[sburns2421]

I check raresportbikesofrsale.com quite often and saw this one. At the bottom they mention the D16 has a known engine problem. unknown to me I guess...

Rare SportBikes For Sale » Blog Archive » Here’s another 2008 Ducati Desmosedici D16RR up for sale..

Is there something about these engines that cause them to self-destruct? First I have heard about it.

Anyone know?

 

[Jami6989]

There was a thread about a grenaded engine on this site when they first came out. I can vividly remember MrGrn frothing at the mouth cuz a Ducati grenaded.

 

[mikstr]

Fragile, they are, those darn V4s.... Didn`t Aprilia have problems with theirs too? They should stick to touring applications, seems they don`t handle high states of tune very well.......

 

[Old Fart]

mikstr, nice festerbait!

 

[sburns2421]

I have done a bit more research on this. One issue early bikes (<800 production number) had was with faulty "idle valve springs". I assume these are helper springs designed to fully close the valves at low rpm. Early desmoquattro race bikes didn't use any springs at all, but on the production bikes like my 851 they have helper springs.

Apparently this is one known issue with the bikes that can be rectified using upgraded parts of the later bikes in the production run.

I'll keep looking for more info and report back.

If anyone has any information that is not RC45-related it would be also appreciated.

 

[nomo]

I'll take one for $15K , then have an idler-spring fix party . You're all invited ; Larry is the engine stand . It wouldn't be so bad if the company were proactive in recalling the bikes but haven't heard this is the case . Quite the flagship .

 

[sburns2421]

It may be that the problem is very infrequent and Ducati decided to simply replace the engines as they happen under warranty. It does have a healthy 3-year warranty with maintenance included, so an owner really doesn't have much room to gripe.

For the speculators who are holding on to a bike with 20 miles, this might become an issue once they are out of warranty.

I disagree with rsbfs regarding price. The D16RR will never be $15k. It would be worth far more in pieces at that price. For that money, you could buy a set of glass bodywork painted any way you want as well as a 17" rear wheel ($3k). Sell off the original parts to owners obsessed with originality for what, $8k? Basically you have a net $10,000 in the bike. I don't see that being reality.

My original predicition was $30-35k bottom on these, I'll stick with that for now. They appear to already appear to be down in the mid $40k range (guys asking $60k are dreaming).

For a new owner, I would think that at the first engine-out valve adjustment the upgraded parts could be installed at the same time. I'm assuming there isn't more.

An owner hopefully will jump in here with more information.

 

[Old Fart]

I'm not an owner but AFAIK, all D16's within the early production range of perhaps 100-200 units with the bad springs were provided the replacements. Early springs had a bend that was too tight which caused a stress riser and the springs could fail. Bits of the spring could fall into gears etc. and cause major havoc. Later springs obviously had a modified softer bend radius.

 

[drthompson65]

I would bit at 30k but the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) is very low on a purchase of this nature.

 

[Busy Little Shop]

I Larry is the engine stand .

I can handle the short and sassy V4... Ducati D16RR only weight 154lbs with starter throttle bodies and stock exhaust...

 

[sburns2421]

I would bit at 30k but the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) is very low on a purchase of this nature.

What you need to do is set her straight and lay down the law who wears the pants.
(My next question is not if, but when the person that told me this was divorced)

 

[shakazulu12]

They are coming off of warranty and while the reliability problems might not be huge, the services costs are astronomical.

Someone posted that a 15,000 mile service ran almost 8,000 or something to that affect on one of the ducati forums, and this was just a routine service. If anything blows up you might as well buy another one, if I remember correctly a new motor is over $30,000.

 

[mikstr]

They are coming off of warranty and while the reliability problems might not be huge, the services costs are astronomical.

Someone posted that a 15,000 mile service ran almost 8,000 or something to that affect on one of the ducati forums, and this was just a routine service. If anything blows up you might as well buy another one, if I remember correctly a new motor is over $30,000.

gotta love those V4s with the 4 cams and double cam drives.... so much complexity, cost, weight, no wonder they are used almost exclusively in tourers (when a mild state of tune ensures durability)......

 

[dcarlock]

8,000 on a 15,000 mile service, I think thats BS or just sour grapes from people that don't like the Desmo. I watched Jeff and Jordan at Advanced motorsports in TX. pull one apart and change all the springs in less than 8 hrs. Say $100 an hour two people 1600 labor. What parts on the service could be 6400 dollars. This job was all warranty under the three years. There's a good deal on one there right now.

 

[duckdawg]

my perspective from the inception of all this dribble, " more moving parts"...

 

[Old Baldy]

A nice few hours in the garage......save $7900

 

[shakazulu12]

I'll find the breakdown, its basically a re-build and its the 15,000 mile service. The book service time is 23 hours if all goes well, though someone ended up not getting his bike back for 7 weeks as parts are scarce and expensive.

I gotta find the thread somewhere on the interwebz and post the details.

 

[imported_DukeRdr]

A nice few hours in the garage......save $7900

Don't forget to factor in the cost of beer....



(Looks like a 2 case job to me)

.

 

[sburns2421]

$8000 seems extreme. If it is the same thread I remember reading (was it the one with pictures?) there was more done than listed in the owners' manual...

15-Apr-2010 Desmosedici 15k service @ Cliff's - a set on Flickr

Reviewing the service schedule, I don't see decarbonizing the engine as mandatory at any mileage, not that difficult (if time consuming) once you pull it.

Part of that total was wear items he also had replaced IIRC: chain, sprockets, tires, brake pads, clutch. Things any owner should know how to do themselves, but perhaps he makes more than $100/hour and it isn't worth his time?

Basically, once the warranty period is up I see these bikes being owned by two types of people:
1) well-heeled collectors who are willing and able to pay huge servicing costs at the dealer.
2) competent home mechanics who will maintain and enjoy the bike for years with relatively low ownership costs.

For $8000 you could deck out your garage with some nice equipment and tools to do it yourself forever. Ferrari owners go through this all the time: pay several thousand to a dealer every few years or invest in the tools and do it for just the cost of parts?

 

[Jami6989]

Wasn't the elevated cost of all the servicing a function of the amount of one-off tools that were required to service these bikes? Weren't they like $15k or something just for the tools needed to service the bikes? Or am I "misremembering".