Ducati Sued Over Faulty Gas Tanks

WOW! It's a pretty big deal when hundreds of individual owners go to the trouble of filing complaints with NHSTA.

Leaks, deformation, interference with steering. It doesn't get much worse that that. There was one quote I couldn't make sense of:
"...destabilize the motorcycle's weight distribution - often to the point that the motorcycle cannot be safely operated after only a few thousand miles of use.

I wonder if we'll see more about this in the "Moto-Media?"

Buzz, the article said the Sport Classic tanks were particularly bad. Don't you have one of those? Any issues with the tank?

I have a ST3. It has a steel tank. No problem there. A friend of mine has GT1000 Sport Classic and it has the spreading tank issue. He made some frame mods to keep the tank from moving around.

If they lose the class action suit they should have to pay DNA's attorney and court cost. Not only that, but DNA doen't build the bikes. Why aren't they filing this in Italian Court where the bikes are manufactured?

Because DNA imported and sold the damn things. I've been looking into this and I've found a few interesting things:

1. It's been going on since at least 2007.
2. The problem affects several models, including their #1 selling Monster.
3. Ducati has been replacing the defective tanks with the same tank, sometimes 2 and 3 times!
4. Acerbis makes the tanks for Ducati, so you can be sure Ducati is pursuing the issue with them.
5. The problem MIGHT be related to ethanol in US fuel, but EU has it's own ethanol phase-in plan, so if that's the cause, the issue will appear there.
6. Ducati has refused to issue ANY statement about the issue, this is in spite of replacing perhaps thousands of tanks and having hundreds of NHSTA complaints filed.
7. The Ducati forums are FILLED with angry owners who are forming the class-action groups.
8. In spite of the issue continuing for years, nobody in the moto-media has covered it.

It'll be interesting to see how this one shakes out. Bad news for Ducati, perhaps? And they've been on a roll lately, too. Hmmm.

Steel! I want a steel tank. How else am I going to attach my magnetic tank bag?

trenttheuncatchable said:

Steel! I want a steel tank. How else am I going to attach my magnetic tank bag?

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Google "Faulty Ducati Steel Tank" or "Ducati steel tank hinge" and maybe you won't want one anymore. Apparently they've had quite a few problems with their steel tanks too.

Ive had my tank replaced once for free and now that one has spread and they are replacing it yet again.

My current tank is so loose I can't ride it. The dealer was going to fix it so i can ride it but the fact remains that the tanks keep spreading.

Buzglyd said:

Ive had my tank replaced once for free and now that one has spread and they are replacing it yet again.

My current tank is so loose I can't ride it. The dealer was going to fix it so i can ride it but the fact remains that the tanks keep spreading.

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Kinda like KPaul's midsection........

Acerbis also makes the tanks on KTMs and they dont seem to have the same problems.

Buzglyd said:

Ive had my tank replaced once for free and now that one has spread and they are replacing it yet again.

My current tank is so loose I can't ride it. The dealer was going to fix it so i can ride it but the fact remains that the tanks keep spreading.

Click to expand...

You should join the class-action lawsuit. The group that "sponsored" it is here:
S2R 1000 Owners Class Action lawsuit - Page 10 - Ducati Monster Forums: Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum

Mr. Duke, how about an investigative series that exposes the raw underbelly of cheap plastic gas tanks on the world's most expensive motorcycles? You could send Pete and Fonzie in to the Ducati undercover posing as a vacationing gay Canadian couple. Once inside, they can grab some access cards and penetrate the underground testing labs where leaky tanks drip gasoline in the eyse of housecats.