Photo: Ducati
You might think the side stand of your motorcycle is just a metal bar that keeps the bike upright when parked. Well, it’s more than that and the one mounted on several thousand Ducati Scramblers is faulty.
Ducati announced it is recalling some 2015- and 2016-made Scrambler models as they are plagued by a side stand position sensor. There are 5,502 units affected in the United States alone.
According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the side stand pivot bolt may not be long enough. As a result, the nut can detach and bolt would loosen, this in return preventing the sensor switch to properly detect the position of the stand.
If that happens, your beloved and expensive neo-retro scrambler won’t be able to start if its already parked. Or, if you are riding, the sensor switch pin may become disengaged, causing the engine to stall, which isn’t a pleasurable experience if you’re a beginner or committed into a turn.
A third possible scenario would imply that you could start the bike and ride it without retracting the side stand, which could cause you to fall if you lean on the left side.
Ducati will inform the owners to take their Scramblers to the nearest authorized dealerships and get them inspected. Technicians will then install revised side stand pivot bolts which have 17 mm of thread compared to 15 mm on the original ones.
They will also apply 35 Nm of torque (previous ones were tightened at only 24 Nm) and apply threadlock to the new bolts to prevent them from unscrewing.
However, this is not an isolated case; Ducati first received warranty claims on side stand problems in June 2016. In October had already announced recalls for XDiavel models manufactured during the same period. In this case, the problem could also render the side stand inoperable, and the bike could have fallen on its side when parked.
According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the side stand pivot bolt may not be long enough. As a result, the nut can detach and bolt would loosen, this in return preventing the sensor switch to properly detect the position of the stand.
If that happens, your beloved and expensive neo-retro scrambler won’t be able to start if its already parked. Or, if you are riding, the sensor switch pin may become disengaged, causing the engine to stall, which isn’t a pleasurable experience if you’re a beginner or committed into a turn.
A third possible scenario would imply that you could start the bike and ride it without retracting the side stand, which could cause you to fall if you lean on the left side.
Ducati will inform the owners to take their Scramblers to the nearest authorized dealerships and get them inspected. Technicians will then install revised side stand pivot bolts which have 17 mm of thread compared to 15 mm on the original ones.
They will also apply 35 Nm of torque (previous ones were tightened at only 24 Nm) and apply threadlock to the new bolts to prevent them from unscrewing.
However, this is not an isolated case; Ducati first received warranty claims on side stand problems in June 2016. In October had already announced recalls for XDiavel models manufactured during the same period. In this case, the problem could also render the side stand inoperable, and the bike could have fallen on its side when parked.
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