Thai Ducati Multistrada bent wheel

[Disting]

Hi

I have a 2013 Thai built Multistrada, 4000kms on the clock. Normal road driving, few potholes, no kerb jumping etc. I checked the wheel and there are 3 dents in the wheel rim. One is visible, the others can be felt when turning the wheel with a finger held against the edge of the rim. I have a mate with a 2013 Multi with the same mileage and the same problem except he has dents in both front and back wheels.

Can any other Thai built Ducati owners have a good look at their wheels and see if they have the same issue. Its like the wheels have been made from substandard alloy or not heat treated after manufacture.

I have shown it to my dealer today and they have photographed it and are going to do a report to Ducati head office.

If there are more out there then it must be a defect. The more reports that go in, the better.

Thanks

[ll2]

wow. sorry to hear that.

of course these are alloy wheels so not as strong as spoke rims for potholes or hard trails still, it looks like a bad alloy or faulty manufacture.

please update us on your progress.

[Nickymaster]

That's strange indeed. Mine has about 4500km. I just had a look and both my rims are ok eventhough I like to ride the bike fast and with fairly low air pressure for comfort. I had a few moments that I told myself surely the rim is bent now but everything is still ok.

I am sure Ducati will deal with it correctly. Good luck.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Nickymaster

[A1Str8]

Thai built - that's the problem.

[Nickymaster]

Thai built - that's the problem.

Why don't you just keep quiet if you have nothing to say.

[ll2]

Thai built - that's the problem.

Why don't you just keep quiet if you have nothing to say.

He said something reasonable for me.

or the OP and his friend went through very harsh roads or trails with lots of bumps.

You know, Ducati uses light alloys to keep the bikes light but in return, it looks like they are not so durable for harsh conditions but sure OK for smooth roads.

[Disting]

The roads were not harsh. Normal Thai roads with a few potholes. Nothing that a bike designed for off road work should not be able to handle. I rode a Versys for a year and put 10,000kms on it on the same roads and not a mark on the rims.

Sat in Ducati showroom today watching the promo vid showing one being ridden at speed on rough roads. Is way more that what I have done with mine.

I really hope we get a proper response from Ducati Thailand. Then again, previous experience of getting Thais to admit to a problem...

[ll2]

The roads were not harsh. Normal Thai roads with a few potholes. Nothing that a bike designed for off road work should not be able to handle. I rode a Versys for a year and put 10,000kms on it on the same roads and not a mark on the rims.

Sat in Ducati showroom today watching the promo vid showing one being ridden at speed on rough roads. Is way more that what I have done with mine.

I really hope we get a proper response from Ducati Thailand. Then again, previous experience of getting Thais to admit to a problem...

good luck disting.

hope it resolves quickly.

And yes, versys and cb500x uses Thai made rims - possibly from the same source? - , many owners but never heard of a bent rim.

[Richard-BKK]

And I was thinking that the Ducati Multistrada came with Marchesini M10 RR Kompe Motard wheels made in Italy

See manufacturers home page http://www.marchesiniwheels.com/en/wheels/prodotti-motard/Pages/M10-RR-Kompe-Motard.aspx

[ll2]

And I was thinking that the Ducati Multistrada came with Marchesini M10 RR Kompe Motard wheels made in Italy

See manufacturers home page http://www.marchesiniwheels.com/en/wheels/prodotti-motard/Pages/M10-RR-Kompe-Motard.aspx

no, multi has different rims according to the photos. check the photo attached.

[Nickymaster]

Thai built - that's the problem.

Why don't you just keep quiet if you have nothing to say.

He said something reasonable for me.

or the OP and his friend went through very harsh roads or trails with lots of bumps.

You know, Ducati uses light alloys to keep the bikes light but in return, it looks like they are not so durable for harsh conditions but sure OK for smooth roads.

It was really a silly comment imo. The bike is not Thai built but assembled. Anyhow we are talking about the wheels which are first of all not built but manufactured. Brand is Enkei and they come from Germany if I am not mistaken.

