cheers ade, i'll definitely check the belt tension myself, and take it from there.
probably by giving the G R lot a ring and asking their advice - thanks for that crust.
spacemonkey, i admit to being shocked by your advice that i should avoid the official ducati places as i simply assumed they would be the best choice. i have been badly burnt in the past by non-ducati mechanics working on my bike with what appeared to equate to the skill equivalent of a one-legged man playing football, and so i thought i'd cut my losses and go to the 'top'. it's now obvious i should have sourced out this site, maybe a long time ago. strength and knowledge in numbers, eh?
thank you everyone for your very helpful advice. very much appreciated.
db
