Yes, best it to try to forget this and keep an eye on it... Just went to the garage and wiped that tiny, tiny trace from last ride on Sunday I either hope it will come less and less and then disappear, or after a proper ride, it will come fully out and show itself where it is coming from...
I think your question has been answered, more or less. ACF-50 is not just a "storage coating" - it is applied by many bikers prior to winter as it protects against corrosion caused by grit/salt, but it can and is also used throughout the year as it will help protect against corrosion whatever the cause, stone chips for example. If no such protection has been applied by either the dealer or you (or anyone you used to clean the bike) then it is not the cause of the 'problem'. As suggested, best to keep riding to see if it continues, but keep a close eye on your oil level.
I'm not going to disagree with you but ACF-50 is not just a winter use product; I applied it to one of my bikes immediately prior to a NC500 ride because I knew I would be riding in an environment which could be quite salty
If you have reported the issue to your dealer then the Ducati warranty will take care of it eventually, even if you don't get an opportunity to ride again until the Spring.
Re said "oil leak", I took my 950S in on the 5th March for an annual service, bike only 2800 mls, got a call down to the workshop and a very slight oil mist / leak showing around the rear of the engine. Mechanic eventually said it was coming from the rear cyl. head gasket. They are going to replace this this week. I asked if this was an abnormal occurance and he said, honestly, that it was not "on the new bikes" that they had a few showing the same..
Don't let them go down that road, this is an oil leak. Also no oil will leak from any exhaust. the oil on the exhaust flange is either coming from above or from the head gasket and being blown and migrating around. remember when hot it's thin and will blow anywhere water would. There is no grease in those areas when the bike is built
Bringing this thread back.. Noone seems to have mentioned engine oil level?? My 1200 dvt just been serviced oil level seemed a little high then after a really slow ride on a warm day through a 10mph contraflow Andy Mrs pilllion said 'what's the smell?' Could see a hue rising from the left hand side ngine temp was 97°C - turned out to be oil pooling behind the rear cylinderand gently burning off (same lication as the o.p. photo of the rear of the upright cylinder at the beginning of this thread). They'd put too much oil in! Must be pushing through a breather? Was my first thought. Cleaned it later once stopped and it didnt return once home. Any updates?
My Monster 1200 has a little puddle in a similar spot as yours each spring following winter storage. It's coolant fluid. However, it does not leak during the riding season.
So... Here is the update. I was watching this all the time and it was repeating, then stopping... I even asked the workshop to change the exhaust manifold gasket on my cost. It didn’t solve the problem. As I mastered this issue, I realized that leak is coming when engine is completely cold. So, I turned the bike on once and managed to film a drop of oil coming out from that place and leaking down. I sent that video, case and the pictures to one Ducati workshop in UK (Ray Petty) for their opinion. They immediately answered that it is porous head and that they had several cases like mine. Now, the workshop here in Croatia is willing to change the cylinder head under warranty. BUT, it makes me sick because whole engine needs to go out and everything meeds to be disassembled. They need to replace valves and whole valve train from the old head to the new one, which means valves need to be lapped etc... and my bike is almost new, has only 8300 km on the clock. And this repair will last 2-3 weeks. How will they assemble it again, I don’t know, I just know it will never be the same bike again. I think that it is another story when bike is assembled in the factory and then when everything is redone somewhere else. All the details, wires, hoses, connectors... horror So, I am completely disappointed in Ducati, especially as it is my first Ducati. With Japanese bikes I had zero issues. And the worst thing is that workshop was telling me that it was nothing for more than a year... they were probably thinking I was going to give up and accept this. Oil leak from a brand new bike...sad
You can see the update in my post above... Honestly, in your case, I don’t think that oil can come from the breather to that place. This was one of the stories that they were selling me too... Oil can come there either from valve cover gasket or from the head... And as I mentioned, in my case, it is happening only when engine is completely cold (high oil pressure and cold metal so tolerances/cracks are biggest). My crack is probably so small that when engine gets hot, metal expands and leaking stops.
That’s shite news Suzafan. It might be better for you and your dealer if they could just get complete heads from the factory and replace those rather than go down the route suggested.
What other option do you have they have said they will fix it & you are saying no. What's the problem. If the bike is under warantee then you will get a loan bike to use. Steve.
Mechanics know how to do this, this is every day stuff for them. Assembly line workers will never be as good as a trained mechanic
Well, unfortunately, that’s Ducati’s procedure, I checked. I will try to ask for assembled head, but I doubt I will get it. I also hope for this, that’s all I can do. However, in Croatia, there are not so many Ducatis, especially latest models(30-40 sold yearly) so assembling DVT Desmodromic cylinder head is not everyday stuff for them... the problem is that I bought brand new bike and now I will have refurbished one... not the same feeling and joy I guess... I know how Italian products are known for “quality”, but I was never expecting such a major failure, that head would need to be replaced...
I had both the heads replaced on my 2010 bike and had no issues with it afterwards. If Ducati are going to stand by their warranty work then there should be no problem. This was the problem with mine
Sorry to hear of your troubles. But it will be fixed under warranty. I suggest you bypass the dealership and make contact with Ducati Croatia direct to ask for a new complete top end rather than strip down and rebuild. You have nothing to loose, the worst they can say is no and repair as originally stated. But be firm and give it a go, an awful lot can get lost in translation when going via a dealer.
Hehe, unfortunately, Croatia is very small and this dealer where I bought my bike is a main importer. I will definitely ask for a complete top end, I have nothing to lose. But I think that I will end up with DVT Desmodromic system made in Croatia. I am waiting for the season to come to an end (end of October and I will give them my bike then). Any info about how long they need to give me warranty on their work? Because my original warranty is expiring in April 2021.
