Ducati Monster Forum

Hey fellas,

Sorry I wasn't able to make the MotoGP get together last month.  Hope to finally get to meet you all sometime soon!

I had a quick question about where to go to get my scheduled servicing done.  My 696 is just about to hit 600 miles, so I gave AMS a call to get a quote for the service.  They wanted to charge 2 hours labor + parts, which comes out to $300!  [bang]  That seems a bit absurd for an oil change and look over (tightening some nuts and bolts and checking the timing belt), as most people say they paid anywhere from $150-170 for the 600 mile service.

I did a quick search on the DFWM board to see if ya'll had any other suggestions.  Seems like Ducati Plano is a big NO, but that Stuart Rust in Mansfield and Randy McCarter over at Motopia would do a good job without trying to take my arm and a leg while they're servicing my bike.

Any of your opinions and suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Jasen

Do it yourself! Just a oil change and making sure all nut and bolts are tight. I did mine.

If you have to take it to anybody then i would go stuart or ams!!!

I'd personally take it to AMS for service intervals while its under warranty, but that's just my take on the issue.

+1 to Jester's comment. I tend to want to check maintenance records of any cars/bikes I might consider buying. However if you don't plan to sell it to someone like me, you could try doing it yourself or taking it any place of your choosing. I personally get all my maintenance done at AMS and speak very highly for their quality of work. They've always taken good care of me.
Good luck.

I'm all about learning how to work on your own bike!
It's nice to have a certain level of knowledge.  
It's nice to bond with the machine.
(and it's a good excuse to drink beer and grill out while you're at it)

Even I bring my bikes to the dealership for the very first oil change!

Why?

Because you're not familair with it yet, and if something is going to go wrong you want to catch it early.
Roll out of the dealership with a new bike ...and show up 29,000 miles later with a problem,
well, ...it's nice to have a mechanic who's seen it before.  At least ONCE.   ;)

Yep.  Another vote for taking it to the dealer you bought it from at least during the initial period of ownership.  

Look at it this way; when you decide to sell your bike, there will be lots of other Monster choices out there for a potential buyer.  A one-owner motorcycle with at least some dealer service records will have the advantage over those that don't and could command a premium price.  

So it's not totally money down a rat hole  ;)

My 695 went to the dealer three times. First was an oil leak and tank at 6k. Second time for some backfire issues. They didnt fix but i did later on. Third was a tank ,again, at 22k. That doesnt mean that stu, mark, marty, jordan, cory, jeff, toni and even tara knew which bike was mine. I prefer to do it myself but there are times when we all seek advice from the "pros".

Pretty sure duc dealers are not a connected network like ford. One where they pull your vin and it shows everytime you have been to the dealer and what was done.

Choice is yours though and you have to live with it!

And there is no way to reset the "maintenance" light if you do the oil change yourself.   [thumbsdown]

All good advice. I work on my stuff as much as I can, but I've done my services with AMS. It's good to get to know them and they've always been good to work with.

also check with Eurosport in Fort Worth, they service Ducs.  I haven't heard anything bad about them.......yet.
welcome to Duc ownership, absurd is a regular occurrence when owning these little gems.

The new ones have maintenance lights.  Guess my bikes are too old.  Stuart or ams.  I prefer stuart!

i did not know that about the new ones. i could on my 695. surely someone has it figured out by now. check with someone on this board i believe they have the software to do it if its the same as the 1098.

Don't talk about AMS that way... ;D

Another vote for AMS [thumbsup] Take care of your investment, & have a paper trail of proper maintenance for any possible warranty issues.

It is my understanding that software does not work with the new ECU in the 696. Here is a thread with more info.

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=48928.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=48928.0)

I figured common sense would prevail and ducati wouldnt have so many different manufacturers for their ecu's. Common sense what the heck was i thinking?!?!

Ducati has indeed figured out how to evoke an emotional response to their motorcycles, with frustration and bewilderment  being a large part of the equation. 

common sense?   [laugh]  just take a look at the plastic tank issue.

Ughhh... tell me about it. On my second tank and it's alredy expanded to the point that I can't unlatch it without removing the ignition plastic.

does anybody know how far back they will warranty the tank?

depends on the dealer since, from what I hear, DNA is not paying for the tanks up front.  They have to be inspected once they are shipped to CA.  I've visited 5 dealers in the last two months and they are all saying the same of late.  I suspect they are running low on inventory and this is the result.  Either way, it's bullshit.

A couple guys on Ducati.ms have had luck with getting their dealers to replace the swollen stock Hyper tank with the larger one from CA Cycleworks... I may have to give it a try at AMS.

+1. While it's in warranty, get your scheduled maintenance done on schedule at a Ducati dealership and keep the records. It doesn't matter which dealership (as long as it isn't in Plano [cheeky]), but Eurosport Cycle has the lowest hourly shop rate.

Out of warranty, use your money to buy the tools and DIY.

Ducati NA should replace the affected tanks for 5 years from date of purchase under the 5-year emissions warranty. In reality, they are covering replacements under a "Good Will Replacement Program".

Note that instead of one-piece tanks (Monsters), or integration with the bodywork (Multi/ Hyper), some of the newer Ducs have fuel cells hidden inside the bodywork. Go figure. >:(

I believe they are treating the 848 radiator crack in the same manner.... good faith replacement since its a known defect, but not necessarily a recall issue.

not a recall issue?  so your bike had a faulty radiator?  a repeat of the tank syndrome it seems.  :-\

Yeah the 848's have a known issue with the radiator.  The mounting bracket is welded to the top of the radiator and there have been numerous issues with the radiator stress cracking right at the mount.  I've heard that bikes out of warranty are still getting it done for free since its a known problem.  It hasn't happened to mine yet, but I think its just a crapshoot if you have a problem or not.

I had to get my radiator replaced on the 1198 just over a year ago. It's holding up so far, but who knows when it will blow again.  It's a shame material selection, welding technology and proper structural design continues to elude Ducati year after year.  Nice to hear they will consider a replacement if some of these items are out of warranty.

Wow that sucks.   [thumbsdown]
I guess termi is welding for DNA [cheeky]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.  I will give Eurosport a call to see what their quote is.  Thanks again!

- Jasen

This only really sucks if DNA is not fixing the problem.  So far so good on mine, tank has not engorged, radiator still holds water, exhaust still burns my ass  [thumbsup]