Ducati full throttle

[JaiLai]

Anyone got one - pros and cons?

Thanks

[eisfeld]

Do you mean the Scrambler?

[JaiLai]

Yes

[papa al]

i saw 1 @ Starbucks this AM.

[eisfeld]

I got one. Not the full throttle but the icon. They are pretty much identical apart from slightly different bars and differently looking exhaust.

Check my profile to find the posts that I did about it.

A quick summary:

Pros:

- enough power for around city

- looks fantastic

- sounds great

- handles really nicely for around town

- comfy upright ergonomics

- came with 2 year warranty and free service for 30k km

Cons:

- very uncomfortable seat

- gets stupidly hot in stop-n-go traffic

- no dirt/water protection, it'll spill on your legs from the front and on your back from behind all the time

- suspension is crap

- fueling isn't good. at low constant speed there is some stuttering (i hear a boosterplug fixes this)

- it hasn't been reliable for me. 3 oil leaks, warped front rotor etc.

- spent months in repairs, waiting for parts

[JaiLai]

Thanks for your feedback - much appreciated.

What caused your leaks and other issues?

[eisfeld]

Regarding the leaks: first one was caused by a bolt coming loose within 24h of delivery - factory issue. That one was huge and I got a new bike in the end. The second and third were because the oil filter started leaking and I'm not the only one with this issue.

As for the other issues: well the other issues are mostly design problems of the bike. The warped front rotor was also something that quite a bunch of others experienced, shitty part from supplier? Oh I forgot another big one: my clutchplates got burned shortly after the dealer "adjusted" the clutch. That's again an issue a bunch of other owners experienced. They mucked around real good because the local mechanics couldn't properly diagnose the problem and a head mechanic from Ducati Thailand had to come and look at the bike Everytime it takes at least a month to get something done...

[guzzi850m2]

Yes they are lovely bikes but looks very small to me, designed for small Asians.

See a lot of Thais on them in Pattaya.

Looks like eisfeld didn't have much luck with his bike. A friend of mine has a Hyperstrada and he didn't have any problems at all so far expect that the waiting times for service at Ducati Pattaya is often a week or so.

[JaiLai]

Thank you, I've also read that the service times & service of the Thai techs is not good. I also live about 3 hours from nearest Ducati dealer which could become a ball ache.

Yes there appears to be a few people with horror stories as well.

Thanks for you experiences.

[Lucky33]

Thank you, I've also read that the service times & service of the Thai techs is not good. I also live about 3 hours from nearest Ducati dealer which could become a ball ache.

Yes there appears to be a few people with horror stories as well.

Thanks for you experiences.

As a fellow Ducati owner, the three week wait just to get it to the shop and then usually another 3-6 weeks waiting for parts just comes with the territory of owning a Ducati along with the extreme heat riding in stop-and-go traffic. Still I've had my Diavel 2-1/2 years now and a Monster before that so what can I say, I still love riding them .

[VocalNeal]

- fueling isn't good. at low constant speed there is some stuttering (i hear a boosterplug fixes this)

Had to look that up.

What's called in the scooter world a "cheater Box" or for the more technical a Lambda Emulator Ie. A device that tricks the ECU into thinking the air temperature is less and the altitude is low so that the ECU richens up the mixture. Make the bikes more ride-able at low speed and improves low down throttle response.

Yep so it it works for a Honda PCX or a Vespa it will work for a Ducati.

For Honda scooter about 1200 Baht, Vespa a bit more expensive, for Ducati ???

Edited July 7, 2016 by VocalNeal

[JonnyF]

Thank you, I've also read that the service times & service of the Thai techs is not good. I also live about 3 hours from nearest Ducati dealer which could become a ball ache.

Yes there appears to be a few people with horror stories as well.

Thanks for you experiences.

As a fellow Ducati owner, the three week wait just to get it to the shop and then usually another 3-6 weeks waiting for parts just comes with the territory of owning a Ducati along with the extreme heat riding in stop-and-go traffic. Still I've had my Diavel 2-1/2 years now and a Monster before that so what can I say, I still love riding them .

