Ask The Boss! Ducati Uk Managing Director, Tim Maccabee

Tim, which motorcycle manufacturer do you think you'd like to work for next? I hear Honda and KTM are doing quite well.

 

Please please please don't be sending anyone who'd accept flaking rockers, rusty bolts and crap engine paint over to KTM.... I don't know what I'd buy !

 

Not wanting to go off topic and giving Tim some feedback about what ive found. From owning 2 ducati's. 2 kwaks, 2 katooms and an aprillia...of the overall package id say the ktm is the best allround at the moment as ive had a lot of positives from building this bad boy....

1. Spares. If its not in fowlers, its in Austria and its with you in 3 days. This is on a 10 year old bike.
2. Cross compatible spares: the front mudguard and light and all the wiring are from a 2013 model...bolt straight in. I hear that subframes are cross compatible also (for twin pipe setups) - wheels as well...the entire front end is from a 640 supermoto....went straight in.
3. Cost of spares. While it cost an arm and a leg to build the cost of actual ktm spares were very reasonable....I don't think one part came to more than 100.00gbp eg the whole rear plastics cost 33 quid. The entire bush and roller bearing setup for the swing arm cost 92 quid.
4. On the strip down of the engine on a ten year old bike they were still upgrading internal engine parts so while it was apart about 7 or 8 internal parts were upgraded making it yet even more reliable. Cost of all of those parts came to 70 quid or thereabouts.

Its just a friendly comparison. On the flipside one of the things that makes me want a ducati again is the reliability of the hyper 1100 mill and the fact that Louigi motos is very close by - great bunch. I cant wait to sample the turbo charged tractor like torque of the 1100 again...

 

Tim - Not a question, but.

The parts guy at Moto Rapido in Winchester is one of the nicest, helpful and most knowledgeable person I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. You should clone him.

 

can i add harry from DG to that.
should be good for a wee discount now.

 

Re my post #115. My sincere apologies to Tim. It was not him but Steve Cox I spoke to at the NEC 2 years ago. Post #119 and my review of my notes made at the time have pointed out my error.
Sorry for that. My issue with the parts still stand though.

 

Why say you will answer in a couple of weeks then don't?????

 

You're quite right, I'm sorry that I'm later than hoped but will do my utmost to make sure there is something published within this week.

Tim

 

FWIW Tim, I think most of us would rather wait a little longer for a properly substantive response - given that this is a forum (largely) of dedicated Ducatisti, you will also have picked up several themes of shared disillusion, primarily around product quality and fitness for purpose. It's your response to those that is probably most important in keeping people onboard as happy customers and, by extension, as brand ambassadors - product direction is interesting but I don't think a huge concern and most of us have learned to ignore the truly cringeworthy marketing coming out of Italy. What we can't do is hand-on-heart, recommend a brand with real quality issues and, ultimately, those of us affected will - reluctantly - vote with our feet and wallets.

 

I think the most popular concern is the third year warranty which was removed without explanation .

 

As someone who suffered from the arbitrary removal of the third year warranty, I'd have been much less worried had the quality of the product itself been up to scratch: if something I buy is working fine and looks set to continue to do so, I'll be rather less bothered about a warranty extension.

 

presumably tim's rectifying everyones issues as we speak, so he can actually come back with something positive for us all

 

That's your choice, nice to still have that option though.
Especially has the pcp goes to 3 years for some people.

 

Personally I think itll fall on deaf ears....but, if It does which I expect it to then I wont be buying a new ducati for a number of reasons....oh yeah.....a lot of people on here repeatedly asked for a panigale based hyper, or a panigale based naked - you've had 2 cracks at the whip and still come out with something that's still not as good as the 1100 sp (or the streetfighter 1100). The bar is being moved in the naked area by most of the other manufacturers but still you (ducati) wont budge (ie the monster 1200r)....whats all that about then..!

I wouldn't buy a brand new bike moreso out of sheer cost against the speed that It would corrode....if I knew my 13k (or whatever) was going to last then yeah maybe and (panigale based naked) id say definitely...

 

13 grand, what can you buy with that? Are they bring out a Pike's Peak Scrambler. :Shifty:

 

My '10 MTS was over £16k. Since then, the pound has appreciated about 30% against the Euro, yet Ducati prices (they're not alone) have risen. Go figure…

 

I know - im talking....a large outlay of cash for something new....that will instantly rust...

 

The lack of the third year warranty extension option is certainly annoying if you buy a new bike. "Without explanation" is putting it a bit strongly.

As I understand it, the Ducati factory standard warranty of two years reflects the factory's contracts with its contractors and suppliers, of whom there are hundreds. If a component fails within two years, the supplier will be expected to bear the cost. Changing all those contracts to three years cover would be a complicated and expensive business.

Meanwhile the third year warranty extension in the UK was essentially an insurance contract. You paid the premium up front, in return for which the insurance company (not Ducati) shouldered the risk of having to pay out. This means that any dealer who sold a warranty extension was actually selling an insurance policy; they were acting as a broker. But insurance brokers have to be licensed, and meet various legal requirements. Ducati dealers usually are not insurance brokers and do not meet these requirements. If follows that they cannot properly sell the warranty extension policies, and probably should never have been selling them in the first place.

So what are the options?

• UK Ducati dealers could seek accreditation as insurance brokers.
• The Ducati factory could negotiate three-year contracts with all its suppliers.
• Some external insurance broking company could be brought into the transactions to make them legal.
• Warranties remain fixed at two years.

Each of the first three options would be potentially expensive and difficult to arrange.

May I ask Tim:
1. Is my description above accurate?
2. Is there any option apart from the four mentioned?
3. What are you doing about it?

 

You missed one:
If Ducati stand by their product, they can carry the risk of the third year's warranty. After all, the insurance company would only offer the warranty if they thought that they would make money out of it, so the risk must be small.
Also, carrying the risk themselves would goad Ducati to increase product quality so that they didn't need to honour the extra warranty very often. They are better placed than an insurance company to assess the risk of their own product failing.

 

Good point. I didn't even think of the factory carrying their own risks. I suppose I took it for granted that no well-run car or bike manufacturer would ever want to do that. They needn't insure their buildings against fire & flood or public liabilities either - why give money to an insurance company?

A few years ago Chrysler Corp began to carry their own risks on residual values (i.e. post-rental contracts). When second-hand prices dropped, Chrysler went broke. They now belong to FIAT.