of the rev range but I worry they sapped some speed in the process. Developing...

All told I'm happy. Dealer made good as it was all under warranty. Could have been done quicker but they had a booth at Daytona which set them back a bit. I just didn't want this to turn into some pissing match that left me walking away. They also picked up/returned the bike to my house, which rules because they are 150 miles away.
 
gatdammit, I am having issues with my deale rdoing anything about my brake/rotor issue, (Ducati said its all within spec) just fitted new EBC pads but the problem still persists. To help others and myself, do you have the results of your dealers testing to identify the brake issue and what they said.
Appreciate anything you can do (congrats on all the warranty stuff, very cool)
 
not much to say. They agreed rotors were warped first time around 800 miles with noted front fork chatter. Those were swapped under warranty with no gripes. Not even 600 miles later, I let them know rotors were warped again. Took it in around 2500 mile point for inspection. They waffled a bit and said they could barely notice the issue and that Ducati was going to balk at replacing same parts a second time. I voiced my dissatisfaction and the owner told me to write a very detailed description of problem and send it. I sent a 2 page discrepancy, they sent to regional manager, and finally called saying they would pick it up and return it fixed.

You should seek satisfaction with a new, top label bike. However, it's my personal experience that you burn bridges by slamming your fists and making threatening demands. The house always wins so your better off assuring them that you want to have the issue resolved amicably and that you really want to remain a customer. I think when it comes to boutique bike shops, they generally service bikes for life and hope you'll come back when its time to shop for a new model. I don't know about you, but I get test ride promotions and track day invites all the time. Catch more flies with honey concept.
 
Well I called the dealer today and they said there is nothing they can do, it is what it is so I asked them for the Ducati Customer Service number. Then I called Ducati and explained the situation, said I loved the bike but dont like shaking to bits when braking, that I had purchased new pads and still nothing yada yada yada. Three hours later they called and said as a one off they will replace rotors and pads (yippee) and if it does happen again, I'm definately on my own, they wont do anything to help. (no worries it'll be up for sale if it does).
 
**** man. This is when you hope a dealer or company will stand by their product.
 
I could never imagine my dealer treating me that way. Fortunately there's three Duc dealers in the greater Denver area if it ever came to something like that.
 
there are 2 dealers in my area and I deal with both of them, to be honest they're no better than each other. I get why the service guy said they could do nothing as Ducati had already said no and the dealer had already absorbed the initial inspection charge of a couple hundred bucks. Thing is do I spend another couple hundred getting the heated grips fitted and then if the new rotors etc dont work out I'm back to square one and then have to either spend more money working with specialists to get the bike in order or bite the bullet and sell it.
I love the bike but its leaving a bad taste in my mouth to ride a Ducati with such bad service. There is an independent guy who is superb but I'm not sure he can handle the newer bikes and all the electronics etc. Gonna give him a call. :)
 
just called the independant guy and OMG, I feel better about having someone work on my bike who doesn't want my house as down payment and is willing to work with me - great.
 
He may be able to do something that won't require remove & replace. All dealers tend to just swap out parts under warranty as it's easier to just swap it out and bill manufacturer than take the time to trouble shoot.
 
The plan is to have the dealer change pads and rotors and fit the heated grips. Then, take the bike to the new guy and have the front suspension checked (or at least re-oiled or whatever) and get them to also check the brakes. They are cheaper than the dealer and can easily service the bike so I dont need to bother with the dealer apart from recall stuff.

The guy actually said he'd seen rotor issues with Monsters etc which use the same rotor as the HS, must be a bad batch or something but at 2000 miles he says its ridiculous.

He also said he never seen a full service on any Ducati cost more then $1000 where the dealer starts at ~$1000.

A fellow rider I trust recommended these guys and he rides a Streetfighter and races so I'll go with this new guy.
 
Today I swapped out the new pads for the original Brembos (as the bike was going to the dealer for a full rotor and pad change) I noticed the new pads showed uneven wear (bottom right pad) after only 150 miles or so. The dealer asked I send to him so he could show Ducati. Now I am no expert but this would tell me something is wrong - right?

 
My last bike had warped rotor issues, and showed similar wear characteristics. They replaced to rotors under warranty 3 times, about 5-8000km each time, before it was clued in that it was a stuck caliper piston. For some reason mechanics didn't think of this, so I added a brake cleaning to my regular maintenance and had no issues after that (104,000km on bike)
 
That's about what I would expect to see if I pulled pads when I was having issues. My dealer never mentioned it. Glad you reached out to them as these possible manufacturing problems never get solved on first runs if people don't say anything. Maybe the pad/rotor materials just don't mesh well?

I hope they foot the bill at your new shop or at least buy the replacement pads...
 
Bikes back with new rotors and pads (and heated grips). Should I leave the new brembo pads in or swap for my EBC ?
 
I have never had a warped rotor in my life. It's pretty simple if you never have any impacts to the rotor itself. Now I know what you all are referring to is a pulsation or maybe a high frequency ring. I'll try to help you guys understand whats really happening.

Brakes work off of friction. Alot of people think it's friction between the pad and rotor.. It is not. It's actually friction between the brake pad with itself. "Bedding" is the transfer of brake pad material to the rotor surface (this happens with hot brakes). This layer of material on the rotor works with the brake pad to stop the motorcycle/car.

Pulsation begins with an uneven surface on the rotor that acts against the brake lever. This happens from hot brake pads and coming to a stop while standing on the brake. The hot brake pad "stamps" itself on to the rotor surface and now whenever you use the brake you feel the pad passing the stamp. Improper bedding or wear+tear can also create uneven distribution of brake pad material to the rotor. This rarely happens to track bikes.

Taking it easy on the brakes to "break in" is the worst you can do IMO. I am an auto mechanic and before I release a car to a customer I get those pads bedded to the rotor with repeated hard 60-20mph stops. I have never had a warranty issue. Ever.

One way to properly diagnose the problem is to check rotor run out with a dial caliper. You can actually measure the high spot and problem area that way. I actually have a grinding stone that's meant to clean bad bedding and not mark the rotor. This saves money with only the cost of a new set of pads.

Im not entirely blaming people because there is possibility of mechanical error like a stuck piston or slide. I just figured id come in and educate everyone on whats really going on. Mechanics, including myself, rarely take time to explain this issue because it's difficult to explain it may be the customer's fault. Other mechanics just don't know. Hell, break in my hyper was my typical riding. Aggressive. I actually "forgot" the 600 mile motor break in until like 400 miles. oops. I've even cleared up a slight pulsation on a roadstar warrior by doing 120 mph and slamming the front brake a few times then drove slowly around to let cool.
 
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Mbalducci1990 said:
I have never had a warped rotor in my life. It's pretty simple if you never have any impacts to the rotor itself. Now I know what you all are referring to is a pulsation or maybe a high frequency ring. I'll try to help you guys understand whats really happening.

Brakes work off of friction. Alot of people think it's friction between the pad and rotor.. It is not. It's actually friction between the brake pad with itself. "Bedding" is the transfer of brake pad material to the rotor surface (this happens with hot brakes). This layer of material on the rotor works with the brake pad to stop the motorcycle/car.

Pulsation begins with an uneven surface on the rotor that acts against the brake lever. This happens from hot brake pads and coming to a stop while standing on the brake. The hot brake pad "stamps" itself on to the rotor surface and now whenever you use the brake you feel the pad passing the stamp. Improper bedding or wear+tear can also create uneven distribution of brake pad material to the rotor. This rarely happens to track bikes.

Taking it easy on the brakes to "break in" is the worst you can do IMO. I am an auto mechanic and before I release a car to a customer I get those pads bedded to the rotor with repeated hard 60-20mph stops. I have never had a warranty issue. Ever.

One way to properly diagnose the problem is to check rotor run out with a dial caliper. You can actually measure the high spot and problem area that way. I actually have a grinding stone that's meant to clean bad bedding and not mark the rotor. This saves money with only the cost of a new set of pads.

Im not entirely blaming people because there is possibility of mechanical error like a stuck piston or slide. I just figured id come in and educate everyone on whats really going on. Mechanics, including myself, rarely take time to explain this issue because it's difficult to explain it may be the customer's fault. Other mechanics just don't know. Hell, break in my hyper was my typical riding. Aggressive. I actually "forgot" the 600 mile motor break in until like 400 miles. oops. I've even cleared up a slight pulsation on a roadstar warrior by doing 120 mph and slamming the front brake a few times then drove slowly around to let cool.
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So, why is this happening to quite a few HS riders and my previous bikes, never suffered? Why are ducati changing rotors and pads? I get what you are saying but its way too generic a statement to explain what we are experiencing.
 
Good diagnosis Mbalducci, but not the case with me. I do brake jobs on my cars (never had to on a bike yet) and always break them in with a series of 55 - 10 mph aggressive stops. My dealer also bed the brakes on all new bikes sold and my bike had about 10 miles on the odometer when I picked it up, so this was definitely done.

I also rode my bike pretty aggressively during break in. Basically, drove like I do now. I did not have pulsating, it was a warp point. I could kill the engine and coast from 30 mph and actually hear/feel the pads hitting the uneven spot(s) with no brake application and the friction slowed with rotational speed of wheel/rotor. I think it is probably the pad choice as swapping pads has helped a lot of members with signs of brake issues.