What am I getting myself into?

Ducati Forum

Help Support Ducati Forum:

D

DuckforDinner

Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
1
Location
San Diego / Irvine
Hi All,

I've been riding for 21-yrs (still under 40), so you do the math. In any event, I'm now finding myself visiting every Ducati dealership in the area looking at, drooling at, setting aside funds for, a new '14 1199s/r.

Currently, I own several bikes, but the one most pertinent to this discussion and most comparable to the 1199, is my BMW S1000RR, which I've owned and ridden without issue.

You can probably already tell where this thread is going. First off, I have zero expectation of purchasing a Ducati that will be 100% issue free. That's fine and I realize there is give and take with Ducks. I don't think it's possible for a bike that is quite this exotic, to be completely trouble free all of the time.

Having said that, the shear number of complaints, warranty issues, and the "seemingly" unsatisfied results, more than a few owners are writing about (notice I did not write "complaining about"), does have me questioning Ducati's commitment to the loyalty and longterm satisfaction of its customers.

No matter the response to this thread, this will be the month of the 1199 (for me, that is), as I intend to purchase this week.

But, is there a level of dissatisfaction amongst the 1199 owners that make up this forum? That is, would you prefer Ducati be more receptive to your complaints or is my analysis incorrect?

I plan to buy from Ducati of Newport Beach or GP Cycles in San Diego, which both have multiple Base, S, and R models in stock.

Any advice, thoughts, complaints, praise, and/or other comments would be greatly appreciated and by no means is this a "troll" thread. Rather, I just want to make sure I'm an informed buyer and I have realistic expectations about my upcoming purchase.

Thanks all- I'll post photos of the new ride when possible.

Cheers and ride safe!
 
Last edited:
I had some issues with my s1000rr. Conrod fix, blinkers and kickstand.

None with the ducati so far. Keeping my fingers crossed.
 
The thing that will make the biggest difference in your Ducati ownership experience is your relationship with your dealership. If they suck you could end up feeling unloved. Or worse, you could end up with out your bike for days or longer.
I don't know anything about the two shops you are deciding between but I can tell you that the folks over at Moto Forza in Escondido have kept me happy to say the least. Every department manager knows me by name. Every issue I've brought up happened to be covered under warranty and they made it effortless to get them taken care of. Plus I get discounts on service and parts for buying the bike there.

Good luck, whatever you decide.
 
If you have the money I would recommend the R (I owned the S ABS previously). It truly is an awesome machine on the street and track.

I don't think anything in life is trouble free, just go in with an open mind, and wallet. I've had a couple of minor issues, all fixed under warranty, no questions. So I think a good reputable dealer with good after sales service is key to a happy ownership. I know it's made owning a Ducati a joy for me.

Just enjoy whatever you get :)
 
There is a shop in NY called Hudson Valley motorcycles.... If you had people like that at your local dealership then you'd love the ducati no matter what happens as they are the best I've seen in the business.... so statement about dealership being nice makes a big difference in the ownership experience.

Everything is a machine at the end and will end up having issues here and there... so why skip out on owning the best looking bike ever made???
 
bikenamenumber said:
The thing that will make the biggest difference in your Ducati ownership experience is your relationship with your dealership. If they suck you could end up feeling unloved. Or worse, you could end up with out your bike for days or longer.
I don't know anything about the two shops you are deciding between but I can tell you that the folks over at Moto Forza in Escondido have kept me happy to say the least. Every department manager knows me by name. Every issue I've brought up happened to be covered under warranty and they made it effortless to get them taken care of. Plus I get discounts on service and parts for buying the bike there.

Good luck, whatever you decide.
Click to expand...

I second that statement on Moto-Forza!

I purchased my "R" at GP in San Diego because they had it in stock and they took my 2013 Roadking Classic in on trade. Nothing bad to say about them. They are just about 1 hour away. They did the first service and full Termi install.

Moto-Forza has taken care of the "R" since and I cant say enough great things about them. Great guys in all departments. I will definitely buy my next bike from them!
 
Last edited:
we all happy until the warranty run out, then we will start thinking how in hell we are going to pay for a new dash,fork,burn lower faring ect ect, yes the dealer will help you if you are a good custumer but the dealer wont pay out the pocket for your new dash. All I can tell you is that nobody here really knows how ducati is going to respond when our bike are out warranty and .... start acting up.
 
esmirna8261980 said:
we all happy until the warranty run out, then we will start thinking how in hell we are going to pay for a new dash,fork,burn lower faring ect ect, yes the dealer will help you if you are a good custumer but the dealer wont pay out the pocket for your new dash. All I can tell you is that nobody here really knows how ducati is going to respond when our bike are out warranty and .... start acting up.
Click to expand...

