NHTSA Complaint #10629684 — 2012 DUCATI DIAVEL

WHEN I RECEIVED THIS MOTORCYCLE SECOND HAND, IT WAS JUST ABOUT OUT OF WARRANTY. I DID TAKE IT TO A LOCAL DEALER FOR SERVICE AND NOTED TO THEM THAT THE REAR BRAKE WAS NOT WORKING WELL AT ALL. THE SAID THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO FIX IT BUT NOT TO KEEP MY HOPES TOO HIGH! I FOUND OUT LATER FROM A SALES MANAGER THAT THE REAR BRAKES ON DUCATI'S ARE NOTORIOUSLY POOR. I EVENTUALLY HAD THE REAR BRAKE LINE BLED BY ANOTHER MECHANIC AND THAT ONLY HELPED SLIGHTLY AND FOR A SHORT PERIOD. ALTHOUGH THE FRONT BRAKES ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT ON A MOTORCYCLE, THE REAR BRAKE HAS SAFETY IMPLICATIONS AS WELL. FIRST, IT CAN ADD 15% OR MORE TO PURE STOPPING POWER. ALSO, BEING ABLE TO USE A REAR BRAKE (FEATHERING IT) WHILE MAKING A TURN HELPS CONTROL THE BIKE. USING THE FRONT BRAKE CAN CAUSE A CRASH. NOT HAVING A USABLE REAR BRAKE THEREFORE IS NOT GOOD. I HAVE ALERTED DUCATI ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THEY PROMISED TO HAVE THE USA DIVISION CONTACT ME, WHICH HAS NOT HAPPENED IN THE PAST MONTH SINCE I COMPLAINED. SINCE THE BIKE IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, I FEEL I WOULD BE WASTING MY TIME TO KEEP BRINGING INTO A DEALER TO FIX AND UNSOLVABLE PROBLEM. I THINK THIS IS A DEFECT AND THAT ALL MOTORCYCLES SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT REAR BRAKE SYSTEMS PUT INTO THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. IT APPEARS THAT AT LEAST SOME HIGH END EUROPEAN BIKES DO NOT PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO MAKING QUALITY REAR BRAKES. BY THE WAY, I ALSO LODGED A COMPLAINT WITH THE CPSC. *TR