[Andrew848]

Well guys, I'm down for the count.

My '07 1098 started ticking and then went from bad to worse. In a big hurry too. Took it into my mechanic yesterday and here's what he sent me. Weird thing is, my best bud who has the same bike is currently going through the exact same thing. He and I are pretty hard on our bikes but WTF???

My mileage is at 15.5K miles and I got the bike from my dad @ 11K miles. He bought it used from Brea and it had 7K miles on it. To my knowledge, the bike has never been down.
It's always been serviced on time and in spec.
Needless to say, I'm in shock. Don't know what I'm gonna do guys..

 

[Duc_L_over_V]

Oh no! Sorry to hear it man.

Are you gonna rebuild, or look for an eBay motor?

 

[Andrew848]

1st choice would be rebuild. 2nd would be insurance fraud, lol.

Don't know yet, wasn't planning on this shit. Last thing I saw coming. Put 22K miles on the 848 and trust me, each one was a hard one. I REALLY worked that thing and it always held up. I became friends with the guy who bought it and it's still going today. This is bullshit.

 

[ducatista4life]

This is really unsettling.. I just found out that one of my main bearings are going out and one of the rockers was severely worn.. Luckily I heard it before it did any major damage and it's getting rebuilt by Ducshop.. I'm also pretty low in mileage at 13.5k..

 

[Tchase]

Sorry to hear the news, there's a few on eBay. For me the engine swap was fast and economical.

 

[Andrew848]

This is really unsettling.. I just found out that one of my main bearings are going out and one of the rockers was severely worn.. Luckily I heard it before it did any major damage and it's getting rebuilt by Ducshop.. I'm also pretty low in mileage at 13.5k..

I pretty much heard it right when it started too. I was riding it to the store which was less than a mile away. Didn't even try to make it there. I just turned around an headed home. Funny thing is, I rode the canyons on Sunday and didn't hear nothing.

As far as my buddy goes, we were on our way back from Big Sur (heading back to Paso Robles) and that's when his started making 'the sound'. When he told me about it, we were in Cambria and when we stopped, he said ''Well, my bike is fucked up.'' I laughed and asked him since when and he replied ''I don't know, like 30 miles back.'' We stopped there for lunch and then we rode hard and fast all the way back to his place which was another 30 miles away.

After removing the motor, he took it to our mechanic who sent the crank, piston rods to Ben Fox and he checked everything for damage. Only thing that needed to be done was the crank needed to be resurfaced. Everything else was fine.

 

[Andrew848]

Sorry to hear the news, there's a few on eBay. For me the engine swap was fast and economical.

Thanks. I think I'd want to have this one repaired but too soon to tell. When my dad first bought this bike, it stalled a lot. I set him up with the Termi slip-on kit and it still did it. Not as much though. The dealership he bought the bike from (Brea) contacted DNA and expressed their concern that it was a safety issue. They ended up doing what they called 'the cam update'. Parts and labor was covered by DNA @ $2,500. After that, the bike always ran great until now. Very strong. Quite stronger than any other 1098 I've ridden. Oh well...

We'll see. I need to have several scotches and decide what to do.

 

[cul8er]

Fawk sorry to hear/see that. I have read that happens on these 1*98's with the BB's.

Could anything be done to prevent the damage besides going by noise, and shutting it off.. Or is it something that should be done as preventive work as you get X-amount of miles. But the obvious every motor is different. 13.5-15.5.

Only 1500 miles on mine so I have some time. But not looking forward to the out come.

 

[ducatista4life]

Sorry to hear the news, there's a few on eBay. For me the engine swap was fast and economical.

Would you not worry about the used engine having the same problem?? Or developing it?
This makes me wonder if DNA could pay for this or reimburse the cost of these issues..

 

[Andrew848]

As far as I'm concerned the lower bearing is a known problem. I'd like to know if the part has been updated or if there's a better bearing that's been proven to last. I'll tell you right now, I'm only going to do this once.

Where you at Pat??? Need your advice.

 

[Andrew848]

Looked up the part and the bearing is the same for all three 848/1X98.

