A few blocks before arriving home after work last night, my bike started smoking and when I got home the plastic heat shield on the rear header pipe was on fire. The rear header pipe seems to be broken and dropped causing a major exhaust leak. This is the second time it has happened to me. First time was october 2023, around 10k miles. That time it melted the rear brake reservoir and the fire was more difficult to put out. Both instances were different riding conditions and ambient temperatures. I know of another person this has happened to twice as well, but she lives in Denmark (exact same bike though). And I have a coworker with the same bike that has recently started sounding louder than it was and may have a similar exhaust leak developing. In my attached photo you can see the oxygen sensor is not at the center of the hole in the heat shield, but it used to be, and there is a hole just up from that where the fire was.
2023 Ducati Desert X
Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Steering | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filings2023 Ducati Desert X dies repeatedly and won't re-start. VIN [XXX] Dates: 30 July to 03 August 2023 Trip to Yosemite. Motorcycle left me stranded 3 Days in a Row. Entire display screen flashes RED Traction Control Error. Motorcycle dies if running. Motorcycle will not re-start. After about 20 seconds the flashing message changes to a RED, rectangular text box at bottom of display. Text reads Traction Control Error. Motorcycle also will not re-start after stopping and turning off the engine. The indicator that the bike is not going to re-start is that the Fan kicks on immediately at an extremely high speed after turning the key on. 1st Incident: Could have been Killed by oncoming traffic. After filling at gas station, making left turn onto Hwy 395 the motorcycle died in front of oncoming traffic. Oncoming cars were only able to avoid me because at that exact spot the highway went from 2 lanes to 4. Motorcycle would not re-start. Carson City, NV. Topography, Flat. Full Daylight. Late afternoon. Forced to stay in Hotel. 2nd Incident: Motorcycle wouldn't re-start after lunch stop. 3rd Incident: Forgot phone at restaurant. Bike would not re-start. 4th Incident: Could have Died due to exposure. Motorcycle died while riding and would not re-start. Riding uphill in the back-country on Hwy 120 at Night into Yosemite NP elevation 8,500 ft. Fortunately I had my camping gear. Forced to camp beside the road. 5th Incident: Motorcycle would not re-start. Yosemite Valley. Cool, clear morning
While driving down a dirt highway in rainy conditions the mud built up under the fender quickly and locked up the front wheel throwing me from the bike. In the attached photos you can see the pivot point at which the mud stressed the fender and caused it to break, in the video you can the point at which the wheel locks up. Upon inspection after that fall I noticed the tire would not move. https://youtube.com/shorts/tl6sy3F1cks?feature=share
3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.