Procedure for Assessing Front Fork Oil Leaks
Service Repair Bulletin SRV-SRB-24-001

Date:
To:
From:

January 18, 2024
Dealer Principal, General Manager, Service Manager, North American Dealer
Network
Richard Kenton, Technical Director
Dan Schwartz, Service Area Manager

Dear Dealers,
We would like to inform you about the assessment criteria for identifying a genuine front
fork-related defect as opposed to, for example, oozing of oil or assembly grease.
This assessment must always be shown with clear pictures attached to the Youtech request
and warranty claim, such as those shown in the example below. If photos are not provided, the
claim will not be accepted or will be charged back to the dealer.
Case 1 - clear leakage reaching the fork axle lug: if the oil ooze, as shown in the example,
reaches the fork axle lug, proceed with the replacement of the seal kit (oil seal + dust seal).

Example: Oil leak that has reached the fork axle lug

Ducati North America
ducati.com

1292 Reamwood Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel. +1 650 933 9800

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Procedure for Assessing Front Fork Oil Leaks
Service Repair Bulletin SRV-SRB-24-001

Case 2 - leakage localized to the outer surface of the leg only.
In the case of leakage localized to the outer surface of the leg only, follow the steps in the
following procedure in order to make an accurate assessment.
NOTE
Heavy off-road use clearly affects the reliability of the fork leg seals and cannot be
blamed on product non-conformity.
1. Take a picture testifying to the alleged leak, showing, for
example, the fact that the leak has reached the fork axle
lug.
The picture provided as an example shows oil residue along
the leg but the fork axle lug is not contaminated;
therefore, the picture is not exhaustive and the issue must
be investigated further.
NOTE: The picture should be taken without cleaning the
legs and without lowering the dust seals.

2. Lower the dust seal of the fork leg affected by the
potential leak, down to the fork axle lug.
NOTE: before lowering the dust
seal, mark its angular position for
reference. This information is
necessary in cases where, to
confirm the presence of the leak,
Ducati requests the replacement
of the entire fork leg (e.g., Italian
market for MTS V4 seals with VIN
following ZDM6AXXXX007600).
If only the seals are replaced, the mark on the sleeve can
be removed.

Ducati North America
ducati.com

1292 Reamwood Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel. +1 650 933 9800

2/5

Procedure for Assessing Front Fork Oil Leaks
Service Repair Bulletin SRV-SRB-24-001

3. Visually check with a suitable lighting instrument that
there are no foreign bodies (see example) stuck around the
circumference between the oil seal and the fork leg.

Example of a foreign body

4. Clean the oil from the surface of the leg and, if necessary,
from the fork axle lug, with a paper towel soaked in a nonaggressive detergent for plastic parts (no fuel, no
trichlorethylene).
NOTE: Use cloths that do not generate residue during use.

5. Engage the fork repeatedly from a standstill by applying
the front brake.
NOTE: If in doubt, perform a dedicated test ride while
repeatedly applying the front brake to move the
suspension through compression and rebound phases.

Ducati North America
ducati.com

1292 Reamwood Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel. +1 650 933 9800

3/5

Procedure for Assessing Front Fork Oil Leaks
Service Repair Bulletin SRV-SRB-24-001

6. Analyze any oil residue on the fork leg according to the table below.
Case

A

B

C

D

Oil
droplets

Pic.

Possible presence
of a thin oil ring
(< 3mm)

Status

Possible presence
of an oil patina

Action

NO LEAKAGE. Clean the fork leg and
refit the dust seal

Possible presence
of an oil ring
(≥ 3mm)

Possible presence
of oil droplets

Further evaluation
is required

LEAKAGE.
Replace the seal
kit

6.1. If the leak is not replicated, as in Cases A and B, clean the leg and refit the dust seal
inside its seat.
6.2. In the case of suspected oil oozing, as in Case C, it is necessary to carry out a
reassessment after an additional test ride.
6.3. In the case of a leakage, as in Case D, attach pictures showing the leakage to the
Youtech request and warranty claim. Then proceed with seal removal and replacement
(pictures should be taken with the dust seal down) and replace the fork oil following
the quantities indicated in the Workshop Manual for the respective motorcycle model
(for oil reimbursement, we ask that you include 2 UL of additional labor per fork leg).

Ducati North America
ducati.com

1292 Reamwood Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel. +1 650 933 9800

4/5

Procedure for Assessing Front Fork Oil Leaks
Service Repair Bulletin SRV-SRB-24-001

WARNING
IN ANY CASE, carefully check for damage to the leg treatment coating, e.g. due to
road debris (damage occurs if it can be felt with a fingernail).
In the case of a damaged leg, it must be replaced together with the seals and is
generally not covered by the warranty (except for rare cases of chrome-plating pitting
or oxidation attributable to defects on the leg treatment, which can be generally
found outside the front leading surface areas of the motorcycle. In this case take
detailed pictures and specify in the Youtech).

Example of
chrome-plating
pitting

Example of
chrome-plating
pitting

For questions about this Service Bulletin,
please contact your Service Area Manager.

Ducati North America
ducati.com

1292 Reamwood Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel. +1 650 933 9800

5/5