 

[cul8er]

Yeah I have read just like the starter sprag clutch problem once it's replaced. It last about the same time or miles as the original part. I went back to some 2009 post on here and MS and maybe 1 person did it twice. Seems like once is enough and the owner sells.

I am not tiring to be a pessimist/Tye. I want there to be a better fix. But the only conclusion I can come up with is the motor is underbuilt and over powered. But I still won't buy a honda..

I thought I read somewhere that the 1198 had a new part # and maybe a beefier bearing. Maybe not though.

 

[Andrew848]

I have read that the 848 and 1098 used a 6-pin bearing and when the 1198 came out they updated it to a 7-pin bearing changing the part number across the board. Just what I read so I will have to confirm that at the dealership.

 

[Tchase]

Would you not worry about the used engine having the same problem?? Or developing it?
This makes me wonder if DNA could pay for this or reimburse the cost of these issues..

Forums represent a percentage of all owners, your less likely to here from those that go the distance. My ebay motor had 3k miles on it, it's a gamble but it wasn't my lower bearings that failed on my engine.

 

[Tuned]

Sorry for your issues!

In another thread I discussed the crank bearing issues. Ducati spent millions on developing new crank cases and assembly procedure in order to make cheap Chinese roller bearings work. They have to preload the ever living shit out of the crank from the factory in order to make them survive.

Thankfully, there is absolutely no reason to use the OEM bearings. Ducati never changed the ID or OD of the bearing's between generations. This means you can simply order an aftermarket SKF bearing with the same sizes and be all good to go. The last two race engine's I built, we used ceramic bearings from world wide bearing. I bought them through Ben Fox who gets them for cheaper then I can buy direct. I've also used the SKF bearings before in other builds, without any issues.

Ohh and usually the big end rod bearings go bad WAY before the crank bearings. So if you haven't destroyed the big end rod bearings, it's absolutely not your riding. Your mechanic can test this by checking lateral play on the rod's when they pull it apart. I would absolutely replace those bearings no matter what, they are an even bigger problem on these engines then the rod bearings. I'd also clean the pistons and replace the rings whilst it's open, that way you don't have to do anything else ever again.

Finally… 15k on crank bearings is low, I personally haven't seen that before, so I'm skeptical on the diagnosis. The big end bearings don't leave debris like that either, they shave down gradually until the clamshell melts. By that point the engine would knock like a son of a bitch.

 

[Nelson]

What year is the bike?
My early 1098 also went last year at around 20K

 

[LaDrucati]

Sorry about your issues man; this sucks major balls.

I am debating whether I should continue to track my 1098S 2008 for this same very reason. Im at 15.5K Sprag and Belts replaced back around 11K...

Running like a bat from hell nowadays; but I wonder... am I just playing Russian roulette riding this thing at the track like that; what if I have a major engine failure at the wrong place at the wrong time...

Really sorry for your loss man...
:shitfan:

 

[Tchase]

What year is the bike?
My early 1098 also went last year at around 20K

His bike is in the registry.

2007 Ducati 1098
Owner:
Andy

Location:
Santa Clarita, CA, US

From:
Brea, CA, US

Color:
Red

Odometer:
10 mi

Other vehicles registered
2008 Ducati 848
http://registry.ducati.org/profile/5167/ducati-848/

 

[Nelson]

Cheers.
Mine was also '07, early bikes appear to be doomed! If it's not the sprag, then it's the bearings...Or both!
:violin:

His bike is in the registry.

2007 Ducati 1098
Owner:
Andy

Location:
Santa Clarita, CA, US

From:
Brea, CA, US

Color:
Red

Odometer:
10 mi

Other vehicles registered
2008 Ducati 848
http://registry.ducati.org/profile/5167/ducati-848/

 

[spoonz]

From what Ducati tuners in the UK tell me (I spoke to 2 about blue printing) the life of the bearing depends largely on how well the bearings are pre loaded from the factory.

Some are closer to a good spec from new than others and it explains why lots of bikes have no problems for loads of miles and why a few fail early.

They also tell me that they run a different spec re the bearing pre load on track bikes to road bikes as what is ideal for the road is not necessarily ideal for a track motor. If the crank walks or is too tight from bad preload the bottom end fails was the crux of it.