Ducati Monster Forum

Maybe this should go under tech, but is anybody else having this problem?

(http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq254/Tak4364/696%20Damage/DSCN0467.jpg)

FYI There's only about 2000 miles on the engine.

~T

I know there were issues with the 695's paint discoloring, but this looks totally different.  Kind of looks like salt corrosion, do they salt the roads in your area?  I do know that with the 695 paint issue Ducati was covering it under warranty.

Yes, they salt the roads heavily here in MA.

BTW, it's not discoloration.  What you're looking at is RAW aluminum.

~T

I agree with the previous post in that it is definately a corrosion issue as you can clearly see the bolts corroding too. My 696 has double the miles of yours yet still looks showroom new . I keep mine clean.

I honestly don't know what else I would do.  I wash it off after every couple of rides. 

...maybe I should have held off rather  than ride the first above-35-degree days this year.

I'm taking it down to the dealer tomorrow to see if they'll cover it under warranty.  Wish me luck.

Good Luck!

Are you sure it's not due to the frisbie? ;)

Seriously, prolly need to wash it down after each ride. I'm always paranoid when I ride along the coast in SF and the wind is blowing the salty mist all around. My shield & helmet is usually covered with a fine, stickish, mist spots so I know it's landing everywhere.

Yeah, I considered myself pretty good about keeping her clean, but after every ride is probably a good idea...  it's just a pain in the ass when it's mid-30s out.

If it really is raw aluminum without even a clear-coat then use Nevr-Dull

http://www.nevrdull.com/ (http://www.nevrdull.com/)

I had access to this stuff courtesy of the USN back in the early 70's. I had a 305 Honda. I polished all the aluminum to a high shine with this stuff

the 695 had it and they blammed it on the fact that there is no oil cooler. If you warrantied it, and got it replaced, the same thing would happen again. Its honestly just the corrosive stuff around this neck the of the woods. if you ever looked underneath taxi cabs from the northeast, they are all sprayed with a special weathering coat to prevent the underside from corroding.

I'm pretty sure its the paint that Ducati is using. not up to handling the weather up here. my S2R 1000 has the same crap on it. and so does my friends Buell XB12R, and another friends 695 (repaired under warranty but still had that problem).

Trust one of your northern brothers and wait longer to pull it out. The problem occurs when you ride when the roads are wet. The acidic mixture will eat your bike alive. It gets into every nook and cranny. If you insist on riding in salt water you must spray anywhere that has gotten wet with WD40. Best to wash it off first with warm soapy water, then WD40 after every ride. You can see the cost of not doing that.I'll just wait a bit longer to pull mine out.

That's good advice.  I guess now I'm shopping for something that sprays hot soapy water?  What do you use?

Truthfully the water doesn't have to be hot if you use an excellent cleaner like Simply Green. A toilet cleaning brush works great along with it to get into the fins. The important thing is the WD40. Even if you cant wash it get the WD40 on it.It will neutralise the acid.You can also restore it all to look better than new. If it is infact raw aluminum than you can buy a gold colored wire wheel to put on your drill that will make it look new again. It just takes elbow grease. I would remove those valve cover bolts one at a time and clean then coat them lightly with grease.The other thing is think about all the other areas you can't see that are corroding. Don't ride in the early spring when the roads are wet and i you do wash the hell out of it right away before putting it to bed. Remember though that it can be restored to new.

OK, so I've done as you've recommended.  Anything that I shouldn't hit with wd40?  rotors? tires? belts?

Simple Green is bad for raw aluminum...

+1

hahaha so now you tell me  [bang]

   I can only tell you of my experience over many years of bike washing with non diluted Simply  Green with never any damage to anything ,including aluminum. I would like to see an example of this. If you like I can show you what probably 75 wash cycles of pure Simple Green looks like on the same parts you took the photos of. 

I have seen first hand how Simple Green etches RAW (uncoated) aluminum. Don't get me wrong, it's a GREAT cleaner, but there are some things it's a bit too rough on, hence the warning on the label...

 Well I went out and looked at the bike and you know what? I'm going to say that there isn't raw aluminum on the head and it appears to be a coating. You can see it flaking a tiny bit on the edge. One thing I might add is to let the bike cool and rinse immediately. Thats what I do anyway and no problem.
(http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o257/Ultra54/P3300133.jpg?t=1238899532)

Yup, Ducati coats the engine. It is coated to appear as raw aluminum...

He already stated the procedure.  IMMEDIATE rinsing.  I have cleaned many raw aluminum parts but you absolutely must rinse it immediately.  If this is not done it will eat away at the aluminum leaving unsightly streaks.

OK, this is what I did after my ride today.

