exposed magnesium--should i be concerned?

just noticed that one of the screws holding the mirror block off plate in place stripped off a small chunk of paint on the magnesium frame. (the mirror block off plate was installed by my dealer.)

from what i hear, magnesium is highly corrosive when exposed to air, and i ride near the coast a lot.

dealer tells me it's nothing to worry about and nearly all cases where the mirror bolts have been re-installed see instances like this where the paint around the screw will flake, presumably because ducati did not see fit to install a plastic washer between the bolt and the frame. dealer also tells me that the magnesium will be fine.

what are your thoughts on this? thanks.

I am utterly disgusted that this has occurred to your Ducati. This really is the last straw for me, Ducati has absolutely no quality control at all. An issue like this should never occur, not for a bike that costs this much money. I ask that you bring this back to your dealership, and demand your money back. If they say no threaten with lemon law ( this surely falls under lemon law guidelines. ) After you get your money back you need to go to your local bmw dealership and buy a Hp4 or s1000rr, and you can rest easy knowing you will never have to deal with a devastation like this again.

Here we go again

Mitchell201198 said:

I am utterly disgusted that this has occurred to your Ducati. The really is the last straw for me, Ducati has absolutely no quality control at all. An issue like this should never occur, not for a bike that costs this much money. I ask that you bring this back to your dealership, and demand your money back. If they say no threaten with lemon law ( this sure fall under lemon law guidelines. ) After you get your money back you need to go to your local bmw dealership and buy a Hp4 or s1000rr, and you can rest easy knowing you will never have to deal with a devastation like this again.

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LOL, this ...... guy.

Mitchell201198 said:

I am utterly disgusted that this has occurred to your Ducati. This really is the last straw for me, Ducati has absolutely no quality control at all. An issue like this should never occur, not for a bike that costs this much money. I ask that you bring this back to your dealership, and demand your money back. If they say no threaten with lemon law ( this surely falls under lemon law guidelines. ) After you get your money back you need to go to your local bmw dealership and buy a Hp4 or s1000rr, and you can rest easy knowing you will never have to deal with a devastation like this again.

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lol i cant tell if you're serious or just trying to be funny (sarcasm doesnt come across well over text).

to be honest, it doesnt bother me a whole lot. the cost of replacing a big mg part like this cant be cheap (even if it isnt being paid by me) and the time i would have to waste taking it to the dealer and picking it up again is certainly a consideration. that being said, i do agree that something like this shouldnt happen on any modern bike at any price--is it that hard to apply paint so that a few inch-pounds of torque from a screw doesnt chip it off?

my main concern is corrosion. ive never owned a single magnesium piece on any of my previous bikes, so i have zero experience with the metal. i just hear that its easily corrosive, and i remember what simple air did to the rainbow-zinc finish of stock bolts on my old 998R. just trying to distinguish myth from fact so i can take the appropriate course of action.

I know you guys are pissed too, imagine if this happened to you? I am going to single handedly take down Ducati. I'm not doing this to boost my own ego, I am doing this for all of you guys, and seriously guys I don't wanna hear any negative responses. Like I said, I am doing this for all of you that are to afraid to speak up.

Whenever I'm feeling down, or bummed out, I just say to myself " what would Mark419ny do. " I live by that, try it and I can assure you that you'll be cured.

Alf said:

what are your thoughts on this? thanks.

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Don't worry about it bud.

It wont cause any defect or corrosion unless your pouring salt water on it everyday for a year.


Put some gold/bronze touch up paint on it if your worried.

Geezus H

outhouse said:

Don't worry about it bud.

It wont cause any defect or corrosion unless your pouring salt water on it everyday for a year.


Put some gold/bronze touch up paint on it if your worried.

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Please don't down play this issue, you know that this is going to lead to more severe issues like oil leaks, starter problems, engines hanging loose, etc.

Touch up paint. When connected to dissimilar metals, keep it away from an electrolyte solution. You can use ACF-50. And there are others out there... Not an end world situation..
Dropping to Def Con 1, and emptying the silo's is not needed......

hopefully changing out the windscreen next will not result in 3 more incidents like this. with this and air conveyors tabs breaking and all, makes me think twice about doing anything myself.

You had the mirror block off plate installed by the dealer?

If it bugs you, go to the hobby store and get a small vial of bronze paint, remove the screw, apply a dab of the paint with a Q-tip, wait 24 hours and then gingerly screw the screw back in.

Mitchell gets my vote for the Jonathan Swift Satire award. Bravo.

AntiHero said:

You had the mirror block off plate installed by the dealer?

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lol. no, it's not like that. i negotiated the block off plates in my purchase and asked that those be put in place of the stock mirrors before i took delivery of the bike.

Alf said:

just noticed that one of the screws holding the mirror block off plate in place stripped off a small chunk of paint on the magnesium frame. (the mirror block off plate was installed by my dealer.)

from what i hear, magnesium is highly corrosive when exposed to air, and i ride near the coast a lot.

dealer tells me it's nothing to worry about and nearly all cases where the mirror bolts have been re-installed see instances like this where the paint around the screw will flake, presumably because ducati did not see fit to install a plastic washer between the bolt and the frame. dealer also tells me that the magnesium will be fine.

what are your thoughts on this? thanks.

