S2R valve problems!!!

[booger]

Does anyone have a picture of a messed up valve guide? How can one diagnose as to weather they're shot?

I think that if your bike is using oil and the valve stems have too much axial play the guides are toast

[corey]

From all the research I did before i bought my S2R800 2 years ago, the 803cc S2R, while not being the fastest, most powerful, loudest, and most exciting ducati out there, is indeed one of the most problem free, and reliable models.

your bike is fine. ride it to 6000 miles, and get it serviced.

do be prepared for the cost of maintenance though. it's not cheap on these bikes.
tires, oil, valve checks, hydraulic fluids, belts... it all adds up, and will nickel and dime you. but it's worth every penny in my opinion.

[woppini]

Does anyone have a picture of a messed up valve guide? How can one diagnose as to weather they're shot?

With the load off the valve, you can grab the valve stem and try to rock it back and forth. There should be no play.

[monsterduc]

With the load off the valve, you can grab the valve stem and try to rock it back and forth. There should be no play.

also if you get blue/black smoke from the exhaust at cold start, you may want to investigate for worn/bad valve guides.

[Scoby2duc]

I got free service due to this valve guide problem they found it when I took it in for a defective tank so just IMo the 800 is a POS, my first one the timing belt staped at 1500 miles causing the top end to be rebult then i totaled it,but that was not the bikes fault lol . my S2R1k has been flawless
now I only use my wfes 800 if my 1k is in the shop or if Im going on a long freeway ride i just dont trust them JUST MY OPINION make up your own mind there are tons of 800 out there with 0 problems. Maybe I am just the lucky one 

[woppini]

I got free service due to this valve guide problem they found it when I took it in for a defective tank so just IMo the 800 is a POS, my first one the timing belt staped at 1500 miles causing the top end to be rebult then i totaled it,but that was not the bikes fault lol . my S2R1k has been flawless
now I only use my wfes 800 if my 1k is in the shop or if Im going on a long freeway ride i just dont trust them JUST MY OPINION make up your own mind there are tons of 800 out there with 0 problems. Maybe I am just the lucky one 

Sorry to hear you had so many issues with the 800. Yes, they are known to be  bullet proof. Interesting on the cam belt problem. Did you run with the covers off? I have heard of the 1000DS having some valve issues. Probably cause they stem isnt as large diameter. 6mm vs 7mm on the 800.

[woppini]

I just bought a 2006 s2r 800 1000 miles on it and didn't do much research on the reliability because i figured a duc is a duc and  was getting an awesome deal on this bike anyways. I only hear great things... Now that i bought one I'm beginning to read more and more about guys having problems with their valve guides around the 6000 mile checkup. please tell me about this and your experiences on this. Should i find another if the valves are going to be giving me problems so soon???

Ride the piss out of the thing. Ducs seem to have issues when they are pampered.

[Scoby2duc]

never ran it without covers and between the three bikes I have put  17k miles in 2 years riding the piss out of them was not the prob just bad luck. and even Daniel the service rep for Ducati know this is a prob so if you find that you have this prop take it to a dealer Ducati is the best at taking care of its customers

[brad black]

With the load off the valve, you can grab the valve stem and try to rock it back and forth. There should be no play.

ime if you use this test every single 2v motor will need new guides at pre delivery.  they used to come out of the factory very loose, and back when we did valve clearances at first services you'd wobble them around, shake your head then put it all back together.  i think a lot of the valve guide issue is due to more play than expected, but not neccesarily more play than acceptable if you get what i mean.

[herm]

never ran it without covers and between the three bikes I have put  17k miles in 2 years riding the piss out of them was not the prob just bad luck. and even Daniel the service rep for Ducati know this is a prob so if you find that you have this prop take it to a dealer Ducati is the best at taking care of its customers

i disagree. i think it depends more on the dealerships relationship with their rep (and your relationship with the dealer.)

i was just denied a claim on my 06 s2r1000, which is 18 months out of warranty (12 of those being winter, non riding months.) I am not done trying, but i may need to try a different shop, or go to DNA customer service. Also, since i just moved to the area from the other side of the country, i dont have much of a relationship with the local dealer yet.

[Scoby2duc]

that sounds about right. I would contact DNA that sounds like your best bet. I have found that quite a few dealers are snobs unless you spend your whole paycheck there but that is not just ducatis that is all forms of wheeled fun.

[OT]

ime if you use this test every single 2v motor will need new guides at pre delivery.  they used to come out of the factory very loose, and back when we did valve clearances at first services you'd wobble them around, shake your head then put it all back together.  i think a lot of the valve guide issue is due to more play than expected, but not neccesarily more play than acceptable if you get what i mean.

I was told progressive symptoms include burning oil (blue smoke out the tailpipe) and rough exhaust/stalling at idle RPM.

i was told no problem at my 6k service (s2r1000)
however, i just found out at 10k that at least one of mine is bad. did it happen between 6-10k? dont know...

ditto - mine were OK at 6K miles but starting to show signs of wear at 13K miles.  Bought the bike at FbFerracci in Dec '04, but had it serviced at another Duc dealer a few miles from where I lived from '05 to '09.  Went back to Ferraci (moved back into the area in '09) and they wouldn't even make the effort to call DNA!

That's the latest - and last - of the crap experiences I've had over there.

So, I'll make the call myself - here's hoping Ducati man's up to this one.

[Armor]

I was told progressive symptoms include burning oil (blue smoke out the tailpipe) and rough exhaust/stalling at idle RPM.


ditto - mine were OK at 6K miles but starting to show signs of wear at 13K miles.  Bought the bike at FbFerracci in Dec '04, but had it serviced at another Duc dealer a few miles from where I lived from '05 to '09.  Went back to Ferraci (moved back into the area in '09) and they wouldn't even make the effort to call DNA!

That's the latest - and last - of the crap experiences I've had over there.

So, I'll make the call myself - here's hoping Ducati man's up to this one.

Is your bike burning oil?

[Duck-Stew]

... The only thing you can do is be sure to use the best fuel available, change your oil on time with good motorcycle oil, keep the valvetrain maintenance on schedule and ride it.

Just a note on the above comment:  Fuel quality does not equal it's octane rating.  Never use fuel with a higher octane than what you *need* for the bike.  Excessive octane will leave excessive carbon deposits on the combustion chamber and piston top.

[uclabiker06]

i think a lot of the valve guide issue is due to more play than expected, but not neccesarily more play than acceptable if you get what i mean.

+1