Early Clutch Failure

David Rand · Mar 9, 2020

BMW Alpina said:
Hello Dave, Oh, Beverly Hills Ducati... Yes, I take a look at my old email from ProItalia when they offer me the #286... Proitalia did say they located this bike #286 and can get it if I want it , turn out it was at Beverly Hills...
Anyway, the reason I bought this was, I used to co-owned the original 1995 Ducati 916 with my friend when I study in Los Angeles back in the early 90's. Before I went to my country, I offer my friend (who owed me lots of money to purchase his F355 Berlinetta) that I want to take over the 916 ownership completely and take it back to my country with me as the payment.
However, a day later, he told me the bike was stolen. Which is weird because we live in the same apartment building (high rise on Wilshire Blvd. West LA with security guard) and the 916 was parked and blocked by the F355.
I suspect that he sold it behind my back to avoid paying me,...
Anyway, 916 is "the one bike that "get away"... I even have a TSHIRT at that time which shows a 916 with a caption below it "Ducati 916 Gotta have one"...

I was looking to buy a pristine 1997 916 (the original one) back in December but I decided to just "take a look" at the new Panigale V4 916 25 Anniversario in Pro Italia back in December, and right away I change my mind and decide to purchase the new one instead of the old original 916... mainly because I just don't have time to keep changing the belt every 2 years on the old 916, not to mention it is known for "electrical" problem. But I promise myself, I need to find the one with the right serial# otherwise I would not buy... and finally after several months of looking I find one.

I also used to owned (my first company) Aprilia exclusive distributor in my country back in early 2000... so this is really just a sentimental purchase for me

I documented my modification here:
Ducati Panigale V4 916 25 Anniversario Build Thread

Thanks for sharing! I bet there’s a story behind every purchase of this bike similar to ours. Ducati should make a photo book.

They added some gold details to the bike like the oil reservoirs. But I added radar detector and laser jammers, USB port and heated clothing jack.
Plus all my bikes have a light kit for dramatic effect and safety.

DucatiKev · Mar 10, 2020

David Rand said:
no, Beverly Hills Ducati same as my friend. Great staff and service dept there. Are you the guy that did the youtube vid of why you bought it? For me, my dad bought me a red toy motorcycle with a number one on it days before he died when I was 7. It would end up lost. When I first saw it online I thought it was the toy I just saw a picture I clicked on it take it out and didn’t care how much it cost me to buy that toy! And then I saw a price tag and it was a real Ducati! A year later right own it after keeping its wallpaper on my desktop at the studio.

Holy crap, bring a whole new meaning to “special”

I joke around a lot when I call my bike “special” because I know it’s
special to me

I know this bike is hella special to you, you should print out some of those studio quality pictures you took and have some artwork made for around your house and office. I had lots of luck with Shutterfly but I’m sure any of those type of apps will be fine

I have an obsession with lighting and I ride mostly at night when ppl are sleeping so they can’t kill me with their car. The lights are definitely on my to do list now, thank you!

also, I have a Valentine 1 radar/laser locator. They have a Bluetooth module now which would be key on the bike so you can have the comms device in your helmet announce bogies

So you did have serviced now right? How did the dealer respond and what was the fee?

I have AAA in case my work truck breaks down, never even considered that I might have to use it on my bike, that would suck

here’s one of my purchases from Shutterfly

David Rand · Mar 10, 2020

I love your enthusiasm and pics! I’ll write more later. Here’s a link to a blog about a trip I took in 2015 (some days are taken down bec I got hit and legal wanted those days dark, good news is I won the insurance case last week finally!)

www.daverand.com/ride

BMW Alpina · Mar 10, 2020

Hi Dave,
I have a question. Did you received your Ducati Certificate that show your serial number (upper triple clamp, in your case #286) and the VIN number with statement saying this is 1 of 500 units worldwide?
If yes, did you received it when you take delivery of the bike from the dealer or Ducati USA mail it directly to you?
and if you have it, can you please post the picture here so I know how the original certificate looks like?
Thank You

David Rand · Mar 10, 2020

BMW Alpina said:
Hi Dave,
I have a question. Did you received your Ducati Certificate that show your serial number (upper triple clamp, in your case #286) and the VIN number with statement saying this is 1 of 500 units worldwide?
If yes, did you received it when you take delivery of the bike from the dealer or Ducati USA mail it directly to you?
and if you have it, can you please post the picture here so I know how the original certificate looks like?
Thank You

came in the mail about a few weeks after I took delivery

BMW Alpina · Mar 10, 2020

David Rand said:
came in the mail about a few weeks after I took delivery

Hi Dave, Thanks so much for the picture.
Was the certificate mailed to you directly from Ducati USA or was it mailed from your dealer (Ducati Beverly Hills)?
I have NOT received mine and I took delivery on February 7'2020.

