Around 3 weeks ago I was out on probably the hottest day of the year and got stuck in some heavy traffic, just before we got moving my temp went to 120 and in the round window a symbol of a temperature gauge appeared, less than a minuet later I was under way and it cooled down. I am guessing this is to hot, the fans are running fine and kick in at the correct time. Is this common or can those little fans actually control the temp. My bike generally runs as should when moving and the temp is quiet cool but I have a doubt even on a cooler day left in traffic it would climb up to far.
I've had it on my multi too but only stuck in London traffic on a 34-35 degree day. If I knew I weren't going to get moving in a mo, I'd switch off and let it cool down. The fans do work, but they can't compete with traffic and incredibly hot days. Normal temps, the fans reduce the temp just fine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought it would be the norm, to be honest I don't use it for transport just fun so thankfully it will be a rare occasion
On my 2011 MTS1200S, normally the fans cut in at 103 degrees and bring the temperature down even in traffic jams. I found that occasionally (just a couple of times) this failed to work and the temp soared to 120 degrees or so. I got Snells of Alton to look into it. They discovered that there was an intermittent fault with the temperature sensor, so they replaced it. The problem has not recurred since.
I found the same last week: spirited ride, then spent 5 minutes in a traffic jam at only about 20°C ambient. Temperature went to 120 then Hi - settled down as soon as I got moving though. But I am going to check coolant levels
Like I said, in heavy traffic on a really hot day mine did hit that. I did however get my rad replaced when it was hitting that in normal scenarios. Early models had a rad that was susceptible to internal collapse.
That might be exactly where I'm at: checked the bike over methodically today: added about 400ml of coolant to bring it up to the high mark on the expansion bottle. There was a bit of a weep after the last service from a rad hose jubilee clip not being done up properly, so I'd suspected some had been lost before I spotted it. Then fired it up: couldn't do the steam diagnosis for porous heads as I'd just washed it so there was lots of steam, but didn't appear to be particularly coming from the heads. But the temperature at idle just kept rising, until both fans kicked in at 103°C. And it kept rising: I switched off at 115°C. At that point just the top 1/3 of the radiator was hot: the lower part was stone cold. Thoughts then? I'm obviously suspecting the radiator itself, but could there be anything else causing this?
This implies that the problem lies with the radiator, as you rightly say. It is not unknown for radiators to fail internally.
Some of the early models did suffer from the rads collapsing internally. Not sure how the dealers actually diagnose that one, they must just replace the rad after checking the other things such as thermostats etc... If you are continuing to lose coolant, and can't tell where, check your exhaust fumes. If they contain coolant (slimy/slippery fingers when held in exhaust fumes), then it's likely heads. I do believe it's the front head that suffers. When my heads where porous though, I had no cooling issues. So long as the coolant was present the bike would cool fine. You may just be looking at the rad. Some people have been fine with cheap Chinese rads too if budget is a concern.
Figures Will see if dealer can get some goodwill out of Ducati a) given the other problems I've had with the bike and b) that it's a common problem (just been reading up on it).
Didn't know there were any non-OEM copies. I've been dithering about what to do with main bike: the Multi's only got 15k miles on it and the engine and suspension are - to my taste - well ahead of the DVT, so I'd been thinking of keeping it, getting the corrosion sorted and running it for a few more years, to see if Ducati gets its Euro 4 act together and sorts its quality issues. That or I ditch it now and go for a 1290GT. I just resent spending yet more money to sort basic design, quality and finish issues: After 34 years, I've had enough of Ducati taking the piss out of loyal customers.
Well, i'm with you on the build quality. Mine is showing signs of corrosion and then there's my current issue with a crankshaft snapped in two. Bloody Faultistrada! I was actually considering keeping my 2010 until about 2020 because I loved it so much, sad thing is I just do not believe it will last that long. 848's also had problems with their rads and many a rider was going to Chinese aftermarkets at 25% of the cost and they had no problems. There must be someone making them for the multi.
Found the 848 rads on alibaba.com, but nothing listed for the Multi, alas. And yes, my plan for my '10 was similar to yours: great bike when it isn't falling apart and, with the list of usual tweaks I've made, it would be just right if reliable.
It's all this sort of stuff that played a huge part in my decision to bail (see thread Dear Jane......) The nagging feeling in the back of your mind that it could all go tits up anytime. Yet funnily enough while I was getting bits off today I was only thinking what fantastic condition its still in at just shy of 17k miles. It really is almost like new. Probably because I'm pretyy anal about looking after it and don't use it in bad weather unless I get caught out.
@Technomad If you do need a new radiator it might be worth checking these guys out to see if they could re-core it. GMX Radiators - The UK's Number One for Alloy Motocross Radiators , Cooling and Starting Systems They repaired a small hole in my radiator that I got before fitting a rad guard DOH!, really nice job and invisible too.
Many thanks - will check 'em out: cheapest I could find a new rad online was £600. Which seems to be a couple of hundred below list. First though, I'll call Ducati Glasgow on Tuesday and ask them to see if DUK will put in any goodwill to stand by their product.
