28 of the
68 complaints filed about the Ducati Multistrada
are about the braking system —
41% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2012.
Rear brake becomes ineffective after a period of time. The brake becomes soft, spongy and does not work properly. I've had the dealer check the brakes, bleed them, replaced the fluid and it will work ok for a short time but then the problem returns. The pedal needs a lot of pressure to actuate the rear brake and eventually it doesn't really work at all.
NHTSA complaint #11678063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front Brakes do not function at all if the motorcycle is not used for over a week. Brake lever goes all the way to the hand grip, with no resistance at all. "Pumping" the lever yields no improvement. Front brake remains non-functional until the master cylinder is bled (there is a bleeder fitting right on the master cylinder). Front brake will work after expelling a small amount of air from said bleeder. The brake might work for the next ride, but then becomes non-functional again after a few days. Extended stopping distance is obvious. Luckily the rear brake works But front brakes provide 70 to 80% of the stopping power, I feel this is a serious safety hazard. Also, I've been fortunate to notice this when maneuvering the m/c out of my garage.
NHTSA complaint #11505479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The bike has 12.600 miles and has gone to the dealership for all its work and inspections prior to this brake failure. Rear brake failure, the bike is available for inspection. luckily that I wasn't going fast when it happened I took the bike to the New Haven power sport Ducati dealer they said that shouldn't happen, maybe the manufacturer failed to secure the bolts with the lock tight. the cost to fix the bike at a Ducati dealer is an estimate $6,500.00 but the issue is not the money It could cause the death of a motorcyclist going at a fast speed due to rear brake failure. there was no warning or other symptoms prior to the brake failure only a snapping noise. A rear bolt from the brake rotor came out, scraping the rear wheel hub and pulling the retaining ring between the brake caliper and brake pads failing the motorcycle to get to a stop. Also, the ring retaining that was stuck reached the rear rim creating a deep scratch into the rim. I belong to a Facebook Ducati group and a similar rear brake failure was posted on it.
NHTSA complaint #11489444 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have had repeated issues where the rear brake fades during hot weather riding. Also, the rear brake has to be bled fairly often in order to operate. I have read this is a common complaint for my model. The dealer has no input towards a solution.
NHTSA complaint #11477114 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear brake system chronically loses the ability to perform correctly. After having the dealer bleed the rear brake and confirm that the system is correct, the system will begin to require three pumps on the brake pedal to build enough pressure to make the brake work. This degradation of performance will happen in just a few weeks since being bled. I have been through this with the dealer three times. The condition makes the rear brake useless in quick stops or immediate hill-holds, since the three pumps have to be made on the brake pedal to get the brake to activate.
NHTSA complaint #11472152 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was riding yesterday and the rear brake does not work at all. The rear brake is non-functional. This been an issue since new and the dealer says this is a known problem but nothing can be done to fix the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11456485 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear brake always has soft mushy feel, even after flushing system. Forces me to use front brake as primary braking system. Can be an issue when trying to stop quickly to avoid an accident. Heard from many other Ducati Multistrada riders that this is a common known issue. Since motorcycle in out of warranty, if has not been fixed or inspected by dealer. This has always been an issue since owning the motorcycle, no warning light to provide help in knowing how to fix issue.
NHTSA complaint #11448834 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear brakes have almost no stopping power at all. Have tried several suggested servicing techniques such as new pads, bleeding mrake system (multiple times). No improvement. Have owned several motorcycles and none have had such poor braking system. Front seems to work fine, rear is basically non-existent.
NHTSA complaint #11421374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear brake has never worked--at all--since I bought this motorcycle new. The rear brake lever simply "goes to the floor" with no resistance against the foot or any application of the brake caliper. It is fundamentally useless. The front brakes work superbly. I am a mechanical engineer and am high skilled in the repair, modification, and maintenance of automobiles, airplanes and motorcycles. After a thorough bleed of the system, including the installation of additional bleed nipples on the master cylinder and the ABS unit to get ALL air out of the system, the rear brake will work for perhaps 50 miles, then it returns to mush. In addition to the added bleed nipples I have tried all manner of other equipment improvements and procedural changes including reverse bleeding from the caliper--as many other owners have done--with the same result. No rear brake. The dealer admits defeat, too.