Just buy an extended warrantee and you will be fine!
I have few small issues with my R but my dealer is amazing! And the mechanic is great! They Fixed everything in few days. I love to miss her sometimes :)
I stared to think that my bike talks to me sometimes... And I really enjoy to take care of her.
I see few people here that lost the love for the bike because the issues and like a marriage, if you lost the love, you lost everything.

Good luck! Enjoy your new bike! Put some photos here!
 
Nod to Newport Beach. Aaron is the best and their service dept. is run by the best (Adrian).

As for issues, I had 22,000 very trouble free miles. Considering what I put my bike through it should have imploded on day 20. Post 22K, though, I've had an intermittent issue that's puzzled the best of 'em. But it'll get fixed--and when the rest of you tykes rack up the miles I have it'll be a 2 hour fix (eg 6th pin on the ECU harness). In other words, you should have nothing to worry about regarding reliability.
 
Ducati Newport Beach si really great. Pretty much the entire staff, sales and service, is top notch, much praise, no complaints.

As far as the bike, I ´ve had a couple of things replaced under warranty, some major, like front forks, dash, exhaust, but in truth, its never left me stranded, I ´ve always been able to ride it into service no prob.
I love the bike, not without its quirks, but amazing bike none the less.
 
Hmm, If I let the negative stuff get to me I would missed out owning the best bike I've ever ridden, they are way more than the sum of their parts, even the ones that may vibrate out.... Go for it! However, this forum can keep you well advised on what to look out for,or for me, put my mind at ease over little issues.... Great bikes...Great Forum!
 
DuckforDinner said:
Hi All,

I've been riding for 21-yrs (still under 40), so you do the math. In any event, I'm now finding myself visiting every Ducati dealership in the area looking at, drooling at, setting aside funds for, a new '14 1199s/r.

Currently, I own several bikes, but the one most pertinent to this discussion and most comparable to the 1199, is my BMW S1000RR, which I've owned and ridden without issue.

You can probably already tell where this thread is going. First off, I have zero expectation of purchasing a Ducati that will be 100% issue free. That's fine and I realize there is give and take with Ducks. I don't think it's possible for a bike that is quite this exotic, to be completely trouble free all of the time.

Having said that, the shear number of complaints, warranty issues, and the "seemingly" unsatisfied results, more than a few owners are writing about (notice I did not write "complaining about"), does have me questioning Ducati's commitment to the loyalty and longterm satisfaction of its customers.

No matter the response to this thread, this will be the month of the 1199 (for me, that is), as I intend to purchase this week.

But, is there a level of dissatisfaction amongst the 1199 owners that make up this forum? That is, would you prefer Ducati be more receptive to your complaints or is my analysis incorrect?

I plan to buy from Ducati of Newport Beach or GP Cycles in San Diego, which both have multiple Base, S, and R models in stock.

Any advice, thoughts, complaints, praise, and/or other comments would be greatly appreciated and by no means is this a "troll" thread. Rather, I just want to make sure I'm an informed buyer and I have realistic expectations about my upcoming purchase.

Thanks all- I'll post photos of the new ride when possible.

Cheers and ride safe!
Click to expand...

Hi there,

My relationship with the Dragon Lady had been love at first sight and she had been such a joy to own, from day one. The problems I had with her had been inconsequential when compared to the joy of having her as mine. :D
Ducati has turned into a commercial whore since the Audi take over though so expect to be screwed sideways when least expected. I would never buy another Ducati sad to say. :mad:
 
My new 1199 S is my second Ducati and I am still in love regardless of all the pitfalls others have had.

I am an Audi owner as well and was dismayed to read what edmonds.com had to say about cost of ownership for my A4 S-Line. I personally don't think Audi management can radically change Lambo/Ducati or Italian style or production radically. The work ethos and social fabric of the two countries are quite different and will always be.

Ducati has developed their character over the years and is recognizable by even the most ignorant of persons.

For me, getting into the Ducati world was certainly an experience that was fraught with the unknown, and a lot of passion. This bike is leagues above my 848 in terms of style and technology as well. Though I had the 2008 848, which was a pretty plain bike.

My old 2003 GSX-R 1000 had decent looks and a lot of power was easy to ride fast, and now this Panigale bests the Gixer and I couldn't have imagined.

Bravo to Ducati!
 