David Rand · Mar 10, 2020

BMW Alpina said:
Hi Dave, Thanks so much for the picture.
Was the certificate mailed to you directly from Ducati USA or was it mailed from your dealer (Ducati Beverly Hills)?
I have NOT received mine and I took delivery on February 7'2020.

yes came to me direct from Ducati to my place.
Try customer service (888) 391-5446. Tell them I sent you if you line. Maybe it will help me get my clutch covered!

BMW Alpina · Mar 10, 2020

Thank You again for the information Dave.

Danger Close MFG · Mar 14, 2020

From STM dry clutch replacement kit.

This particular clutch pack kit is for the dry clutch on the Panigale V4R models, and is the replacement clutch discs. We recommend to change the dry clutch discs every 3000 miles.

The kit includes 9 sintered clutch plates, and 9 steel clutch plates.

This is a complete kit to replace your factory worn out clutch plates.

OEM Ducati Part number 19020551A

Made in Italy.

Fits:

Ducati Panigale V4R - 2019 to 2020

STM Replacement Dry Clutch Disc Pack Plate Set Kit for Panigale V4SP V | Motomillion

STM ADU-0030 replacement complete dry clutch pack disc kit for Ducati Panigale V4R 2019 2020 models. OEM Ducati part number 19020551A. Includes 9 steel discs and 9 sintered discs. Everything you need to refresh your dry clutch. Recommended to be changed every 300 miles. Free shipping within USA...

www.motomillion.com

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

For a state of the art machine it sure is fragile. What else should I expect ? Ducati USA super slow at responding to warrantee request, bike sitting at shop for a week now. I feel I’ve made a mistake.

Danger Close MFG · Mar 14, 2020

I Would say pickup a new clutch and put it in its very easy to to

Danger Close MFG · Mar 14, 2020

There is also a you tube video of a guy installing a dry clutch on a v4 where he talks about the clutch install fast forward to Around 23:40. But deff wait to see if ducati will replace this for free before purchasing.

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

Danger Close MFG said:
There is also a you tube video of a guy installing a dry clutch on a v4 where he talks about the clutch install fast forward to Around 23:40. But deff wait to see if ducati will replace this for free before purchasing.

THANKYOU as usual, fellow bikers are always helpful and first to step up. Harley Davidson should get back into this arena with a fast electric race bike. A joint venture with Tesla batteries and range. Harley customer service is outstanding, as is Harley USA customer service. My Ducati dealer, Beverly Hills Ducati, are great as well . Just not impressed with Ducati USA customer service at all. Sadly, overall, one can only be as strong as the hand that feeds.

BMW Alpina · Mar 14, 2020

David Rand said:
For a state of the art machine it sure is fragile. What else should I expect ? Ducati USA super slow at responding to warrantee request, bike sitting at shop for a week now. I feel I’ve made a mistake.

Good morning Dave,
The dry clutch was one of the original features of the original Ducati 916. It add "charisma" with it's distinctive noise. But the original Ducati 916 engine was about half as powerful as the current Panigale V4.
And no material (using the same dry clutch concept) can last as long with twice the horsepower. Ducati is like a Ferrari (or a model girlfriend), gorgeous but high maintenance cost.
The old 916 was even higher maintenance (related to it's belt system).

I understand your feeling, I am also having problem with Ducati USA to get my Certificate (serial number), but they told me to be patient because Ducati now is in trouble due to corona virus (Factory and Parts Warehouse all shut down in Italy).
Please reconsider, just take a look at those nice looking STM dry clutch system when you turn on the engine and it rotate... it is so beautiful, right? Don't you think it worth the "extra maintenance cost"?