NHTSA complaint #11421007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear brakes won’t even work strong enough to hold the bike on a hill without being pumped several times. Brake system has been bleed with new fluid with no improvement. Stopping distance is reduced by a subpar rear brake system.
NHTSA complaint #11420773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased this motorcycle brand new in 2014. Since that time, the rear brake has never worked properly. It is extremely weak and does very little to slow down the motorcycle. It is available for inspection upon request. Many times I have used the rear brakes (in conjunction with the front brakes) and the rears do very little to slow down the motorcycle. In a panic stop situation, the rear brakes don't add anything significant to the stopping power. Multiple dealerships have inspected the rear brake and have told me that the weak rear brake is "normal" on all Ducatis and especially the Multistrada. Some have called the rear brakes "worthless." There were no warning messages, but the problem has persisted since the initial purchase of the motorcycle in 2014.
NHTSA complaint #11420697 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear brake of this motorcycle is a known defect, the problem is discussed and mentioned on almost all internet forums and discussion places. In my person experience the rear brake goes soft quickly and eventually does not work to stop the bike at all. After I have the bike serviced by a Ducati dealer the brake will work for a period of a few weeks and then become unusable again. Ducati has been unable or unwilling to solve this problem.
NHTSA complaint #11419877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear brake has been inadequate since new. Pedal has been inconsistent with master cylinder requiring frequent bleeding. This has been a persistent long term problem. Even so, and in consideration that this is just the rear brake and therefore of lesser power, rear braking power is minimal to virtually none and not up to the standard of the front brakes or, in my opinion, other competitive bikes. This is a well known problem with Multistradas but I did not know I could report it directly to an authority. The front brake system is very good as expected but the rear brake is bad even considering it's inherent disadvantage of being at the rear. Mine hasn't really worked for years.
NHTSA complaint #11419433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear brake seems to be ineffective compared to other Ducati models I've owned. This condition has lead to depending on the front brakes more than the standard 70% due to the rears not performing their part. This has caused (In my humble opinion) the fronts to warp causing pulsing in the front brakes. This was noted with fewer than 1200 miles when first service was performed. Dealer noted nothing abnormal other then the sound of a horn (sounds like a trumpet) while rolling the bike at a walking pace. This issue became worse as I made my way across the country from San Fran to Sarasota Florida. Upon arrival with 3500 miles there is a notable pulsing from the front brake lever. Euro Cycles of Tampa took the bike in for warranty noting 6-9 thousandths runout. Ducati was provided this information and in return said I quote "Rotors are excluded from the Ducati Limited Warranty Policy". Under normal circumstances I can understand this policy but I believe there is an under lying issue being over looked here. If you look on any forum online there are numerous complaints of this very issue on the Multistrada from 2015-2020. Some of which Ducati "decided" to cover and some like mine they did not. For everyone coming after me I'd love to know what the root cause is. Oh By the way this is my 30th+ yr riding and probably 15th or 16th motorcycle and I've never had to replace rotors due to warping.
NHTSA complaint #11417945 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE MOTORCYCLE'S REAR BRAKE IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. VERY "MUSHY" WHEN THE PEDAL IS PRESSED AND YOU MUST PRESS VERY HARD TO GET THE CALIPERS TO BITE THE ROTOR. THIS IS VERY NOTICEABLE DURING LOW SPEED RIDING.
NHTSA complaint #11406777 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE REAR BRAKE IS INOPERATIVE. SERVICING THE SYSTEM WILL YIELD MODERATE PERFORMANCE FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT EVENTUALLY, SOMETIMES AFTER VERY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME (DAYS) THE SYSTEM WILL AGAIN, BECOME INOPERATIVE.
NHTSA complaint #11404854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.