Which branch is that? I normally get an appointment within a few days of calling them. Agree on the parts though, but that can happen on any big bike, even locally manufactured ones.

Re. the experience, I think it's the total package that makes them so appealing. A guy on another forum has a S1000RR and a Panigale. He says when he gets off the S1000RR he feels like he's just ridden a very capable bike from A to B. When he gets off the Ducati, he feels like he's just had sex

[eisfeld]

As a fellow Ducati owner, the three week wait just to get it to the shop and then usually another 3-6 weeks waiting for parts just comes with the territory of owning a Ducati along with the extreme heat riding in stop-and-go traffic. Still I've had my Diavel 2-1/2 years now and a Monster before that so what can I say, I still love riding them .

And as much as I complain about Ducati, I also still love riding the Scrambler and do it whenever I can.

For Honda scooter about 1200 Baht, Vespa a bit more expensive, for Ducati ???

Found a thai distributor recently, 5.5k THB. $150 plus import duty if ordering directly from manufacturer.

Which branch is that? I normally get an appointment within a few days of calling them. Agree on the parts though, but that can happen on any big bike, even locally manufactured ones.

Re. the experience, I think it's the total package that makes them so appealing. A guy on another forum has a S1000RR and a Panigale. He says when he gets off the S1000RR he feels like he's just ridden a very capable bike from A to B. When he gets off the Ducati, he feels like he's just had sex

The maximum time I or a friend had to wait for parts via Honda and Kawasaki was a bit over a week and that was an exhaust ordered from Japan.

I do think you can run into longer timeframes bot on average, Ducati is much slower in that regard.

And regarding the experience: yep I fully agree. There's this emotional part.

Yamaha uses the slogan "the dark side of Japan" for their MT bikes. But I'd say Ducati bikes unlock "the dark side of YOU"

[Richard-BKK]

What I hear, are actual people who bought a Ducati but wanted a Honda…. If you buy an Italian bike, like the latest Ducati model, you buy cutting edge, and sure by buying a Ducati you know that problems will be solved… That’s how it works… Not like it buy a Honda…. Stop complaining like a cheap Charly you’re

[eeeya]

As a fellow Ducati owner, the three week wait just to get it to the shop and then usually another 3-6 weeks waiting for parts just comes with the territory of owning a Ducati along with the extreme heat riding in stop-and-go traffic. Still I've had my Diavel 2-1/2 years now and a Monster before that so what can I say, I still love riding them .

And as much as I complain about Ducati, I also still love riding the Scrambler and do it whenever I can.

For Honda scooter about 1200 Baht, Vespa a bit more expensive, for Ducati ???

Found a thai distributor recently, 5.5k THB. $150 plus import duty if ordering directly from manufacturer.

Which branch is that? I normally get an appointment within a few days of calling them. Agree on the parts though, but that can happen on any big bike, even locally manufactured ones.

Re. the experience, I think it's the total package that makes them so appealing. A guy on another forum has a S1000RR and a Panigale. He says when he gets off the S1000RR he feels like he's just ridden a very capable bike from A to B. When he gets off the Ducati, he feels like he's just had sex

The maximum time I or a friend had to wait for parts via Honda and Kawasaki was a bit over a week and that was an exhaust ordered from Japan.

I do think you can run into longer timeframes bot on average, Ducati is much slower in that regard.

And regarding the experience: yep I fully agree. There's this emotional part.

Yamaha uses the slogan "the dark side of Japan" for their MT bikes. But I'd say Ducati bikes unlock "the dark side of YOU"

I ordered a booster plug last week. Came from Denmark $150. Took three days to arrive. No other surprises.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[eisfeld]

What I hear, are actual people who bought a Ducati but wanted a Honda. If you buy an Italian bike, like the latest Ducati model, you buy cutting edge, and sure by buying a Ducati you know that problems will be solved Thats how it works Not like it buy a Honda. Stop complaining like a cheap Charly youre

I value your comments as an industry insider but someone asked for owners of Scramblers to share their experience. I did that.

And it's not complaining like a cheap Charlie when you say that some things aren't quite right. I have money and am willing to spend it if I get value.

