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I know a mechanic who used to work for a large main dealer locally. He had a bag of new Monster fuel filters. The problem is that the service schedule from Ducati states that they should be changed and a certain amount of time is allocated for the job. The reality is that the filter very rarely needs changing in this country as our fuel is usually decent quality, and the time allowed for the job is insufficient. The dealers have to be seen to be doing the job properly, so they order parts from Ducati, the mechanic books them out of stores, doesn't fit them (sticks them in a bag) and the customer gets invoiced for it as the service item on the system is computerised and the items on it are pre-determined. The dealer then replenishes his stock from Ducati so they are happy that the job is being done.
If you look at the change in service schedules that occurred around 2007, when Ducati boasted about improved quality and reduced servicing costs for the customer, all they really did was remove unnecessary items from the schedule. The belts were a prime example. Old S2R 800s needed the belts changed every 2 years or 12k, newer ones have longer periods. Its the same belts, same engine, nothing changed, apart from Ducati realising/admitting the belts were good for longer periods than previously stated.
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