Dealer advice needed from Surreyites....

Fed up with my local dealer failing to sort out my clutch problems after three attempts I decided to try another dealer. According to Ducati Uk the next nearest one to me are Pro V twins in South Godstone (s'pose i'm lucky to have two Ducati dealers within 10 miles) . I gave them a ring, they were extremely helpful on the phone and I booked my bike in for next week.

Has anybody used them before and what are they like?

Fods

[CK & AK]

Dont use them myself Fods - best ask JMo & others.
I dont use them cos they are actually further for me to get to than Snells at Alton in Hants. No dealers in NW Surrey.
Have heard that their prices are on a par with DLS (eg not cheap), but only hear-say.......

C

Pro V ...

Two sides to this one ...

Rob & Pete in the workshop, top fellas and really know their stuff, you should be in safe hands ...

Brett in the showroom, if you want patronising and made to feel like you are not worthy of owning ANYTHING made by the marque then pop in there ....

I personally due to previous treatment wouldnt spend my money there .....

But as I also know they will do a good job on the workshop side I wouldnt try and discourage you.

Keep us informed ...

Thanks for the response.
It was Rob I spoke to about the problem and he sounded very knowledgeable. As it's a warranty job, expense is not an issue this time.
When i'm there I will check out service costs etc as compared to my local dealer in north sussex (you probably know who that is) and I shall post my findings etc.

Thanks
Fods

[robht]

I've used Pro Twins a number of times. Agree with Dibble, Brett the sales guy is hard to deal with but as also mentioned Rob & Pete are very knowledgable and approachable.

I believe Pete used to work for Fast By Ferrachi in the US building racing engines (ducati) for the AMA series. Rob I think used to race in 250 GP some years ago and is an expert at setting up suspension.

I had my M1000 6k service done their last october and the service was top rate (cost £290 ithink) the bike was running perfectly - they really do know the ducati engines inside out.

I took my previous M900 to possibly the same 'other' dealer as you, just a few miles from Pro Twins and it was running worse following the service than before!! This was in 2002.

hope this helps,
Rob

I originally bought my monster from P & H Motorcycles in Crawley. After hitting a warranty issue early on with the rear brake caliper that took far too long to fix I naturally began to lose confidence. When my bike was part of a general recall I still diligently took it back to P & H for the Handle Bars to be exchanged. Collecting a bike with mirrors pointing at the ground and bars touching the tank on full lock was the final straw. Bye Bye P & H, I've never been back.

Next stop Pro Twins, I can honestly say they've always been brilliant. They fitted a dynojet kit/High flow air filter to the bike along with a pair of Ferraaci pipes, the bike was returned perfectly set up and bang on the timescale they quoted. I have also used them for routine servicing and a clutch change under warranty. I would agree that they will not ever be the cheapest place to take your Duke but it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for.

Russ

Well I got my bike back and so far so good. The guy who done the work (Pete) phoned me to tell me my bike was ready and then spent the next 20mins explaining what he'd done.
Excellent

Hello

I brought my Monster S2R 1000 from Protwins in 2006. It ran great for several months, then the clutch started to grind / wear at a certain point when moving from standstill.

This got gradually worse and started to happen through several gears. I took my bike to Protwins who flipped the clutch plates and said that this was something that happened with dry clutches.

Since then i have had to take it back about 3 times with the same issue and since i put it in for its first service, the issue has been worse and the clutch has slipped and it grinds / wears when changing down through gears.

It doesn't always find the gears either, sometimes sticking between second and third or third and forth.

I have taken it back to Protwins but they keep telling me there is nothing fundamentally wrong, but i feel that seeing it wasn't doing this when i bought the bike, it shouldn't be doing it now, right?

I spoke to a mate, who also owns a ducati, he said it sounds like they are just trying to not replace a faulty clutch as they have to fork out for it not Ducati (it is still under warranty).

Further to this, i paid £700 (which i am told is hefty) for the first service and since i got it back, if i have to push hard on the back brake, the whole back end locks, jolts and rattles.

I feel if i go to Protwins with all the above, they will once again tell me nothing is wrong so that i have to pay for further work.

Can anyone here tell me:
1. If they have had similar clutch issues and whether it is a known problem or as i suspect, a faulty clutch?

2. if they know how i should handle Protwins?

3. If there are any other good dealer / servicers i can use (i am se london) because if i do have to pay for this work, you can be sure i wont be paying Protwins after all this.

Thanks

Chief

[JerryXt]

Chief, I've always had good service from PvT. There are always people who find fault with a dealer and if you look hard enough, you will find a few who have had issues with them.

Could you give us an idea of how long you've been riding bikes for, what you use the bike for, how many miles it has covered, in town, out of town etc? That will help us get a clearer view of the issue.

I would say that your mates diagnosis is partly true. The clutch itself should be covered under warranty; the plates will not be because they are wear items like the brake pads. That said, if they've been damaged because of a warranty fault, my personal opinion is that they should be changed foc.

Could you clarify your issue with the back brake please? I would expect the rear wheel to lock if you're really standing on it.

Re price, I've found them a little heavy, but everything should be laid out clearly on the invoice. I'm beginning to form a view that PvT cater for the Ducati owners who want to ensure their bike always runs properly and are happy to pay a premium for that, rather than those who want only a basic annual service and compare prices carefully. I'm not judging either group and I would hope that other members will respect that.

Enjoy, J.

ive used protwins for 5-6 years now not always cheap butnot the most exspensive ither, they do now their stuff . i found them helpfull and good for a natter and a cup of tea.