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66 Posts
Apololgies in advance for what follows, but I'm at wit's end with my ST4s - more specifically, the inept servicing of it.
As some of you may know, this saga started in Nov 05 when the bike went in for its 6k service. It wasn't done right, the tech who did it departed suddenly, and, since then, it's been in four more times and handed from one newbie to the next with each of them screwing up something else. First it runs rich, then it runs lean, it pops on deceleration, won't start or idle evenly, won't run smoothly at steady throttle ... the list goes on. Just got it back a week ago and it seemed like they'd FINALLY gotten it right after numerous phone consults with the Duc guru at AMI in Daytona Beach. Brought it home, seemed okay. Today, a week later, I fire it up to go for a ride and start to see smoke streaming out of the right hand side and fuel puddling on the floor. I shut it down quickly and investigated the problem - ruptured HP fuel line. But, wait, there's more. After propping up the fuel tank, I found two of four clips missing from the air box lid and, when I started to remove the vertical spark plug for an insulator color check, found that it hadn't been torqued down - it wasn't even finger tight! As anyone savvy about engines knows, a loose plug will create a host of troubleshooting problems, yet properly torquing them down is basic mechanics and should be a given.
I payed for the service in Nov. Since then, they've been doing each return visit without additional charge and have even given me a loaner 749 on a couple of occasions. However, I'm at the point now where I just want my own bike back, operating correctly - and safely. (Did I mention I had them fit a new pair of Conti Road Attacks during all this - and I had to return it because the front end felt 'loose' and it appeared they hadn't properly fitted the front axle and/or tightened the axle nut and pinch bolts!)
I guess this begs the question: Do I keep taking it back to this outfit until they get it right? The next closest dealership is 2-3 hours away. Has anyone had any success with Ducati NA with a situation like this? Would writing them help?
If you've read this far, thanks for bearing with me. The whole situation is just driving me crazy.
I welcome your comments ...
As some of you may know, this saga started in Nov 05 when the bike went in for its 6k service. It wasn't done right, the tech who did it departed suddenly, and, since then, it's been in four more times and handed from one newbie to the next with each of them screwing up something else. First it runs rich, then it runs lean, it pops on deceleration, won't start or idle evenly, won't run smoothly at steady throttle ... the list goes on. Just got it back a week ago and it seemed like they'd FINALLY gotten it right after numerous phone consults with the Duc guru at AMI in Daytona Beach. Brought it home, seemed okay. Today, a week later, I fire it up to go for a ride and start to see smoke streaming out of the right hand side and fuel puddling on the floor. I shut it down quickly and investigated the problem - ruptured HP fuel line. But, wait, there's more. After propping up the fuel tank, I found two of four clips missing from the air box lid and, when I started to remove the vertical spark plug for an insulator color check, found that it hadn't been torqued down - it wasn't even finger tight! As anyone savvy about engines knows, a loose plug will create a host of troubleshooting problems, yet properly torquing them down is basic mechanics and should be a given.
I payed for the service in Nov. Since then, they've been doing each return visit without additional charge and have even given me a loaner 749 on a couple of occasions. However, I'm at the point now where I just want my own bike back, operating correctly - and safely. (Did I mention I had them fit a new pair of Conti Road Attacks during all this - and I had to return it because the front end felt 'loose' and it appeared they hadn't properly fitted the front axle and/or tightened the axle nut and pinch bolts!)
I guess this begs the question: Do I keep taking it back to this outfit until they get it right? The next closest dealership is 2-3 hours away. Has anyone had any success with Ducati NA with a situation like this? Would writing them help?
If you've read this far, thanks for bearing with me. The whole situation is just driving me crazy.
I welcome your comments ...
