Ask The Boss! Ducati Uk Managing Director, Tim Maccabee

I expect, like most businesses, Ducati pay attention to a forum dedicated to its brand that attracts the kind of traffic and readership that this one does. A bit more useful than a few crusty members of a DOC.

 

What? Not even a DOC which decided to turn away from broad-spectrum interests and devote itself almost exclusively to racing obsolete models ... which does nothing that directly generates income for Ducati?

What are you saying here, Glidd?

 

I'll try to be less outrageous in future. Sorry.

 

:lol:

Not bad for £25 a year though with four magazines, even if you don't include the free entry and hospitality at Brands BSB every year and the discounts available...

 

I agree, it's good value.

It used to be exceptional value, though

 

Are there going to be any launch promotions/offers for the 959?

 

Hi Tim

Personally I have had 3 reg/rectifiers fail on 4 Ducatis in 7 years of ownership Anecdotal evidence from this place and other forums indicate this component has been a significant weak point for many years. The nature of the failure usually results in riders being stranded waiting for a recovery (or worse).
No doubt this issue will have been noticed by Ducati management due to the number of replacement units sold.

We all know the the margin on official parts is already high, so why do Ducati dealers still supply sub-standard SCR regulators rectifiers as spare parts when uprated MOSFET models are available now cheaply and are effectively a plug and play replacement?

It occurs to me that Ducatis' brand image and owner loyalty had been badly damaged by (easily resolved) failures such as these and are influencing (adversely for Ducati) my next bike purchase choice.

Do Ducati/VAG take issues like this seriously enough to impliment a detailed review and improvement program of commonly failed components across the range for current AND older models?

thanks

Alasdair

 

My 2001 MY 996 has just needed 2 rockers replacing due to flaking chrome. As this is obviously a manufacturer defect, can I get a refund please?

 

I'd very much like to ask Tim what Ducati is doing to improve the quality of finish of its bikes.

Having owned only Ducati motorcycles since 1983, I'd say that finish quality peaked in around 2002-05 and has been in decline ever since. My 2010 Multistrada is the worst-finished Ducati I've ever owned and that, plus Ducati's failure to respond to the issues I've asked them to deal with, means that I both no longer feel able to recommend Ducatis to new owners and am seriously considering jumping ship myself. As I'm otherwise a complete dead cert to buy Ducatis, I can't be the only one considering that.

Now Ducati may have made the conscious decision that the 'enthusiast' market is no longer relevant to them and that they're only interested in conquest sales and those who change their bikes annually (which fits VAG's marketing approach). If that's the case, then do let us know and the rest of us can head the other way…

 

The Multistrada I've owned for the last three years and added 30,000 miles to has been one of my favourite bikes, I'm ready to upgrade to a DVT BUT:
Will there be an extended warranty offered soon?
Without this comfort it will be a difficult decision to make. I've been impressed with Ducati's commitment to their warranty work (far better than Aprilia). My cylinder heads failed on the old model just after the 4 year extended warranty was running out but they paid for the repair. I've also had new clocks, switches, grips, clutch slave cylinder and Ohlins fork leg replaced, which doesn't fill me with confidence.

Are steps being taken to improve overall quality issues, such as fasteners and third party parts?
For a premium product, with premium price point, some issues should be resolved quickly before reputation suffers.

 

how did you find your self the boss of ducati uk? any regrets?

 

thats the problem with using Japanese parts i suppose

 

+1, although I'd argue that it's already too late for a historically fragile reputation. That reputation used to be largely undeserved but now even I can't defend it.

 

Will a extended warranty be offered at any point in the future? And can it be purchased by people who have their bike still within the first 2 years.

 

Tim, 2 years ago whilst sitting on a DVT 1200 at the NEC I told you about the many parts I had fail/ fall apart/flake off etc etc, on my 11 plate 1200S. The final straw being my belt pulleys scabbing and damaging the main belts. (main dealer FSH). You kindly gave me your card and said for Tom (at dealership) to call you and you'd sort it(ish).
Thank you, but should i really have had to bend your ear at a show for something that so badly failed (pulleys) and still have to pay for half the repair bill due to sub standard parts.
I aspired to owning a Ducati and begged and borrowed to save up and buy my Multi 1200. last year i couldn't wait to get rid of it. I have NEVER felt that way about any bike i've owned before or since.
We are customers, some very loyal, but sometimes it seems Ducati just don't seem to be bothered about it all!

 

Any chance of another dealer, or at least a service centre, in Scotland north of the central belt? A 200+ mile round trip for a service is no joke. And I'm lucky, some folk have to travel much further and need to arrange overnight accommodation.

 

Can't help feeling that the product should be so reliable that no one thinks that an extended warranty is even useful and worth paying for. Just my opinion. After all, Ducatis aren't cheap.

 

That's the fundamental mistake that Audi made: "Let's cut costs by ditching the extended warranty" and thereby pissing off many, may owners, rather than, "Let's address product quality, have happier customers and lower warranty costs". Tough call…

 

I had exactly the same conversation with Steve Cox (head of Customer Service UK) after having to fork out £1300 labour costs to repair an engine after a main bearing failure at 27,000 miles - see here. He was adamant this was reasonable, and would not move. I had no choice but to get rid, as it was out of warranty and I lost all trust in the brand. I'm back on a Honda now. Bland by comparison, but totally reliable and not a bubbled section of paintwork in sight.

 

Althought im ducati-less at the moment but hope to be back on one in the near future, here's my enquiry....

Tim....could you please tell me why the fittings and coatings on a ducati last about as long as a chicken dinner....

Ive had 2 hyper motard 1100's and both while in incredibly good nick (due to my own diligence) required an abnormal amount of care and replacement of just about every nut and bolt over the entire bike and the recoating of anything that had your (ducati's) coating on it that could be easily unbolted from the bike. Whoever is in charge of coatings and fixtures must have his R&D site in the sahara dessert as when their bikes get a hint of moisture the corrode faster than I can finish this post.

Case in point.

Last year at Riders in Bristol I took my hyper for its MOT. I was waiting in the car park looking at a spanky new monster demo in the car park....the tyres had not even been scrubbed out to the edge (after asking the sales bod less than a 1000 miles) and the fittings on the bottom of the bike (caliper bolts, around the stand) were already chalky (calipers) and rusting (stand area).

Now id love a new hypermotard but there is no way on this earth I would spend nigh on 13k on something that will get eaten by the standard british weather this fast. On asking the salesman about the corrosion - he just shrugged his shoulders and said "well, that's a ducati!"

In contrast my rsv4 factory on a 59 plate - 2 years older than the hyper that I had and had 2k more miles on the clock has not really corroded atall....as they use mostly stainless and well coated fastenings.

I look forward to owning another 1100 hyper but sadly I know im going to be shelling out 300+ on getting it up together regarding the above, for something that should have been done at the build point.

There are countless threads on here about various ducati models rusting way before they should. Surely, is that that much of a hit on the baseline profit to use coatings and fastening that are fit for purpose.