Hi Folks, In an attempt to get the first 621 mile done for the first service before the *really* bad weather starts I'm decided to commute in this morning despite the freezing fog. -1C and a fair bit of road salt down. Now, having only ever owned Kawasakis and Yamahas I was wondering how the Ducati might stand up to some winter rides. Do they fall apart (faster than normal)? Are there any particular areas to be more careful with or clean more often? To be honest I don't plan to be commuting on it through the winter but it will get used when possible at weekends. So far the bike that stood up to winter commuting best was a 1999 R1 would you believe. It always brushed up good as new. Stuart
Yup, I know what salt does. What I wondered was, are Ducati any better or worse than other bikes? Oh and by the way, as I mentioned, I ran the R1 through 2 winters. Each evening it got hosed down when I got back from work. The only trouble I had was that the brake calipers needed regular cleaning or the pistons would bind but apart from that the bike always polished up like new. In fact I saw the bike just the other day (first time since 2006) and it still looked great! The Kawasakis I've had haven't been quite as good. Bolts and fasteners furred up. Then again, they started doing that on the ZX10 before salt got any where near it.... Like I said, I don't plan on exposing the Multi to a complete winter but it will get runs on the better days.
Salt will turn your magnificent new Ducati into an elderly, unloved and neglected Royal Enfield in a single winter. If you must ride, ACF50 and a wash after every single ride. For the bike, too.
I can't see a Duc standing up all that well personally. No bikes do really, but something like a Honda would take more punishment.
Even so, don't expect miracles. In my experience, Ducatis don't stand up nearly as well as Jap bikes. See here.
GarySN, Ouch! That's not good at all. Hmm. Well, I guess I'll see how things go. This is my first Ducati. If it starts to look like more trouble than it's worth I'll take the hit and move on to something else. That's a depressing thread to read...
Get the big bottle as suggested above then apply it with one of these. I fill it less than a quarter full and more than covers everything twice over. Its a take on what allyearbiker do but without a compressor and spraygun. I'm on my second winter with it and no complaints other than have to keep pumping it up every now and again to keep nice fine mist.The emptier it is the more pumps it takes but the finer the mist seems to be and you get a longer spray time. I've tried various other delivery methods including battery powered paint sprayer, garden sprayer, aerosol can (the ACF50 one you can buy, terrible, probably worst of the lot!) and none of them gave the atomising effect I was looking for. Misto Oil Sprayer in basters and misters at Lakeland