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Hey alf
I have swapped out screens and also two sets of different mirrors and and so have had those bolts in and out about 10 times at least. I actually have longer ones in now due to some spacer plates in there due to other mods I have done.

Anyway my point is I have never scratched up that area. And I did not take any particular care just put the bolts in and out. I think the mechanic was a bit ham fisted. My 2 cents

Alf said:

lol i cant tell if you're serious or just trying to be funny (sarcasm doesnt come across well over text).

to be honest, it doesnt bother me a whole lot. the cost of replacing a big mg part like this cant be cheap (even if it isnt being paid by me) and the time i would have to waste taking it to the dealer and picking it up again is certainly a consideration. that being said, i do agree that something like this shouldnt happen on any modern bike at any price--is it that hard to apply paint so that a few inch-pounds of torque from a screw doesnt chip it off?

my main concern is corrosion. ive never owned a single magnesium piece on any of my previous bikes, so i have zero experience with the metal. i just hear that its easily corrosive, and i remember what simple air did to the rainbow-zinc finish of stock bolts on my old 998R. just trying to distinguish myth from fact so i can take the appropriate course of action.

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He's not being serious. He's, unbelievably..once again...paying tribute to MarkNy, who is living rent free in his head.

It was actually funny when I read Mitchell's post it took me a second to come to the conclusion he was "pro-Ducati". I try and read almost every thread and see if it has value to me and my ownership of my 1199. After upgrading from a '12 1199 Tri to my R, I would say that there are some general breeds of 1199 owners.

1. The people that absolutely love the bike for the purpose of riding and pushing their personal limits. These people accept all the nuances and problems that can be traded for what this bike is and the R&D that made this bike what it is.

2. People that buy the bike for the aesthetics and expect that for the price they should have zero issues, forgetting that the bike wasn't designed to be a museum piece, that's just an added bonus because of the price tag. At times forgetting that with all the headaches in production for the rider, the 1199 is using components not found on most other bikes (ie Color LCD dash, plenty of magnesium parts, etc)

3. Absolute anti-Ducati, anti-panigale, pro-s1000RR (which is a great bike). Hey, everyone has their right to their perspectives and brand loyalty.

Please feel free to add to my list of personalities. I feel that I love my bike so much for what it is, I'm willing to invest out of pocket if I need to whether in or out of warranty to keep it as close to a #2 owner, but never losing sight of being a #1 owner. The bike gives confidence to be a better, safer, and faster rider while giving a visceral experience every time you see a corner approaching. When I'm done and I put the bike up, it one of the most enjoyable things to know I own.

I went on a "break-in" run with Evo-L (he was on his new S1000) and noticed condensation on my dash and now a little imperfection in the LCD. Again, I'm not a blind Ducati loyalist, but I rationalize in my head the dash isn't why I choose to ride this bike or paid the price tag for it. Will I look to try and keep it as perfect as possible, hell yeah! It will be worth every $$ because of what the bike is.

Hope this helps some brand new owners to this bike as they read through the different posts by the different personalities on this board.

The magnesium is only sensitive to corrosion when exposed to permanently moist or damp conditions, or has been mentioned, salt. A touch-up pen and the use of plastic washers under the bolt heads, will solve any problems. If corrosion has set in, you can treat it with a dab a chromic acid. You need to ensure you wash any traces of it away afterwards and then apply a chromate or epoxy primer, followed by your touch up paint. BTW Chromic acid is highly toxic and nasty stuff, so if you do use it, follow the instructions with care. I treated a magnesium casting on my 1098S, that had some corrosion on it. Never had a problem again.

Alf said:

just noticed that one of the screws holding the mirror block off plate in place stripped off a small chunk of paint on the magnesium frame. (the mirror block off plate was installed by my dealer.)

from what i hear, magnesium is highly corrosive when exposed to air, and i ride near the coast a lot.

dealer tells me it's nothing to worry about and nearly all cases where the mirror bolts have been re-installed see instances like this where the paint around the screw will flake, presumably because ducati did not see fit to install a plastic washer between the bolt and the frame. dealer also tells me that the magnesium will be fine.

what are your thoughts on this? thanks.

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a little dab of grease will cover you - or some touch up paint...no big deal -- by the way,,,,i don't think it is a magnesium fairing stay is it ? i'd guess its just the same color, but not actually magnesium

RD16RR said:

i don't think it is a magnesium fairing stay is it ? i'd guess its just the same color, but not actually magnesium

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I wondered the same thing. I thought it was aluminum painted bronze but a dealer service tech told me it was mg and so far, no one on this tread besides you has suggested it isn't.

Am I too late to make a joke about exposed magnesium setting fire to his whole bike if he rides it in the rain? Oh well.......