You say you know that problems will be solved. Will they? They said they'd update the fuelmap a long time ago. Didn't happen. Granted, most issues have been fixed, just took months of garage time.

I have a Honda and wanted a Ducati and not another Honda. Well, I also want another Honda but that's for another thread

Lastly, I don't think the Scrambler can reasonably be described as cutting edge in any way.

[Richard-BKK]

What I hear, are actual people who bought a Ducati but wanted a Honda. If you buy an Italian bike, like the latest Ducati model, you buy cutting edge, and sure by buying a Ducati you know that problems will be solved Thats how it works Not like it buy a Honda. Stop complaining like a cheap Charly youre

I value your comments as an industry insider but someone asked for owners of Scramblers to share their experience. I did that.

And it's not complaining like a cheap Charlie when you say that some things aren't quite right. I have money and am willing to spend it if I get value.

You say you know that problems will be solved. Will they? They said they'd update the fuelmap a long time ago. Didn't happen. Granted, most issues have been fixed, just took months of garage time.

I have a Honda and wanted a Ducati and not another Honda. Well, I also want another Honda but that's for another thread

Lastly, I don't think the Scrambler can reasonably be described as cutting edge in any way.

The whole fuel map problem is already solved, but sadly not for Thailand. Similar to the problems with the Honda Africa Twin, Thailand is just to small market to have a custom firmware... and therefore is not very high on the priority list…

We should get used to the idea that you not buy the latest model of any motorcycle brand in Thailand, as it can take months to get a firmware update specific for the Thai market…

Sorry about the “cheap charlie” comment, it was below the belt and I hope you can forgive me...

[moe666]

A friend of mine here in Chiang Mai owned a multistrada during the one year of ownership it spent nine months in the shop.

[In the jungle]

The Scrambler has an engine that can trace its lineage back to the 1970s.and I think therein lies their problem with meeting modern emissions laws.

It's a big two pot, two valve per head air cooled engine.

Ducati can make it run right but they can't do that and meet Thai emissions laws.

.

Edited July 7, 2016 by In the jungle

[Throttled]

I'm not sure Ducati gets a pass on quality anymore- sure, there was a time when they were all hand-built and there were expectations of imperfections and improper tolerances, but now they're mass-produced in modern factories (one of which is Thailand-based, just like with the factories of many other major manufacturers), but they still seem to have more problems on average. While even Japanese makers have teething problems (like with the new R1), it's still a rarer thing, especially with the more basic offerings in their line-up, while Ducati seems to have problems across the range (coupled with interminable waits for repairs).

[pokerkid]

The Scrambler has an engine that can trace its lineage back to the 1970s.and I think therein lies their problem with meeting modern emissions laws.

It's a big two pot, two valve per head air cooled engine.

Ducati can make it run right but they can't do that and meet Thai emissions laws.

.

Have you ever ridden a scrambler ? I think Ducati made the engine run very good indeed and they sure passed the Thai emission tests with flying colours. Sure it runs lean but so do most of modern (water cooled) bikes. A simple and cheap solution to fix that is using a booster plug.

I think its great that Ducati is still making a (beautiful) air cooled 800cc engine in 2016 while almost all other manufacturers are using water cooling for their larger engines.

Triumph for example put water cooled engines on their new line of retro bikes.

Edited July 8, 2016 by pokerkid

[VocalNeal]

I love the logic here. Bike runs lean so customer can install a lambda emulator. VW does more or less the same from the factory and gets pilloried.

I had a Cagiva one time, it had a Pantah engine, it run OK but the previous owner had someone breath on it a bit. I also was going to buy a 400 Monster one time when Ducati was off Lad Phrao but I didn't had i have done so i would still have it.

Owning a Ducati is like owning an Alfa. They both have spirit. Weather nice? Sunny Day? they run OK and are a pleasure to use. Then some days they are just not happy. They are like horses? You don't take your thoroughbred down to the shops for a loaf of bread!

