swing arm rubbing

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Buliwyf said:
Time out.

Has anyone actually had any damage from the chain rubbing on the swingarm?

Or is it just a harmless loss of paint? Is it digging in? This isn't the first bike I've seen do this. But I've never seen real damage on a maintained bike.
Click to expand...

Steel beating against aluminum equals loss of material with both being compromised :mad:
 
Gaaaa! I didn't even know the swing arm was that thick! That's a pretty deep gouge.

I'm going to have to look at my bike tonight.
 
Contacted DNA several times to see what the remedy might be and have yet to get a straight forward answer.
The DNA tech over tightened the chain and it fixed the problem.
Had the shop set it to specs and it started to rub again.
Took pictures, had the dealer contact them.....nothing.
Since this is not my first run in with those guys, I'm done supporting them.
I love the brand but I'm fed up with the utter lack of customer service.
 
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I had this syndrome, but it was due to aged chain, after about 12K miles on the odometer the chain was stretched and had lateral flex as well as tight links. The chain in this condition hops up and bounces laterally into the swing arm. I noticed some shavings on my chain during cleaning and realized it was coming from the swingarm. New chain and no more issue. The chain is under tremendous power on these bikes and requires changing pretty quick depending on riding style.
 
Mine did that before 3K. If their product fails that early I would at least expect an offer for replacement.
Still waiting to hear from DNA offering a viable solution.
I'm done with these guys after owning three Ducatis.
 
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Needs better pics.

I'm not seeing anything like this on any Panigale. I've seen a few rub marks in a non critical spot.
 
Mine has rubbed since new. I replaced the chain with the RK Gold chain and it still rubs. I will eventually convert it to the 520 chain as I am sure that will fix it. I see it as just a cosmetic problem as the scratches are not very deep.
 
Chain Rub / Swing arm

I am getting this rub with 2000miles on my 2014 1199R, Ducati have agreed to replace the chain and swing arm but it has taken 5 weeks so far to get a swing arm from Italy to UK.

I have been advised that ducati have taken a lump of the swing arm away where the chain rubs, but that is not curing the cause, it is just stopping the chain rubbing.

I have asked Ducati whether the swing arm has been structurally tested and designed to have this lump taken out, since it is my belief that if I was to order a new swing arm through my dealer it wouldn't have this cut out!

They are machining a standard swing arm and having it re-painted.

Which I believe is 'not fit for purpose'

With this only happening on R models, there must be an alignment problem or movement within the adjustable joints and Ducati should be trying to solve the cause.

I am still waiting to hear from Ducati Bologna.
 
jj996 said:
I am getting this rub with 2000miles on my 2014 1199R, Ducati have agreed to replace the chain and swing arm but it has taken 5 weeks so far to get a swing arm from Italy to UK.

I have been advised that ducati have taken a lump of the swing arm away where the chain rubs, but that is not curing the cause, it is just stopping the chain rubbing.

I have asked Ducati whether the swing arm has been structurally tested and designed to have this lump taken out, since it is my belief that if I was to order a new swing arm through my dealer it wouldn't have this cut out!

They are machining a standard swing arm and having it re-painted.

Which I believe is 'not fit for purpose'

With this only happening on R models, there must be an alignment problem or movement within the adjustable joints and Ducati should be trying to solve the cause.

I am still waiting to hear from Ducati Bologna.
Click to expand...

is this a deep gauge or just superficial, in my case it was just paint being rubbed off which i didn't care about, i would not change a swingarm for just paint being rubbed off,
 
It was a deep gauge and wearing top off the Allen head bolt and getting deeper each ride
 
Well, after over a year of arguing with DNA to fix my chain rubbing issue which they blamed on a lack of chain adjustment, I got some resolution.
It took a call to Ducati Italy to get them to address the problem.
They had the dealer send off the swing arm to be machined to allow enough clearance for the chain not to rub while adjusted within specs.
What pissed me off is why they couldn't do that in the first place instead of having the dealer overtighten the chain and call it fixed.
I'll report back in case of further issues. :rolleyes:
 
I'm currently running into the same issue. I'm replacing chain, sprockets, carrier... Then I'm going to touch up the spot it was rubbing and see what happens. If it rubs again I'm heading back to the dealer! It's crazy to think that they engineered the swing arm with such tight tolerances that a little slack from the chain would chew it up this badly.
 
This is total BS. Lets start with the crankshaft sprocket. There are no adjustments here. You could effectively use a shim washer here and space the front sprocket but that is not in the design. The rear end is much the same story. The hub carrier is held in place with a giant snap ring so there are no adjustments here. The carrier is bolted to the sprocket via the cush drive pins. No adjustment there and the hub is of course held in place with the nut. There is a spacer (standard size) that goes behind the sprocket/carrier and the nut holds that in place. There are no adjustments in this setup for lateral adjustments. The only place this system can go out is if there is something not to spec in the drive train (this would mean a part that was not to size) or if the bearings in the swing arm are not installed correctly. My chain rubbed right out of the box (1299S). The bike came apart for mods right when i got is and a 520 chain eliminated any issues. I could be wrong but it looks like the culprit is the bearings in the swing arm. This would explain why some get the rub and some do not. These needle bearings are pressed in place and retained by the rear axles. There is enough space there for a slight miss alignment. Machining the swingarm? Thats just insane and not from a mechanical perspective. This mfg needs to get its poop together.
 
endodoc said:
This is total BS. Lets start with the crankshaft sprocket. There are no adjustments here. You could effectively use a shim washer here and space the front sprocket but that is not in the design. The rear end is much the same story. The hub carrier is held in place with a giant snap ring so there are no adjustments here. The carrier is bolted to the sprocket via the cush drive pins. No adjustment there and the hub is of course held in place with the nut. There is a spacer (standard size) that goes behind the sprocket/carrier and the nut holds that in place. There are no adjustments in this setup for lateral adjustments. The only place this system can go out is if there is something not to spec in the drive train (this would mean a part that was not to size) or if the bearings in the swing arm are not installed correctly. My chain rubbed right out of the box (1299S). The bike came apart for mods right when i got is and a 520 chain eliminated any issues. I could be wrong but it looks like the culprit is the bearings in the swing arm. This would explain why some get the rub and some do not. These needle bearings are pressed in place and retained by the rear axles. There is enough space there for a slight miss alignment. Machining the swingarm? Thats just insane and not from a mechanical perspective. This mfg needs to get its poop together.
Click to expand...

+1: very nice analysis!
Another place for lateral displacement is if the rear sprocket doesn't sit perfectly on the cush drive pins.
What I don't understand is that nobody is going to measure the misalignment. There are plenty of cheap chain adjustment lasers out for sale. Bought mine for $20.-
 
zaster said:
Well, after over a year of arguing with DNA to fix my chain rubbing issue which they blamed on a lack of chain adjustment, I got some resolution.
It took a call to Ducati Italy to get them to address the problem.
They had the dealer send off the swing arm to be machined to allow enough clearance for the chain not to rub while adjusted within specs.
What pissed me off is why they couldn't do that in the first place instead of having the dealer overtighten the chain and call it fixed.
I'll report back in case of further issues. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Please do let us know if any other problems occur.

But this is pretty much the end of the thread right here. if the swingarm can be machined for clearance without further issues, then the chain rub is a complete non-issue. Let the chain machine the arm down and replace the bolt as needed.

Plenty of bikes have chain rub. And all dirtbikes and dual sports have chain rub.

As long as the wheels are true and the alignment is good.
 

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