I don't think it was Audi that did anything to Ducati, if for commercial whore, you mean keep changing models every year.
On the contrary, EU markets started, some 15 years ago, to copy the US model.
Back then (living in Italy), there was Mercedes X, FIAT Y, VW Z, Ferrari K, Volvo J ... models, which would eventually get some modifications over the years.
There was no clear cut year A vs. year A+1 changes, coming every year, with year A clearly depreciating as soon as A+1 showed up.
Thing, which was new to me, when I moved to US, and which now infected EU manufacturers too.
 
I will be shortly picking up my R from Moto Corsa Portland, after joining this forum I could not believe the number of negative comments, it's always a risk owning 1st year of a new model, will be keeping my fingers crossed I don't have any ECU / harness issues as the closest dealer to me where I work & from where I live is 700 odd miles away, I will be riding in OR for couple days & get the 600 mile service completed before I head for home.

Audi has done wonders for Lamborghini models & reputation, I hope they can do the same for Ducati
 
I had/have 3 - a base, a Tri/S, and an R - used for street riding and track/racing. No major issues on any with some pretty heavy use. I'll agree that the relationship with your dealer is important; my dealer and I have a mutual love for each other so any minor issue was nothing more than a nuisance to me.

All 3 bikes were ridden easy for a 100 miles then beaten to hell.
 
HotIce said:
I don't think it was Audi that did anything to Ducati, if for commercial whore, you mean keep changing models every year.
On the contrary, EU markets started, some 15 years ago, to copy the US model.
Back then (living in Italy), there was Mercedes X, FIAT Y, VW Z, Ferrari K, Volvo J ... models, which would eventually get some modifications over the years.
There was no clear cut year A vs. year A+1 changes, coming every year, with year A clearly depreciating as soon as A+1 showed up.
Thing, which was new to me, when I moved to US, and which now infected EU manufacturers too.
Click to expand...

After the Audi take over of Ducati, the Ducati franchise (which was in the hands of a few independent passionate dealers) in South Africa was taken over unilaterally and very underhanded by Porsche SA. The loyal dealer importers were disenfranchised and the people who had bought their Ducatis from those dealers had to choose between their service plans or warrantees. If they chose to keep their service plan they would lose their warrantee and vice versa as Porsche SA refused to honour those service plans and if you did not service your bike at Porsche SA you would lose your warrantee.
Ducati also brought out the R for only about USD 1 300.00 more than the Tricolore while the R had quite a few expensive extras included (Ti conrods, 500 rpm higher redline, full Temis, all the DP CF goodies, double bubble screen etc) effectively destroying the Tricolore's second hand value.
When I took the matter up with Gerhardo Morini at the Ducati Dream Day in South Africa earlier this year he first insulted me in front f witnesses by turning my French name into a female name (he as an Italian knows exactly how French names work and he has admitted as much) and deceived me when he asked me to come see him the next Monday at Randburg Ducati (Porsche SA's sole Ducati dealer in the whole of South Africa) where he would discuss the whole matter with me and try and resolve my problems. When I got to Ducati Randburg Gerhardo Morini did not want to talk about the problems, but just tried to foist a R off on me.
I tried to get a contact directly at Ducati Italy's HQ, but had no success so far.
All of the above make me say that Ducati is now just a commercial whore, Ducati Italy does not give a .... about us anymore.
 
Charliem90 said:
Careful about the collective "us". I have no problem with Ducati. Maybe it's just you.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I will not be associated with the "us" either.

I've had my Paul Smart for a few years now and it was my first Ducati (picked up used). The 1199 was my first new Ducati. Before that I was on a MV Agusta Brutale. I loved the bike but MV Agusta left me cold as a company and the lack of dealer support in the Washington DC area left me a nervous owner.

On a similar note, none of the Japaneses manufacturers have ever made me feel like more of a family member than what Ducati has. I love my Ducs and will find it hard to go back to the Japaneses side of riding.
 

Similar threads

K
2016 Panigale 1299, Should I Pull the Trigger or Pass on This One?
2 3
Replies
40
Views
1K
Kruz
K
BP PanigaleV4S
Panigale/Streetfighter V4 Fuel Tank Heat Insulation
Replies
4
Views
564
baggerman
B
F
2018 Panigale V4S bits of gold in oil, some questions on next steps
Replies
19
Views
515
shade
shade
V
Is Buying a 15k Mileage Ducati Panigale 1199 for $10,500 a Good Deal?
Replies
13
Views
2K
Seth Vo
Seth Vo
C
For Sale Buyer / Seller Dispute, What Would You Do?
Replies
7
Views
647
panibadboy
panibadboy

Register CTA

Register on Ducati Forum! This sidebar will go away, and you will see fewer ads.

Recent Discussions

Back
Top