Therfor Thai built is the problem was seen as troll post by me.

Even if something would be Thai built is that the reason it would brake?

Edited December 26, 2013 by Nickymaster

[denkiblue555]

Are they forged Aluminium or Magnesium?

A few years ago several supermoto racers were complaining about cracks in their Marchesini wheels, (Aluminium ones from memory) but I believe the design has since changed to beef up the areas that were vulnerable (spoked-sections near the hubs). And to be fair, they are doing jumps and crashing reasonably regularly.

The damage in the pic looks like 'pothole' impact to me - but the OP said that he hadn't hit anything badly, and I think generally you tend to feel the types of bumps that cause rims to bend??

Maybe Richard is right and they are an imported component anyway (no need for Thai bashing then)?

Either way I'd be surprised if Ducati didn't sort this out properly, let us know how you go.

Edited December 26, 2013 by denkiblue555

[Richard-BKK]

I understand why I was thinking that the Ducati Multistrada comes with Marchesini wheels, one of my friends has a Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak, which appearently come with different wheels http://www.ducati.com/bikes/multistrada/multistrada_1200_s_pikes_peak/equipment/marchesini_forged_wheel_rims/index.do

[warrimurf]

Being the owner of the other Multistrada in question I can say that in a working lifetime dealing with motorbikes both professionally and workshop manager for a large Suzuki dealer in UK and workshop manager for Pitman motorcycles South Australia dealing with Yamaha and BMW for leisure and sport I have never experienced wheels as weak as those on the Multistrada.

Sold as a adventure bike as the name describes able to cope with multiple types of road conditions it would in Australia fall foul of the trade description as it is totally unsuited to anything but perfect roads.

I can recount a case where the dealer advertised a bike as such and had in the end to supply at his cost bikes to cover the advertised 2 bikes for the price of one, e.g. a trail bike and a commuting bike.

Unfortunately being in Thailand if I get no satisfaction from Ducati it would be very difficult to pursue the case through the legal system as there probably is no process here.

Overall it's an amazing bike to ride almost perfect, except for the bendy wheels.

While searching for a competent wheel works in bangkok to straighten my bent rims I have also met others in the last week with the same complaint.

[Longtooth]

Obviously a new, stronger wheel replacement is the only answer. You're just wasting time and effort straightening a bent alloy wheel. (Crystalization problems too) I would be trying to contact the highest level ABOVE the dealer that I could, with paper copies of this thread in hand. The reputation of the brand is at stake. Good grief. I hate it when manufacturers don't do adequate road testing. Been down that "road" with a bike myself!

[warrimurf]

No one is denying that it must have been bumps or holes in the road caused the rim damage but a bike advertised as 'adventure/ different road condition capable' should be able to handle more than just normal roads. The BMW/ KTM versions would have had no problems but then again neither would any other normal road bike I can think of.

I remember reading a road test and they did mention they quote 'somehow' managed to but a flat on a rim. At the time I thought they must have gone a bit mental testing. Guess not, hence the 'somehow' comment looks like they didn't notice any notable bumps either.

Yes I have filled in the official Ducati contact form and sent an email to the head office.

[Hili]

Its right that the rims shouldn't effect like that from "normal" dumps or potholes. And if the same happens to some of the same bikes then there's something suspicious about it; you gone the right way and the dealer/ manufacturer have to figure this out. Good luck.

Btw this is how a "real" pothole damage look like (marchesini aluminum rim)

Edited December 27, 2013 by Hili

[nikster]

No problems on my Hypermotard, luckily.

Those with problems, I'd advise to just follow the normal procedure as if you were in the west. It's kinda hard to prove that wheels were too weak vs you were riding irresponsibly, no matter if you're in Thailand or in the USA. Maybe you didn't notice the pothole thanks to the awesome suspension on the multi

BTW I did have a bent wheel on my Kawasaki Versys once... it does happen. I don't know which pothole that was either but I do know that I certainly hit quite a few over time. The good thing about Kawasaki is that the new wheel cost very little, between 3 and 5 k baht (can't remember the exact amount).

