1199 clutch problem - its official

Andy1199 said:

Hi guys,

The Tric clutch started acting up yesterday after a long-ish ride (150 miles), 400 miles in total. In town it became almost impossible to pull in, extremely stiff and grabby.

Heard some other stuff on the Forum here about master cylinders etc so having already needed one on a week old 1198s two years ago and waiting four weeks for its replacement I thought I'd better ring the dealer today.

Did he know anything about clutch issues? Er yes in fact their demonstrator has been doing that too. In fact they have had a few and so have four or five other UK dealers.

The problem is not the master cylinder it's the slave. When the slave gets hot the piston expands and some have been found to have tolerances that are too tight hence it becomes sticky and stiff to pull in.

It makes sense as as soon as I got out of town moving quickly the issue got better, ie. when it got cooler.

So the fix they perscribe? New slave cylinder? No, they have been told to take then piston out and Scotch Brite it which reduces the tightness of the tolerance and all is then well.....we hope.

We know there is at least one forum member who has had his master cylinder replaced and the likelyhood is he will find the same problem next time it gets hot, and bear in mind it's pretty cold in the UK right now so instances could go up in the summer.

There isn't a lot of 1199's around at the moment so four or five dealers reporting problems is a high incidence if you ask me.

Anyway Scotch Brite a 3M product. Could do with some 3M film to protect the tank that's scratches like hell too. Apart from that it's flawless...for now!

Click to expand...

With a thread title like "1199 clutch problem - its official" - I would think there was a recall notice"¦. no? Official to whom?

(cricket sounds….)

Panigale Clutch issue, Oh Yeah!

1199 Panigale

Trouble began for me just after the first service (600 mile). I felt it on the 70+ mile return trip from Daytona, FL.

My clutch began the typical grinding that is described in so many other places/forums. The issue began at higher temps, where the water temp exceeded 180F; & the clutch being utilized during still break in (under 1.2k mile) engine rpm.

The issue soon progressed to an also when cold issue, with the clutch non-operational and "grinding" at all time.

The bike was returned for service, and the service docs show a new clutch slave installed. However, before I could depart the dealer after pick up . . . a similar/related problem occurred. The bike would die (sidestand up, as it should be) when shifted from neutral into 1st gear. A "new" visit & service ticket generated.

After the 2nd service attempt, I rode the machine home, only to soon discover a hydraulic leak and completely failed clutch.

The bike was returned for a 3rd time.

The 3rd visit showed a similar repair - a new clutch slave, I believe.

On the way home, the bike was difficult to engage gears, and as the water temp climbed (traffic & clutch usage) grinding began in the first quarter of lever engagement. Outside temp was only in the 70's (F).

As the bike had previously left me stranded twice before, and this would be 4th service attempt, I contacted Ducati.

They instructed me to have the bike towed back to Daytona for diagnosis. Unfortunately, Ducati roadside only covered the first $200, and it costs more for a haul to Daytona.

I am waiting to see what will happen now - am betting "they" will attempt to again return this lemon to me.

We'll see.

Current 1184 miles.

Panigale Clutch issue, Oh Yeah!

Video can be seen here:



Ducati 1199 Panigale Clutch Issue - YouTube

In post earlier just buy a cnc slave install it"¦"¦. fixed.You spend x amount of dollars to buy the bike whats another 180. I installed a cnc slave 14000ks ago have never had to bleed the system or change the 5.1 fluid that I,am using.Some times you may have to go with aftermarket parts it is a Ducati.Pull your slave off take out the piston clean out all the debris that is in it. The debris is the problem it get in through a small hole on the bottom side of the slave there is a backing plate between the slave and the engine it is sealed with a o-ring but the plate can move about 1mm and then the seal is broken letting chain lube and other things into the slave. reinstall and go to your dealer take pictures before cleaning it for the dealer to see you will need to replace your fluid as well or buy a cnc slave and never have that issue again.

what make and model number did you go with?

I went with Oberon. Very satisfied. No more need to bleed every 1k miles and no more sticking, gritty or hard-to-pull clutch lever.

Ducati Panigale Clutch Slave

Last I checked there are several for sale on eBay.

I have not had to bleed mine yet, over 1000 miles on it. I have to pump up the clutch lever when I first fire it up though. I think part of the problem is the small clutch master resivor it is not vented and the diaphragm isn't doing its job. It fluid locks, and the master is cavitateing. Fluid is still clear.

I went with the stock size piston which is 26mm cnc slave Coat of Arms, from bellisiMoto.com Great people to deal with and I will buy from them again.

from bellissiMoto.com make cnc 26mm model coat of arms