A lot of the focus into reliability has to do with the owner. You have a large percentage of owners who are intimidated by the process of doing even routine maintenance on these things let alone repairs so they are reliant on the dealer. This accounts for a large majority of “bikes at the dealer again” banter. From an electronic diagnostic/troubleshooting perspective, these things are out of reach for just about everyone but a few and the dealer likes it that way. Mechanically, you have a lot of guys who can’t even figure out how to do simple mechanical tasks. That’s a sign of the times. We ain’t the manly men we once were. As the bikes become more “gimmick” laden you will see more issues that are completely outside the scope of “home repair” and the dealer stories will increase.
It’s unfortunate that these discussions usually devolve into negativity and judgment.
The observation above has little to do with a dramatic shift in manliness, and more to do with complexity, priorities and allocation of time.
There was a time when everyone grew their own food and built their own homes too, but as the workforce became more complex it required more occupational specialization - people had to devote more and more time to honing the skills specific to their occupation, which required a narrowing of the previously very broad overall skill set.
Regarding the extent to which someone works on their car or bike (the “built, not bought” argument), it’s worth noting that most people consider “respectable” the level of skill that they themselves possess, and only negatively evaluate those with lesser skill. It’s similar to the old adage regarding highway driving - anyone driving slower than you is an ....., and anyone driving faster is a maniac. If a guy can wrench, that’s the level of skill he considers respectable - he doesn’t consider himself a chump just because he can’t fabricate.
Many guys do nearly all their own wrench turning, but no fab work because they can’t weld. Are they chumps because they don’t fab? Some guys can weld but don’t do electrical. Are they chumps because they wrench and weld but don’t build their own harness? What if a guy does all his own mechanical work, fabrication, and electrical - is he a chump because he isn’t a motor builder or tuner? Who among us casts their own frames or engine blocks?
Bottom line is that the accumulation of skill takes time and effort, and if one guy spends his time and effort learning to be a plumber or going to medical school rather than learning to work on a motorcycle, it doesn’t mean he’s any less manly than the guy who chose to spend his time learning to work on a motorcycle (who probably doesn’t do his own plumbing or provide his own medical care). We’re all a lot more similar than we are different. The guy who maintains his own bike is no better than the guy who pays someone else to do it because they prioritize and allocate their time to activities that don’t involve working on motorcycles. We’re all here because we share a passion for Ducati.
Endodoc, you too busy doing manly .... to respond to my pm? Lol
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