[Disting]

I hate to think how much a new Ducati wheel costs....

Guess I will be finding out if they do nothing. Maybe we can get a cheap deal on a job lot.

[BSJ]

The rims will be made by an outside contractor like many other parts are. But Ducati has an obligation to ensure quality control.

[Garry]

Too bad there is not a wheel straightening service in Thailand (that I know of). I have straightened an alloy (not magnesium) wheel with a rubber mallet. The bead was not bent, so the lip came back into alignment fairly easily. A bent/misshapen wheel bead will require a specialised rolling/truing machine. Check YouTube and you will find lots of info on the process, including actual welding repairs for damaged wheelsm skimming and truing. .

Edited December 27, 2013 by Garry

[Hili]

I checked the wheels of my thai made monster 796 and as mentioned before they are made by enkei, which country i don't know.

[MadMac]

I had two flat inline wheel tubes or however that is called with the scooter. Many people experience the same. If you drive in Bangkok you just hit some street sink, and it's gone. Happens all the time. Also you hit some harder rock with your rim. Solution: go slower.

[ll2]

I checked the wheels of my thai made monster 796 and as mentioned before they are made by enkei, which country i don't know.

Enkei has a big factory in thailand.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Garry]

Hi

I have a 2013 Thai built Multistrada, 4000kms on the clock. Normal road driving, few potholes, no kerb jumping etc. I checked the wheel and there are 3 dents in the wheel rim. One is visible, the others can be felt when turning the wheel with a finger held against the edge of the rim. I have a mate with a 2013 Multi with the same mileage and the same problem except he has dents in both front and back wheels.

Can any other Thai built Ducati owners have a good look at their wheels and see if they have the same issue. Its like the wheels have been made from substandard alloy or not heat treated after manufacture.

I have shown it to my dealer today and they have photographed it and are going to do a report to Ducati head office.

If there are more out there then it must be a defect. The more reports that go in, the better.

Thanks

Disting, I meant to ask, but I gather there are various tire pressures recommended for off and on road use. I would suggest higher pressures to offset the possibility of the whole tire wall compressing when hitting edges/pot holes etc. Sometimes a few extra psi can make all the difference. Note: I also don't mean making the tires rock hard with high pressure, as you still need control.

On the other hand, if the wheels are being made in Thailand, then perhaps it could be a batch/lot error or more convenient to follow up with the manufacturer. If I remember correctly, all wheels are cast/forged with the batch/lot numbers for tracibilty,

[dutchrdam]

If I where you I would take out my wheels and send the rims in for radio analysis. The bents you see you can judge but you can t see what happened to the rest of the rim. A small crack, hidden inside and not visible by the paint, can make break your rim easily by sideways movements as like in a short corner.

[RubberSideDown]

I hate to say it, but Ducati is just going to claim you rode over a surface rougher than what you've stated- warranties don't cover abuse, and it's an easy-out for a manufacturer- I'm not saying your version of what happened is anything but the truth, but it will require some sort of proof.

I'd do everything I could to get Ducati to cover it, but I'd also be shopping for replacement wheels- I sure wouldn't ride my new Multistrada on repaired wheels of questionable quality.

Edited December 28, 2013 by RubberSideDown

[ll2]

Once a rim is bent, it has to be changed.

Possibly a bad batch of wheels as two owners have the same problem and yes hard to explain this to greedy ducati as they might think you hit a big pothole etc and they feel like every ducati owner is a millionaire!

Good luck guys.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[newf]

There's a few shops around that fix bent rims. It happens a lot when the bikes are used on Bkk roads.

[Hili]

There's a few shops around that fix bent rims. It happens a lot when the bikes are used on Bkk roads.

I also think the bent in the picture is repairable but of cause it should be done by a professional...