Edited July 8, 2016 by VocalNeal

[canthai55]

Gotta laugh at some of the opinions here. As if Ducati are some sort of mythical motorcycle brand. Styling - to each their own. But at the end of the day - it is nothing more than a machine. And if the machine does not work - what use is it ? A bike you have to always wait to have repaired is not a bike, it is a pile of plastic, steel and rubber. Go to any landfill and see the same thing.

[pokerkid]

Gotta laugh at some of the opinions here. As if Ducati are some sort of mythical motorcycle brand. Styling - to each their own. But at the end of the day - it is nothing more than a machine. And if the machine does not work - what use is it ? A bike you have to always wait to have repaired is not a bike, it is a pile of plastic, steel and rubber. Go to any landfill and see the same thing.

You could not be more wrong. Of course a motorbike is more than just a machine.... Unless you are some commuter on a scoopy.

[JonnyF]

Gotta laugh at some of the opinions here. As if Ducati are some sort of mythical motorcycle brand. Styling - to each their own. But at the end of the day - it is nothing more than a machine. And if the machine does not work - what use is it ? A bike you have to always wait to have repaired is not a bike, it is a pile of plastic, steel and rubber. Go to any landfill and see the same thing.

Mine works great. 11,400 kms of touring, weekend blasts, trackdays and city riding. Never missed a beat in 21 months of ownership.

Looks are subjective, but for me it's also one of top 5 best looking bikes I've ever seen. It brings a smile to my face just walking past it after a day at work.

What was the issue with your Ducati?

[thaiguzzi]

As a Moto Guzzi afficianado and fiend, i've always been pi$$ed off with the headlines and press coverage Ducati gets. The heritage, history, technology, and glorious road and racing bikes in Guzzi's history is second to none amongst Italian motorcycle manufacturers. Including MV, Gilera et al.

IMHO the last of the great Ducati's were bikes like the 750 and 900SS bevel drive Desmos from the late 70's. Plastic, and 10k belt replacements are not my idea of marvelous engineering, but then again, i'm just an old fashioned Luddite Mechanic...

[pbas400]

Gotta laugh at some of the opinions here. As if Ducati are some sort of mythical motorcycle brand. Styling - to each their own. But at the end of the day - it is nothing more than a machine. And if the machine does not work - what use is it ? A bike you have to always wait to have repaired is not a bike, it is a pile of plastic, steel and rubber. Go to any landfill and see the same thing.

Mine works great. 11,400 kms of touring, weekend blasts, trackdays and city riding. Never missed a beat in 21 months of ownership.

Looks are subjective, but for me it's also one of top 5 best looking bikes I've ever seen. It brings a smile to my face just walking past it after a day at work.

What was the issue with your Ducati?

Are you talking about Scrambler ?

[pokerkid]

As a Moto Guzzi afficianado and fiend, i've always been pi$$ed off with the headlines and press coverage Ducati gets. The heritage, history, technology, and glorious road and racing bikes in Guzzi's history is second to none amongst Italian motorcycle manufacturers. Including MV, Gilera et al.

IMHO the last of the great Ducati's were bikes like the 750 and 900SS bevel drive Desmos from the late 70's. Plastic, and 10k belt replacements are not my idea of marvelous engineering, but then again, i'm just an old fashioned Luddite Mechanic...

the timing belts on the scrambler need changing every 24000 km or 15000 miles. Its an easy procedure and any luddite mechanic can do it himself.

[DILLIGAD]

As a Moto Guzzi afficianado and fiend, i've always been pi$$ed off with the headlines and press coverage Ducati gets. The heritage, history, technology, and glorious road and racing bikes in Guzzi's history is second to none amongst Italian motorcycle manufacturers. Including MV, Gilera et al.

IMHO the last of the great Ducati's were bikes like the 750 and 900SS bevel drive Desmos from the late 70's. Plastic, and 10k belt replacements are not my idea of marvelous engineering, but then again, i'm just an old fashioned Luddite Mechanic...

the timing belts on the scrambler need changing every 24000 km or 15000 miles. Its an easy procedure and any luddite mechanic can do it himself.

That's handy then!

[Naam]

a Ducati is not for driving. this is how a precious jewel should be kept: