Brand New 2017 Monster 797 Powering Down While Riding

[797king]

Hey guys,

This is my first real post outside of the Intro thread and I am disappointed it isn't the positive comments I have alway wanted to post as my first contribution here!

My experience with this issue so far:

I have a 2017 Monster 797 that I bought just over a month ago. As many of you know they just released this bike not long before I purchased it. It is my first bike and I have only put about 250 miles on it. Being that it is my first bike, I have very little mechanical knowledge when it comes to motorcycles and in this case electrical components. There are no mods/accessories on it at this time.

I came home from a week without riding, started it up and let it warm up with no issues. I rode down the neighborhood street and the bike powered down on me while riding. Initially, it would turn back on when turning the handlebars full lock to the left, and back off when straightening the wheel or turning handlebars to the right.

After walking the bike back home, I played with part of the wire harness, that went from the frame to the cluster, and realized when i slightly pulled it towards me the bike would power on and if I slightly pulled it away from me it would power off. (Turning the handlebars caused the harness to be pulled either way).

The plug behind the cluster was fine and I checked the basics but could not find any issues. The bike started fine, but the power just wouldn't stay on.

I spoke with Ducati and they arranged a tow from my place back to the dealership, "Motorcycle Mall" in NJ, who picked it up a few days later to take a look at the bike. They claimed that there must be some sort of short in the wire harness, causing it to be faulty, and sent a video to Ducati. Ducati stated they recommended sending an entirely new wire harness to them for complete replacement.

I've expressed my concern with Ducati and the dealership in regards to now having a $4,000+ fix on a brand new bike (not out of my pocket), that I won't have for over a week and no transportation in the meantime. Such a bummer  . Is it normal for a dealership to not provide a loaner bike after they sell you a brand new bike that is having issues after 1 month? Am I wrong for expressing this issue/concern to Ducati to see if they or the dealership will step-up in regards to how to proceed forward regarding the bikes defect?

I know it is a new bike and there may not be other 797 owners out there that have experienced any issues, but any insight to similar issues may be helpful.

For what it's worth... the first 250 miles have been such a great experience and I have truly loved the Monster 797.

[DarkMonster620]

IMHO and FHE with wty issues, as a dealer WE did give a customer a loaner while his "one of a kind issue" was looked at . . .

The dealer as a  courtesy should give you a loaner/demo for you to move about

[Howie]

A dealer (car or motorcycle) is only required to supply a loaner if it is part of your warranty or service agreement.  Beyond that would be a courtesy.  Due to cost in the NY metro area I doubt the dealer would supply a loaner.

[Charlie98]

A dealer (car or motorcycle) is only required to supply a loaner if it is part of your warranty or service agreement.  Beyond that would be a courtesy.  Due to cost in the NY metro area I doubt the dealer would supply a loaner.

That's the way I see it.  Motorcycles are a bit different than a Honda Civic or such... If I owned a Ferrari, I wouldn't expect a loaner Ferrari if it was in the shop.  They should be able to make it up to you in other ways.

[herm]

I might be more concerned about warranty work that was 1/2 - 1/3 the cost of the new bike...

Or the likelihood of it taking a bit longer than they claim to even get the parts....

[Langanobob]

I might be more concerned about warranty work that was 1/2 - 1/3 the cost of the new bike...

Or the likelihood of it taking a bit longer than they claim to even get the parts....

This.

  Hope I'm wrong but a place with a  name like Motorcycle Mall may have techs that know the basics of several brands and models but no one who is a qualified skilled Duc specialist.  I'd be concerned that the bike would never be the same again after the dealer more or less completely dismantles it and puts it back together.  Not sure what approach I'd take if it were my bike.  It seems like it is likely something very simple, a connection that gets stretched when the bars are turned.  I think I'd lean on the dealer to see if they can get a skilled tech to spend more time on it.  I also don't see how Ducati North America can competently diagnose it via a video and recommend a complete $4,000 wiring harness replacement.  Good luck and keep us posted.

[797king]

Langanobob,
I completely agree. They do have a Duc specialist who Ducati North America stated "we trust all of our specialists and have full confidence.... etc." This was also the response when I expressed my concerns in regards to the bike never being the same again once they take it apart and put it back together.
 I absolutely thought it was going to be something stupid and simple, and that I would be the idiot that doesn't know anything about motorcycles but that wasn't the case.
I spoke with a rep at Ducati North America again today who did confirm that Ducati saw the video and commented that "they have never seen anything like this before" and recommended replacing the entire harness.

I told them I would like to request a new replacement bike or a refund. They are responding with some sort of "Appreciation Card" which we will see what that is.

Herm,
The harness was ordered from Italy and was  supposed to have arrived the beginning of this week. It did not arrive today but Ducati North America believes it should arrive tomorrow. I'll keep you guys posted.

The dealer does rent motorcycles to customers. Now that I won't be able to ride this bike for 1.5-2 weeks and I'm still paying for it, you would think there would be some way for them to make this right. And that's on top of what I'm paying to commute every day. 

Thanks.

[ducpainter]

If the dealer rents bikes, and your bike will be down for a couple of weeks...and it's your main means of transport...

have you asked them about a loaner?

[797king]

Yes. I have expressed all of those concerns to the dealer, was transferred to the manager Mike, who stated they cannot help and do not provide loaners. He suggested I rent a bike or call my insurance company to see if they will cover my transportation needs...

[797king]

Wire Harness arrived Wednesday and they finished the bike last night. Going to pick it up today..

[koko64]

Good luck

[797king]

So i picked it up, everything seems fine so far. I'll give it some time to see if any other issues may arise as a result of the work done.

Ducati North America sent me a card that's good for any service and/or ducati parts and accessories worth half of my bike payment. (It's better than nothing, even though I'm in the hole way more due to cost of transportation). Which is obviously more on the dealer's end but what do I know. They also sent a Ducati book that seems fancy but it's all in Italian and only goes to 2016 so my bikes not in it lol but whatever.

The service department was great. I would never conduct business with the sales department again in the future.