Ducati Diavel — Recalls, Reliability, Specs & VIN Decoder

I just bought a ducati diavel 2012 and while driving the rear brakes locked, i almost went through traffic without brakes then flaming brake parts of the bike flew off and melted in the street. Then brake fluid sprayed all over the back of the bike. The rotors were scared and there were chips of the bike on the rear wheel. Brake fluid spayed everywhere and there was complete loss of brake pressure and the peddle was in a 5 o'clock position. The bike dropped because i was startled and gripped the front brake. I had to ride home with only the front brakes. I have a picture of the brake pad melted into the asphalt of the street. *tr

Rear brakes completely fade and are useless over a period of months. Bleeding the brake line works for a short period but is timely and costly. The current set up allows excessive heat from the exhaust and possibly catalytic converter to boil brake fluid. This is a known issue that may require intervention. *tr

There is a chronic problem with the rear brake becoming unusable. The brake line passes much too close to the catalytic converter, which vaporizes the brake fluid and creates a gas pocket in the line. This renders the brakes unusable. Draining the line requires removing the rear wheel (a huge job on a ducati) and caliper. The problem returns almost immediately. They have serviced it several times, but each time it immediately fails again. It is very unsafe.

Rear brakes and wiring overheated rear Caliber and rotors causing damage. Currently at the Ducati dealership awaiting repair. Details from Ducati Service Advisor: As you can see in the images, the rear brakes got so hot that it seized the pistons in the calipers, and also melted the wheel speed sensor wire.

After letting my motorcycle sit for a period of time (6 weeks) i went for a ride. As i pulled away, i pressed my rear brake pedal, and felt that i had no rear brake. After "pumping" up the rear brake i did get some brake back, but it went away within minutes. Every time i ride my bike now, i have to continually "pump" the brake to get the brake to properly function. I have talked to the dealer about this, and they stated "that is just the way it is... Ducati knows about it, but they are not doing any warranty repair, as it is just a poor design". All the ducati motorcycle forums are aware of this problem, but ducati will still not issue a fix for it. I guess a bunch of folks have to get killed first. *tr

The bike only has 2300 miles, has never been in accident or damage in anyway. However the front brakes lines somehow become pinched resulting in complete brake failure whenever you turn the handle bars to the right.

Cpsc: i1480595a. Ducati diavel motorcycle. Consumer stated the motorcycle had no working rear brakes. *ln

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

The motorcycle engine shuts down while driving due to a faulty kick stand sensor.

Rear brakes and wiring overheated rear Caliber and rotors causing damage. Currently at the Ducati dealership awaiting repair. Details from Ducati Service Advisor: As you can see in the images, the rear brakes got so hot that it seized the pistons in the calipers, and also melted the wheel speed sensor wire.

My 2011 diavel continues to stall intermittently, always while depressing the clutch lever as i intent to slow down or stop (closed throttle). Presently my motorcycle has 9562 miles, is 9 months old. Over this period of time this problems has happened at least 20 to 30 times (2 to 3 times per month). I have written to ducati customer service, but did not receive any reply. Interestingly, the problem appears to be electrical in nature, and what is more odd is that for me, most, if not all stalls have occurred at night, when the headlights are running, so not only does the loss of engine power is of concern, but the fact that it is accompanied by the loss of visibility (lights) to other vehicles around me, as my tail lights and head lights go off until i restart the engine. Another interesting fact is that i have also experienced a half dozen near stalls, where while the engine does not stall, my headlights momentarily flicker (go off and then back on) when i depressed the clutch in order to down shift. Hence my suspicion that the problem may electrical in nature. *tr

The motorcycle has stalled four times in the last 5 months. Typically stalls when down-shifting. The last time it stalled, i was weaving through traffic and when the bike stalled, there was a car right on my rear (scared me to death) - luckily i was able to steer into the median (and there was no obstacles in the median). I've asked my dealer to look into it. They have not been able to reproduce the problem. I am not the only one having this problem. There is a forum with 23 pages of threads on this topic. Also, ducati had a recall on the multistrada for the same issue. The multistrada is the same engine as the diavel. *tr

While cruising down the highway I shifted up from 4th gear to 5th, power cut off on the engine while going 50 mph. I did an emergency clutch pull and coasted to the emergency lane. Rear tire locked up and i skid to a stop. Come to find out a rod was broken and the motor locked up.