-Let the bike cool down to a temperature where I could put my hand on the engine without getting burned or having to move it away.  (If my barista days aren't too far away, probably right around 130.)
-Washed and dried with hot tap water and a little bit of simple green. Used a plastic bristled wheel brush to get between all the fins, and used a toothbrush in any hard-to-reach areas.
-Rinsed  thoroughly
-Dried thoroughly
-Coated engine and bolts in other corrosion-prone areas with a liberal coat of WD-40.  Wiped away drips and excess with a rag.
-On bolts that were showing significant levels of corrosion, I used a toothbrush to apply a coating of marine-grade anti-corrosion grease
-Removed (one at a time) valve cover bolts , cleaned thoroughly, coated with marine grease and put them back.

Hopefully, this will stop further corrosion, at least on the bolts.

Gearhead, it looks like you're getting a little chipping of the paint around the valve covers as well.  Is this a common occurrence?  Is anybody else seeing this?  Mine started out that way, and became the problem that I described in my original post pretty quickly.  The vertical head is exhibiting chipping around the valve covers as well, though not nearly as bad as the one right behind the wheel for obvious reasons.

Does anybody see any issues with just letting the chipped paint stay chipped?  Will the raw aluminum corrode if I leave it raw?


-

OK, so WD-40 makes my engine smoke like a barbecue.

i thought that was obvious?

THe paint corrodes on top, and it most definitely is exposed aluminum at some points where the paint has shriveled up. I'm not sure if the corrosion continues to eat away or it just stays on top. If its the later, i would just leave it alone until im ready to paint the engine. OR you can try to get ducati to warranty it, and after they have sandblasted everything, paint it yourself, then give it back to them for installation.

For the record, my 696 (over in the UK), and coming up to a year old, has exactly the same paint flaking issue.

I've never ridden it in the wet (though it's got minor splashes from puddles ).

Pretty disappointing, but not the end of the world. The bike has been totally dependable otherwise.

If I keep the bike, I'll paint over it with heat resistant paint (goes by the brand name Hammerite over here)

That Valve cover will get a lot abrasion just from sand an dirt getting thrown off the front tire. Makes me wonder what the bike would look like if the fender extended a little lower in the back

Snips,

Can you post photos of your engine?  I'd like to just get some visual confirmation that we're dealing with the same thing.

Sounds like a lot of work, you should move south where they don't salt the roads and you can ride comfortably all year long.

Yup, too much work.

Let the bike show its age.  Washing it after every ride is ridiculous.

 You are right, there is the beginnings of chipping on the edges of mine. We have close to the same mileage on our bikes but the chipping has been made worse by corrosion and sand abrasion I would guess. My VFR had 20,000 miles on it was getting pitted pretty bad but you couldn'r see it because the fairing would hide it.

IT'S 8 MONTHS OLD!!!!  [bang]

well i was riding this winter too. i have some serious bolt replacement coming up due to rust and corrosion. it's the dangers of riding in the salt season.

I looked around to see if I could find a stainless bolt kit for the 696, but was unsuccessful.  Let me know if you have any luck.

Same issue here my friend.  I have some chipping and flaking around the base and fins of the bike.  Got my bike in August of last year. 

I live in Boston myself, and while im sure the road salt might contribute, i was having the issue before they started salting last year.  I know marine climates will destroy certain types of metal...but maybe this is just a defective paint issue. 

I ended up spraying the corroding bolts/pieces down with a rust protectant.  I honestly don't see any way to baby the bike to the point that it remains flawless, and washing it every time i ride is just not realistic.  It will get rained on, and bolts will rust.  It sucks, but as far as im concerned, as long as the integrity of the bike remains, it wont kill me. 

I also don't have a garage unfortunately, so while I keep a good cover on it, it's never 100% protected from the elements.

btw, Where in mass are you?

Sorry, I didn't see your response until now...

I live in Waltham... about 15 minutes west of Boston.  Whenever it stops raining, we should go for a ride.

~T

Well i guess im not the only one.Mine does the same thing. when i saw the paint start flaking and chipping around the head for some reason i dont know why.and i dont care what cause of it.
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i46/w7ck7d/my%20696/IMG_0202-5.jpg)
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i46/w7ck7d/my%20696/IMG_0201-5.jpg)
I start grabbing my steel brush and start brushing it and sanding it whith fine grit after cleaning my bike.And continue doing it untill the paint is gone..So now no more paint flaking and chipping.. [thumbsup] just a happy rider  [moto]

This reminds me, I never heard back from my dealer to see if this would be covered under warrantee.

w7ck7d, where are you located?  Both Willem and I are in Boston, and I'm wondering if it's a geographic phenomenon.

Takster im from north california..I dont think its a geographic thing.I think is about how they pref. and paint it..
I ride with my friends same yr. and model 1k mileage ahead of me .but he's is fine no sign of flakes or chip paint going on.

ok, so that theory is out the window.

I really wish that everybody would put in warrantee claims for the engine paint.  Ducati should fix this.

I would just keep brushing it till paint is gone.. [thumbsup]
By the way i like your ex box.. [thumbsup]

I've gotta admit, it looks a lot cleaner than what I've got going on, but I'm giving Ducati the chance to make it right.