motodoc

It is because of the devout Ducatisti. They have encouraged Ducati to create the generational company Philosophy: "Just deliver the bike to the customer." "Let the customer discover all the manufacturing and suppliers part defects, and have them bring the bike back to the dealership to address the problems." Ducati saves money on R&D, and the Ducati owner gets the full Ducati Experience (of having their bike in the service department more than it is on the street/ track, mainly because of the backlog of parts and bikes there for warranty work). Which serves another revenue generating purpose for Ducati. You buy other parts and have other work done thats not covered by the warranty. Also, you get to see the newest bikes (or the ones that didn't sell from the year before) on the showroom floor that you might purchase to add to your "Ducati Experience" (the customer realizes that at least 2 bikes are needed to stay on the road during the bike season, alternating them back and forth to the service department)

endodoc

That was an excellent assessment of the brand and the philosophy. Well done young man. I would also throw in the arrogance and pomposity of shot callers. From the factory, their bikes just aren’t very good from a mechanical perspective and worse from a maintenance perspective and some of the engineering is downright “WTF”. Their numbers speak volumes. They are mass producing bikes like never before and the ability to mass produce while handling QC is not in this companies DNA. The 1299 should have been a 12k bike out the door and then maybe some of the issues would have been a bit more palatable but 25k for a base bike that’s built like an entry level Japanese bike? “Head up ass” syndrome is in full swing in Italy. Buuuuuuut, they sure are pretty.

topolino

I have to agree that QC on the parts in question is lacking but more importantly it would make more sense to test a few pre-production models on an endurance basis, that is to say in varying weather conditions and on both road and track to allow the design to show up any flaws or failures before they get into the hands of consumers. Mclaren for example put over 10,000 miles on their P1 before it was even considered ready for full scale production and that was under extreme loads and at all speeds. MIRA is a testing facility in the UK that punishes a car's suspension, brakes and is as good a place as any to draw out any underlying issues that may not be present on a test rig or at least exhibit any shortcomings long before a vehicle hits the showroom floor.

thorny

Agree

thorny

Just had my clutch hose done by the dealer. I can't tell for sure, but even though the lever was proper firm, the bite point seems to have moved to about 80% of the available travel away from the grip. Modulating the clutch is not so easy.. I kept adjusting the clutch lever to be close to the grip since no sense to be moving the lever back and forth when it only bites at almost fully released.

Dunno, but this was my first impression. It became more 'on and off' when before or so it seems. But as long as it doesn't draw air, I'll call it a success

RODOLFO

If you are having to adjust the lever, it is not a good sign

I believe you still have the problem

nealeo

i think what he is saying is the clutch now engages and disengages at the begining of the lever pull which is good

RODOLFO

You are right

I got confused

Hope the problem got fixed,

really looking forward to having a nice 26k bike with a working clutch, as I have had on the past on 5k or 10k bikes

thorny

Correct. On this bike even when the clutch is fully operational it is still not the greatest thing to use at slow speeds and in traffic. all my previous bikes had clutches that you simply didn’t think about, but this one is different. Clutch feel on my Tuono is superb too, silky smooth, progressive and very pleasant to use.

Ducati QS is good and that’s why the way this clutch operates is only a minor gripe for me (apart from it drawing air of course), but I wish it was like the one on Aprilia..

nealeo

i only use the clutch for take off and tight u turns, i agree its not the greatest clutch but i dont think its the worst either lol