Crank failure. Bearing surface between connecting rod and crank failed and caused a catastrophic failure of engine. Potential for internal debris/loose metal/broken parts to seize gearbox locking up the rear wheel. Part was inspected by my dealer. No warning of any type is given prior to failure. Two (2) other same model year Diavels were in my dealer (Ducati Detroit) for the same issue. There are multiple failures of others reported on various message boards and forums.

The contact owns a 2014 Ducati Diavel. The contact stated that while riding 35-40 MPH, the motorcycle shuddered and then lost motive power with the rear tire seizing. The motorcycle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the crankshaft was faulty. The mechanic replaced the crankshaft, generator, ball bearing, electric starter, flange clutch, clutch, bushing, bearing needle, gasket, plain bearing, flywheel nut, aluminum washer, and oil filter; however, the failure recurred. The motorcycle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with crankshaft failure. The motorcycle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,023.

Ducati diavel motorcycle. Consumer writes in regards to sudden engine whining noises- discovers numerous metal particles within the crank case- erosion of the internal engine component. *ld the consumer stated the dealer was notified. The service manager stated the amount of debris was not enough to warrant an investigation and there was no cause for concern. *js

There is a constant issue with the fuel level gauges (Ducati 59210242B) in this model of bike which causes the sensor to burn out randomly and unexpectedly thus possibly leaving someone stranded due to improper information from the bike. This could leave the potential for an accident as well if the fuel cuts out completely while highway driving and the unexpected deceleration causes someone to rear end the motorcyclist. This issue is on multiple forums, youtube videos, and I believe Ducati has redesigned this part a few times with the same issues reappearing. The only fix is to replace the unit which owners have to do at their own cost due to a faulty part that can crap out at any time. One theory is that the part fails due to ethanol exposure in the gasoline, but I have been using purely ethanol free gasoline ONLY in my bike for the past few years and this is the third time I am experiencing this problem and I have only owned the bike since 2021. It was replaced right when I bought it by the dealership I bought it from. I took it into my local dealer about a year and a half ago and they didn't replace it and said the problem went away. Now I am having the same problem again.

Faulty fuel sensor. After a period of time, the fuel sensor will break down resulting in an inaccurate fuel gauge reading and will show empty. Despite many revisions of this part number, ducati is unable to provide a long term solution to this problem. Ducati has not released or notified the owners of this mishap and are holding back information on fixing it.

Faulty fuel sensor. After a period of time, the fuel sensor will break down resulting in an inaccurate fuel gauge reading and will show empty. Despite many revisions of this part number, ducati is unable to provide a long term solution to this problem. After the 2 year warranty is over, ducati will no longer cover a known issue with this part. They will sometimes cover the cost of the part, but should also cover the labor to replace the part as well. This will be the second time this issue has happened to me. The same problem is occurring with the multistrada and x-diavel models.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ducati diavel. While driving approximately 25 mph, the pressure sensor warning indicator illuminated as the motorcycle decelerated and lost power. The motorcycle was taken to garcia moto bmw indian ducati motus ktm (8821 wadford dr., raleigh, nc 27616, 919-834-5111) where it was diagnosed that the manifold absolute pressure (map) sensor needed to be replaced. The failure was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the warranty had expired. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the technician diagnosed that the map sensor needed to be replaced again. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.

The motorcycle has stalled four times in the last 5 months. Typically stalls when down-shifting. The last time it stalled, i was weaving through traffic and when the bike stalled, there was a car right on my rear (scared me to death) - luckily i was able to steer into the median (and there was no obstacles in the median). I've asked my dealer to look into it. They have not been able to reproduce the problem. I am not the only one having this problem. There is a forum with 23 pages of threads on this topic. Also, ducati had a recall on the multistrada for the same issue. The multistrada is the same engine as the diavel. *tr

Engine cuts out ( stalls ) on highway in 6th gear, when clutch is pulled in and throttle is closed. This problem happens intermittantly and without warning. *tt please see this link, there are many others having the same problem. Http://www.diavel-forum.com/index.php?/topic/377-diavel-stalling/

Kickstand sensor fell off of bike causing the bike to stall while driving. Ducati states they had a recall for this for my year bike, although my vin does not match the recall db. This is a safety issue.

Cpsc: i1480595a. Ducati diavel motorcycle. Consumer stated the motorcycle had no working rear brakes. *ln

Handlebar was locking while driving. I took to the dealer and they should update the software but didn't work. They replaced the whole unit and now looks good. *tr