Could be something as simple as a loose hose clamp.

I doubt you've damaged the engine in any way since it didn't overheat.

Since it's under warranty I'd take it to the dealer.

Personally, I wouldn't tell them about you replacing the coolant or anything like that.

Id just tell them that you noticed that it was running hot and that you didn't see any coolant in the overflow reservoir and let them discover any issues.

JMHO

Good luck.

 

I would do exactly as big o suggests. And I doubt it’s damaged, it would have thrown a light for overheat.

 

That is one of the (few) advantages of having a separate oil cooler.

 

You didn't mention it but you opened the radiator cap, right?

if you only added to the overflow tank and it leaked, it's just the tank that is leaking.

I doubt you rode without any coolant, wouldn't last long .

 

You didn't mention it but you opened the radiator cap, right?

if you only added to the overflow tank and it leaked, it's just the tank that is leaking.

I... didn't...

I didn't even think to open the radiator cap. The manual says to add coolant via the expansion tank so that's where I added it. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense.

I saw @BIG O 's note after the bike had gotten to the shop, so I'd already told them that I tried to add coolant and it ended up as an expensive puddle under the bike. I don't really see a downside to telling them that I tried to top it off and it leaked out; it might help them speed up the diagnosis. I hope it is just a leaky tank (or fitting)!

It's going to be a week or so until they can get to it, unfortunately... The shop it went to is down to 2 Ducati techs (used to have 4). But I will say I was impressed with the Ducati roadside assistance, who got a guy over to tow the bike in just a couple of hours.

I'll keep you posted with the diagnosis. Fingers crossed it's just a bad tank or hose clamp or something simple and warranty-covered.

 

I don't like this suggestion of the manual.

Coolant will only be siphoned in the rad when the engine is cooling down. And if level is really low in the rad it may not siphon anything.

One should always top off rad, heat the engine and let it cool, then adjust level in the overflow.

 

Update (08 November 2024): Ducati denies warranty claim.

Stay tuned for idiocy and frustration. The (initial) idiocy is all me. When I added coolant to the system, I was working under the (wrong) assumption that the system was very low on coolant, so I poured in the whole liter. Then I noticed it dribbling out onto the pavement. The smarter among you will know what happened. The system apparently had a good amount of coolant so when I added a liter, it filled the reservoir and then overflowed, making the puddle. You can't see the reservoir while filling and I was so busy mopping up coolant that I failed to check it afterward (though I did screw on the cap).

Not knowing this, I got it towed to a local Ducati dealer who discovered the full reservoir and adjusted the level. No doubt rolling his eyes at the stupid owner, but he was nice on the phone.

I'd still like to have it checked for a coolant leak, because as I mentioned it was running hotter than usual and the recovery tank was indeed empty when I first checked it. So I think there's a leak, but probably a slow one. Tech agrees and opens a warranty case with Ducati. Tech also advises me that, warranty or not, I'd have to pay shop labor for taking off the crash bars, even though they're Ducati bars installed by a Ducati tech at a Ducati dealership. "If it's not part of the stock configuration, they won't cover it." Fine.

Here's the kicker: I just heard today that Ducati won't cover this leak investigation under their warranty.
Why? Because I installed an aftermarket radiator guard. I had thus "modified the system" in some way that voids the warranty. Because I installed an Evotech guard that likely had nothing to do with the coolant leak. It's been there for 12,000 miles, I think any damage would've been evident far before this.
I think Ducati's just trying to weasel out of a warranty case.

I plan on escalating to Ducati Customer Service on Monday (or maybe Tuesday as Monday's a holiday).

 

Would you like another perspective?