Sheared Suspension Linkage Rod

RSR racer said:

Take another look at the actual bikes...all Pani's have it in this orientation. The diagram is reversed and if the arm was assembled as in the diagram; then the set scew would not be accessible

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Funny; all the official pics show the female end of the rod forward, while my bike is the same as theefiveoh's, as are most from the sound of it - the other way 'round. Even the pics of the new '13 models show it backwards from how mine came, although they do show it in P. Gotta love it.

Really shouldn't matter though, as the pinch bolt is accessible either way and barring potential issues with bad castings, or as in the case of theefiveoh a dealership brain fart, those rods shouldn't be snapping as there isn't a significant bending force on them unless something's hosed at the pivot causing them to bind.

The bolt is accessible either way. But RSR racer is right. I just looked at the first pictures of my Ducati dealer here in Germany (on his facebook page) and on his first delivered bike the rod was also mounted the "wrong" way (the bike was still on the cradle). So this is probably not the reason...
So it has to be either the missing washers or a faulty part. (the third option would be a general problem with this part but I hope that is not the case...)

Thanks for all the info gents. I have been looking at various pictures of the 1199 online and also noticed some of the rods are male end forward and some female end forward. Im not sure how much this would affect the stress on the rod.

It seems to me since those washers were missing, they allowed for unnecessary rotational movement of the rod, also not allowing for smooth, unrestricted movement of the rod, which could create stress on the rod as the swing arm moves. As the swing arm moves, the female end of the rod at the front of the bike, is restricted, causing a bending/flexing motion and stress on the rod.

Since I was in a fast/hard left turn, this put a constant hard force on the rod as the swing arm and rear suspension compressed and stayed compressed throughout the entire turn. Small bumps in the turn likely added additional stress to the rod. It makes sense that if a constant hard stress was put on the rod, it would eventually snap at the weakest point as mine did.

A long overdue update:

Ducati sent out a rep from Northern California to inspect my bike to find out how this incident happened. The rep took the linkage rod and sent it off to the engineers in Italy so they could inspect it further.

After about a month, my dealer repaired EVERYTHING that was nicked, scratched, gouged, melted, etc. My bike looks better than it did when the incident first happened.

On top of repairing it, Ducati went above and beyond and gave me an $1800 parts credit. My dealer slapped on a nice new shiny set of slip-on Termis and a new gold race chain. All free of charge including install. I couldn't be happier with how I was treated and how well Ducati and my dealer ultimately took care of everything. This incident really spoke volumes to Ducati's customer service and my dealers as well.

Theefiveoh said:

A long overdue update:

Ducati sent out a rep from Northern California to inspect my bike to find out how this incident happened. The rep took the linkage rod and sent it off to the engineers in Italy so they could inspect it further.

After about a month, my dealer repaired EVERYTHING that was nicked, scratched, gouged, melted, etc. My bike looks better than it did when the incident first happened.

On top of repairing it, Ducati went above and beyond and gave me an $1800 parts credit. My dealer slapped on a nice new shiny set of slip-on Termis and a new gold race chain. All free of charge including install. I couldn't be happier with how I was treated and how well Ducati and my dealer ultimately took care of everything. This incident really spoke volumes to Ducati's customer service and my dealers as well.

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Hey good result. I"m hoping this was an isolated event. Tho I still do eye my linkage with a big question mark. I will replace it soon as I find an alternative,just for peace of mind.

That's outstanding, I have not had as much help. But I'm pretty sure it's a dealer issue. They warranted my dry rot shock boots without hesitation. Now my valve cover leak...

That's cool you were well compensated. But most importantly, you walked away unscathed, could've been worse.

Your life was on the line. It was the least Ducati could have done for you. I am not riding mine again (mostly track) until the titanium replacement aftermarket rod is installed.

Theefiveoh said:

A long overdue update:

Ducati sent out a rep from Northern California to inspect my bike to find out how this incident happened. The rep took the linkage rod and sent it off to the engineers in Italy so they could inspect it further.

After about a month, my dealer repaired EVERYTHING that was nicked, scratched, gouged, melted, etc. My bike looks better than it did when the incident first happened.

On top of repairing it, Ducati went above and beyond and gave me an $1800 parts credit. My dealer slapped on a nice new shiny set of slip-on Termis and a new gold race chain. All free of charge including install. I couldn't be happier with how I was treated and how well Ducati and my dealer ultimately took care of everything. This incident really spoke volumes to Ducati's customer service and my dealers as well.

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Very happy that this has been sorted to your satisfaction

Good on you OP. Was there an "official" response given to you after the representative inspected the issue? Have any of the dealers here received word of whether DNA is planning to address this issue?

George Villar said:

Your life was on the line. It was the least Ducati could have done for you. I am not riding mine again (mostly track) until the titanium replacement aftermarket rod is installed.

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Any links to aftermarket options?

Just read this whole thread and I'm glad the OP is happy now with the bike and didn't bin the machine when this failure occurred. Great riding for sure!!!

Looking at the pics it seems that the rod part failed right at one of the threads which would make sense. That part must be in steel and not cast. Does the steel rod end thread into a cast aluminum link like the older models had?

If the rod ends are free to rotate in the linkage it means that the entire ride height rod will only ever be in compression or tension...only if the rod end is binding or tightened to lock up because of improper install will cause the shearing force that will snap a small bolt like that one...

This is something that should be inspected on all bikes for corrosion or binding...

Theefiveoh - Glad it's been sorted to your satisfaction. So far my experience of Ducati Customer Service has been excellent too.

One question, did Ducati give you a definitive answer on why the linkage failed? I'm sure it's an isolated incident or we would have heard more, I think we'd all sleep a little easier if they were able to pinpoint the cause.