Independent Motorcycle Engineers

Editorial Team
June 16, 2023

Have PCP deals killed off the independent motorcycle engineer? The two things might seem unrelated, but I do wonder if there isn’t something in it.

My interest is because I’ve covered 10,000 miles on the Ducati Multistrada I bought eight months ago, and the Desmo Service – the big one with a price tag to match – is now due.

The Multistrada is eight years old and way outside any warranty coverage, yet service history – especially the Desmo services – is important when the time comes to sell the Ducati.

As the reality of the Desmo bill came into focus, I decided to shop around and see if I could reduce the cost without sacrificing quality.

Main Dealers

Even though I had a rough idea of how large the bill would be, I called a few main dealers to see if there was any difference in the forecast costs.

The Desmo service is labour-intensive, and as main dealers all have similar overheads – stylish showrooms, Ducati branding and fancy workshops – that they recoup partially through workshop rates, the quotes were all pretty much on par with each other.

I did notice that some dealers were more reluctant to take on the Desmo service than others. I’m guessing it will be because if they are waiting for any parts, my Multistrada would be taking up space, and unbillable time, on one of the workshop benches.

I could have kept calling other main dealers, but I figured the story wasn’t going to change, so I went looking for an independent motorcycle engineer with a solid reputation.

Why Go Independent?

Looking for an independent motorcycle engineer might initially seem like nothing more than hoping they would be cheaper than a main dealer, but that isn’t my main objective.

Ducati Desmo services are expensive, yet part of owning a Ducati. Not having the Desmo service completed by someone with a solid reputation reduces the bike’s resale value. It is also a complex job that sets you up for the next 18,000 miles. Get it wrong, and you are dragging those problems around for the next two or three years.

I’m searching for someone who chooses to service Ducati motorcycles, not someone for whom it is just a job. I don’t doubt the skills of the engineer in the workshop at a main dealer, but it isn’t their business and their reputation that people will talk about. If mistakes are made, it is the dealer who gets the bad reputation, not the individual.

As it is my bike and a large bill, I’m looking for someone invested in what they are doing, not someone looking to get the job done faster than the allocated time, so they can double stack their billable hours.

Obsession Engineering

Living where I do, Dave Hewson – TT Racer, Rapid Riding Coach, BiTurbo Suspension Specialist and one of the team behind Marvel HCL Motorsport and the Pirelli National Superstock Championship rider, Franco Bourne – was my first choice.

Dave has several videos on his YouTube channel, with him servicing and rebuilding Ducatis, and he is something of a legend in Lincolnshire. Sadly, with the workload for Marvel HCL Motorsport and his other commitments, there isn’t any space in his schedule until late in the year. Bugger.

As his company name suggests, he is a man obsessed with doing the job right and precisely what I was searching for.

Avoid The Problem

With the V4 Multistrada, Ducati has dropped the Desmodromic valves and timing belts, pushing the need for a valve service out to 60,000 km (37,500 miles).

There will be oil and associated consumable servicing before that, but the V4 service schedule significantly reduces the running costs compared to the older models.

All I need is £17,000 for the base model V4 or £20,500 if I want a vanilla V4S. Simples.

Having saved over £9,000 on the price of a new Ducati by buying a second-hand one, spending £17,000 to avoid the Desmo bill doesn’t make any sense, and I’m sure I’d get burnt if I tried to trade in a bike needing a major service.

Nonetheless, this was suggested, perhaps light-heartedly, by one Ducati dealer.

PCP and Independent Motorcycle Engineers

At the start of this article, I wondered if PCP deals had killed off the independent motorcycle engineers and thereby limited our options for getting our bikes serviced.

Most manufacturers are very protective of their dealer network, and [perhaps] with good reason. On the plus side, Suzuki offers Service Activated Warranty – an excellent scheme whereby having your Suzuki Serviced by a Suzuki dealer, in accordance with the service schedule, extends your warranty to seven years or 70,000 miles.

On the downside, there is the excessively protective attitude of KTM, who denied a radiator replacement under warranty because a Kawasaki dealer replaced the brake fluid in accordance with the service schedule.

Unlike four-wheeled vehicles, the ruling that provided the vehicle is “maintained by a competent mechanic in accordance with the manufacturer’s schedule” doesn’t apply to motorcycles. If anyone services the bike other than a manufacturer-approved dealer, it can be claimed – as with KTM – that the warranty is void.

With motorcycle prices increasing, the option of PCP becomes more attractive. The Ducati V4S stops being twenty-plus grand and turns into £230 per month, with a £5,000 deposit and 5,000 miles per year. Still expensive, but more within my budget.

There is typically a clause in PCP agreements that states a manufacturer’s dealer must service the motorcycle. It is perfectly understandable as the Finance Company wants to protect the motorcycle’s resale value. As the Finance Company is often another division of the motorcycle manufacturer, they are also looking to drive business into their franchised dealers.

Then there is the warranty which all new motorcycles come with, which again will push you to a main dealer, although I do wonder more and more about the value of the warranty given some of the stories we are told. But it is part of what you are buying with a new motorcycle. If you don’t want it, buy a used bike and save yourself thousands.

CornerSpeed Ducati

Searching through the forums for an independent motorcycle engineer, one name kept appearing – CornerSpeed Ducati in Mansfield (Nottingham).

As the only UK-based Ducati Approved Service Centre, Cornerspeed occupies the space between a Dealership and an Independent. They don’t sell Ducatis; they maintain and tune them.

Although I will still have to wait eight weeks for a gap in their schedule, simply talking with CornerSpeed highlighted why they are mentioned so often on forums.

Whereas polite and helpful, the Service Representative at one dealership I called didn’t know what I was asking for. I was just another enquiry, and the price they had been told to quote was £1,000.

Maybe I expected too much, but I was looking for a conversation that would give me confidence in them, not someone giving me just a price and a date.

Contrast that to CornerSpeed, who were on point with their questions about the bike as soon as we started talking. They even called me back to check my calculations on mileage. They worked my numbers and suggested I had more miles to go before the service was due than I had calculated. (The last Desmo was done 1,200 miles early).

They even made leaving the Multistrada with them easy by offering to collect and deliver the bike back to me. I don’t know how far this courtesy extends. Luckily, I live not too far from them.

But there was that level of engagement I was looking for, someone who cared about my bike and didn’t just think of me as another job on the workshop schedule.

Bottom Line

And so, I’m in limbo while I wait for my date with CornerSpeed to come around. Having ridden five thousand miles on the Multistrada touring Europe, I’m using the time wisely and getting through the other service items that need doing.

The new chain and sprockets are fitted. The rear hub is serviced, the pesky rear brake has been bled, and I’m marvelling at the effectiveness of the XCP degreaser I bought on a whim. It is £6 a bottle (!) and makes cleaning away the road grime easier than expected.

Looking back, I should have planned this better. A little forward thinking, and I could have avoided the wait, but where would the adventure be in living an organised life?