[mattgarr57]

Are there common trouble spots that should be addressed with good preventative maintenance? I was reading in one post about relays, and one guy commented on this, but he noted that riding in the rain help accelerate this failure, but I really don't ride in the rain. Is there anything that I should have my mechanic keep an eye on, that's smart to replace as good PM? I don't mind spending money on such things. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Plus, where I ride, it's more remote and not good places to break down (not that any are good, but some are much worse than others). Thanks!

Matt

 

[mlukason]

My ST3 has 46k miles and has never left me stranded. Close once or twice but never stranded. I don’t typically ride in the rain...but it often finds me. I do store the bike in a garage so it’s not exposed to the elements.

I do my own maintenance, following the recommended 6,000 mile valve clearance inspection/adjustment, throttle body sync. etc. at that time I also check all the wheel and sprocket bearings as well as any other external bit and bob.

The ST3 are prone to having premature wear of the exhaust valve guides. This typically is seen by 10-15k miles. Once replaced, they should be fine (Ducati changed the metallurgy spec of the guides since then). I have about 31k on my replacement guides and they still look good.

I’ve never had a problem with the two big relays under the seat...but I carry a spare just in case. I did lose one of the small headlight relays under the nose fairing. Some have reported failures with the blade fuses...I haven’t but I carry spares of those too.

My ECU died a slow and annoying death...lucky for me that only resulted in poor running and not a stranding. No preventative maintenance would have help that...just bad luck.

Aside from the valve guides and the ECU I’ve never had a problem with the bike. I’d take it cross country today if I didn’t have to work!









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[desmojob]

I have an ST2 with about 115.000km and I had no problems. I use the bike in any weather condition.

I know friend with ST3 in Sicily with over 300.000km but I don't know if he has had problems, I will ask him.
Another friend ever on st3 has over 100.000 km without problem, I'm sure because I'm do maintenance for the bike sometimes

 

[Lanesmatb]

I can echo what Mike said. My ST3 has around 40K miles and it has never stranded me (I've put 15K on it myself). The electrics is where I have had any issues with the bike. Slow starting (upgraded starter and ground cables, updated regulator/rectifier to maintain good charge, replaced solenoid), tach went bad, which I had to replace instrument cluster with matching DP ECU, and checked wiring and connections.

Had to replace one rocker because it lost its chrome hard facing, which I think is a one-off issue since ST3s aren't known for soft rockers. I had a brake shudder with aftermarket chinese rotors (came with the bike) when I first got the bike, which I fixed by finding a decent set of used stock rotors and gafer pad swap.

The one thing I'll do when riding season is over is replace the in tank fuel lines. These are bound to give up the ghost sooner rather than later.

One suggestion Matt - Don't worry about the bike and ride that thing!

Be safe and take care,

Scott L.

 

[mattgarr57]

My ST3 has 46k miles and has never left me stranded. Close once or twice but never stranded. I don’t typically ride in the rain...but it often finds me. I do store the bike in a garage so it’s not exposed to the elements.

I do my own maintenance, following the recommended 6,000 mile valve clearance inspection/adjustment, throttle body sync. etc. at that time I also check all the wheel and sprocket bearings as well as any other external bit and bob.

The ST3 are prone to having premature wear of the exhaust valve guides. This typically is seen by 10-15k miles. Once replaced, they should be fine (Ducati changed the metallurgy spec of the guides since then). I have about 31k on my replacement guides and they still look good.

I’ve never had a problem with the two big relays under the seat...but I carry a spare just in case. I did lose one of the small headlight relays under the nose fairing. Some have reported failures with the blade fuses...I haven’t but I carry spares of those too.

My ECU died a slow and annoying death...lucky for me that only resulted in poor running and not a stranding. No preventative maintenance would have help that...just bad luck.

Aside from the valve guides and the ECU I’ve never had a problem with the bike. I’d take it cross country today if I didn’t have to work!
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=============================

I have a great mechanic. I just put out feelers like this to see if there are things I need to draw to his attention. I over-service my bikes, but they don't break down! Thanks for your help!

 

[mattgarr57]

My ST3 has 46k miles and has never left me stranded. Close once or twice but never stranded. I don’t typically ride in the rain...but it often finds me. I do store the bike in a garage so it’s not exposed to the elements.

I do my own maintenance, following the recommended 6,000 mile valve clearance inspection/adjustment, throttle body sync. etc. at that time I also check all the wheel and sprocket bearings as well as any other external bit and bob.

The ST3 are prone to having premature wear of the exhaust valve guides. This typically is seen by 10-15k miles. Once replaced, they should be fine (Ducati changed the metallurgy spec of the guides since then). I have about 31k on my replacement guides and they still look good.

I’ve never had a problem with the two big relays under the seat...but I carry a spare just in case. I did lose one of the small headlight relays under the nose fairing. Some have reported failures with the blade fuses...I haven’t but I carry spares of those too.

My ECU died a slow and annoying death...lucky for me that only resulted in poor running and not a stranding. No preventative maintenance would have help that...just bad luck.

Aside from the valve guides and the ECU I’ve never had a problem with the bike. I’d take it cross country today if I didn’t have to work!



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I have an ST2 with about 115.000km and I had no problems. I use the bike in any weather condition.

I know friend with ST3 in Sicily with over 300.000km but I don't know if he has had problems, I will ask him.
Another friend ever on st3 has over 100.000 km without problem, I'm sure because I'm do maintenance for the bike sometimes

=======

Thanks for the input. I had a ST2 years ago. No issues.

 

[mattgarr57]

My ST3 has 46k miles and has never left me stranded. Close once or twice but never stranded. I don’t typically ride in the rain...but it often finds me. I do store the bike in a garage so it’s not exposed to the elements.

I do my own maintenance, following the recommended 6,000 mile valve clearance inspection/adjustment, throttle body sync. etc. at that time I also check all the wheel and sprocket bearings as well as any other external bit and bob.

The ST3 are prone to having premature wear of the exhaust valve guides. This typically is seen by 10-15k miles. Once replaced, they should be fine (Ducati changed the metallurgy spec of the guides since then). I have about 31k on my replacement guides and they still look good.

I’ve never had a problem with the two big relays under the seat...but I carry a spare just in case. I did lose one of the small headlight relays under the nose fairing. Some have reported failures with the blade fuses...I haven’t but I carry spares of those too.

My ECU died a slow and annoying death...lucky for me that only resulted in poor running and not a stranding. No preventative maintenance would have help that...just bad luck.

Aside from the valve guides and the ECU I’ve never had a problem with the bike. I’d take it cross country today if I didn’t have to work!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

===============================

Thanks again!
Another question - do you know what size the tire stems are? I want to get an angled stem put on the rear.