Perspective

[daveinva]

Took my Spyder in today for its 2015 Virginia state inspection at the dealer. About eight bikes around me all waiting for service and inspections, I got to chat with plenty of bike owners.

My local Spyder dealer is also a Ducati dealer. I desperately want a Monster for two-wheel fun, and no man on Earth can help but admire the Panigale, but what I heard today was more confirmation of what I knew already.

Namely, that Ducatis are like supermodels: gorgeous, expensive, high-maintenance, and always getting work done. :joke:

No lie, two guys there with brand-new $20K Panigales with less than 5K miles each were in there for oil leaks. And I don't mean leaks-- I mean FLOODS. One guy chose to note all of his leaks by slapping on strips of blue painter's tape everywhere he found them, he had half-a-dozen strips on each side of his bike. Seriously, it looked like toilet paper on a teenage boy's face the first time he tried shaving.

Meanwhile, my RS got inspected, flying colors, and I had a wonderful day riding in our Nation's capital.

Moral of the story? Bikes are not cars. Even with all the problems, I'd still LOVE to own one of those Ducatis... but holy :cus:, you simply have to accept that 1) odds are you are GOING to have problems, and 2) even if you don't, EVERYTHING is going to cost a fortune.

Spyders ain't perfect; but then again, nothing is!

 

[Chupaca]

Agree..!!

abd it doesn't only happen with Ducati's..glad your roadster passed all it's tests and you were able to get some ryding in..!! :2thumbs:hyea:hyea:

 

[Bob Denman]

There's an old saying that contains an awful lot of truth...
:lecturef_smilie:"If it has T*ts or tires; it's gonna cost you..."

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

EARLY DAYS

Took my Spyder in today for its 2015 Virginia state inspection at the dealer. About eight bikes around me all waiting for service and inspections, I got to chat with plenty of bike owners.

My local Spyder dealer is also a Ducati dealer. I desperately want a Monster for two-wheel fun, and no man on Earth can help but admire the Panigale, but what I heard today was more confirmation of what I knew already.

Namely, that Ducatis are like supermodels: gorgeous, expensive, high-maintenance, and always getting work done. :joke:

No lie, two guys there with brand-new $20K Panigales with less than 5K miles each were in there for oil leaks. And I don't mean leaks-- I mean FLOODS. One guy chose to note all of his leaks by slapping on strips of blue painter's tape everywhere he found them, he had half-a-dozen strips on each side of his bike. Seriously, it looked like toilet paper on a teenage boy's face the first time he tried shaving.

Meanwhile, my RS got inspected, flying colors, and I had a wonderful day riding in our Nation's capital.

Moral of the story? Bikes are not cars. Even with all the problems, I'd still LOVE to own one of those Ducatis... but holy :cus:, you simply have to accept that 1) odds are you are GOING to have problems, and 2) even if you don't, EVERYTHING is going to cost a fortune.

Spyders ain't perfect; but then again, nothing is!

In the early days if wanted a bike that handled well you got something ENGLISH ....a BSA , NORTON, TRIUMPH etc. but you had to put up with leaks and LUCAS ( PRINCE OF DARKNESS ) electrics.:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:......JMHO, Mike :thumbup:

 

[Kraut]

Man you're Right on that one

In the early days if wanted a bike that handled well you got something ENGLISH ....a BSA , NORTON, TRIUMPH etc. but you had to put up with leaks and LUCAS ( PRINCE OF DARKNESS ) electrics......JMHO, Mike :thumbup:

Owned a BSA "Thumper" and a Triumph Bonneville. If either didn't have an oil puddle under it, then best not try to kick it over until you found the problem. :thumbup:

 

[Bob Denman]

Mike,
I heard that the British lke to drink their beer at room temperature, because Lucas also manufactured refrigerators! :joke:

Oh! Was that a "Zox" helmet that you were wearing?? :thumbup:

 

[sddinnh]

Mike,
I heard that the British lke to drink their beer at room temperature, because Lucas also manufactured refrigerators! :joke:

Oh! Was that a "Zox" helmet that you were wearing?? :thumbup:

Having owned a couple of Triumphs and Nortons (plus various Triumph and MG sports cars) I can really appreciate that joke. :bowdown::bowdown::firstplace:

 

[Oldmanzues]

I raced BSA Gold Stars a long time ago. They were good, I was only fair, so no big time.
Lucas jokes are al over.
Bill Clinton was elcted Queen of England, Lucas voting machines.
I have a tee shirt with a Lucas switch on it. Off, Dim, and flicker.
Oldmanzues

 

[schnauzermom]

Harley's too

My husband traded his 2009 Harley Road Glide for a 2013. After 800 miles his clutch bearings had to be replaced and the belt had been adjusted too tight so some other bearing thingys in the engine area had to be replaced. Two weeks of down time waiting for parts. And the newer engines have extreme heat problems on the riders thighs, more so than previous years. But he, we, keep on riding and loving it. Guess it goes with the territory.

 

[MMcc]

Oil leaks on British cars

Our MG club is referred to as the 'Limy Leakers'. The English bikes and cars all have absorbent mats under them to keep the dripping of the garage floor.

 

[Bob Denman]

...And then the Japanese showed up, and ruined everything... :shocked:
Bikes that were fun, reliable, and affordable... :gaah:

 

[JerryB]

Hi dave,

Re: Seriously, it looked like toilet paper on a teenage boy's face the first time he tried shaving.

In aviation there is saying about radial engines: If they aren't leaking oil, they need to be fixed.

:yikes:

Jerry Baumchen

 

[sddinnh]

Well we certainly have come a long way since I started riding bikes 50 years ago (1964). At the same time, it's kinda taken some of the excitement out of it and has opened it up to all sorts of people who never would have ridden bikes before. Like all things, that's both good and bad because if it wasn't for the way bikes have progressed, my riding career would be over this year.

I made my first trip up onto Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail in 1978 on a BMW and we thought we was the "cats meow". It didn't break down like the British bikes i had owned before. I think I made the whole trip and only had to change the points once when they froze up. We carried camping gear and would camp for 3 nights and motel it for one. That's all we could afford and we had to cut costs where ever we could. There was no real luggage so we must have looked like gypsies going down the road with all that stuff tied on the bikes wherever we could find a place to hang it. And who can forget that old plastic rain gear that was like a sauna inside it. Ah, those were the days :hun:

Yah right, we have it so much better today that it's un-real. Todays traveling is fun, not the work it used to be, but still I think the kids coming into the sport today should experience a trip on an old bike once in their lives.

 

[ARtraveler]

Lot's of changes from the old to the new. Nothing is perfect, but there seems to be less chance of a breakdown these days.

 

[Bob Denman]

The problem is...
As time passes, and improvements are made to things...
We get older, and are MORE prone to breakdowns! :shocked:

 

[billybovine]

Expectations have changed.

When I was young it seems that all engines leaked oil. Cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, and it was almost an oddity to have one that did not leak oil. Modern vehicles there has been a huge improvement in almost eliminating leaks. That I believe is a good thing. That said there is a puddle of oil under my Spyder right now. :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: Have you had a chance to find the source of the spillage yet? :yikes:
Good Luck! :thumbup:

 

[billybovine]

:shocked: Have you had a chance to find the source of the spillage yet? :yikes:
Good Luck! :thumbup:

Not yet. It's dripping off the front right of the engine. Where it's actually leaking from? :dontknow:

 

[DrewNJ]

The 2 places that come to mind are the valve cover gasket, especially if you've had the cover off to check the valves. Also, the waterpump shaft seal where the shaft goes into the case. Leaks at the weep hole. Both areas are super common.

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