If you really want full reliability and longevity but you still want to keep this bike, then the only way is to replace it with the "regular" wet clutch system just like the standard Panigale V4S (or like almost every other bike on the road).
But then again, you will not have that "Special" noise and feeling of the Ducati Dry Clutch. You know, being a Top 1% is NOT easy, require sacrifice.

note even the NSX have problems with tire wear:
Acura Tire Wear Comes Under Fire

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

Thanks! for the input Ducati USA could answer ... it’s just a simple email for a new customer. They pick up when I call. As for the maintenance I was aware, but just 2k in a clutch With a bike that was baby for the first thousand miles is not acceptable. It also seems that the state of the art a motorcycle and could have much longer lasting parts my take on this is that things are plan to fail that shouldn’t be on a bike like this there’s no reason why they can’t make a dry clutch that last longer and it’s the year 2020. I’m seeing posts with people that I’ve had the same dry clutch for 35,000 miles on different brands that aren’t that much slower or less powerful than this bike

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

Basically if this is supposed to be a flag ship bike it shouldn’t be known for breaking down on the street, if they want to have it have street mode... it should have street mode ability! If it’s designed to just be on the track they shouldn’t sell it to people who want to ride it around otherwise as well, or choose a different flag ship bike

Sherpa23 · Mar 14, 2020

I don't know. A dry clutch is a wear item and so much of how it wears is dependent on use. I don't know why it hasn't lasted longer than 2k miles but all of the finger pointing and blaming Ducati for making a "flagship" bike where a wear item wears isn't very becoming.

It's a high performance bike. It's not going to wear out parts the same way as a Honda touring bike. Maybe it is a defective part? Maybe it was installed incorrectly? Maybe it has to do with use? Who knows but if you bought a high performance Ducati that's meant for high performance use, I would politely suggest you accept that wear items will wear out differently than how they wear on the other bikes that you have.

endodoc · Mar 14, 2020

It’s a flagship brand with flagship marketing from an Italian company with a flagship attitude. They do a nice job marketing and selling performance/race “inspired” bikes which come with ridiculously high cost replacement parts and you’re going to need replacement parts with these bikes. I like what can be done with what they sell and many guys here have built some amazing machines. I’m just not to fond of what they sell off the showroom floor, the over hyped “exclusive” models and the gimmicks that overshadow significant engineering and mechanical issues that never get fixed. If I couldn’t work on my own stuff I don’t think I could afford the frustration of owning the brand.

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

Sherpa23 said:
I don't know. A dry clutch is a wear item and so much of how it wears is dependent on use. I don't know why it hasn't lasted longer than 2k miles but all of the finger pointing and blaming Ducati for making a "flagship" bike where a wear item wears isn't very becoming.

It's a high performance bike. It's not going to wear out parts the same way as a Honda touring bike. Maybe it is a defective part? Maybe it was installed incorrectly? Maybe it has to do with use? Who knows but if you bought a high performance Ducati that's meant for high performance use, I would politely suggest you accept that wear items will wear out differently than how they wear on the other bikes that you have.

Sorry, not buying into that theme but thanks for your response. ...less the “unbecoming” digg. I spent 50k on a street bike based on a race bike that broke down after just 2k miles and 1/2 of that was break in. No excuses, especially for the wait on customer service.

David Rand · Mar 14, 2020

Sherpa23 said:
I don't know. A dry clutch is a wear item and so much of how it wears is dependent on use. I don't know why it hasn't lasted longer than 2k miles but all of the finger pointing and blaming Ducati for making a "flagship" bike where a wear item wears isn't very becoming.

It's a high performance bike. It's not going to wear out parts the same way as a Honda touring bike. Maybe it is a defective part? Maybe it was installed incorrectly? Maybe it has to do with use? Who knows but if you bought a high performance Ducati that's meant for high performance use, I would politely suggest you accept that wear items will wear out differently than how they wear on the other bikes that you have.

I’d agree, but unfortunately, that’s not how it’s marketed. I’ve had plenty of high performance products in my life, from cars to hag-gliders. Never had a problem like this right out of the gate. The delay speaks poorly all on its own. Not impressed by a bike meant to impress.

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