One month after Transport Canada issued a recall of a number of Ducati’s->ke622 sports bikes, it’s counterpart in the US, the National Highway Safety Administration Bureau, has followed suit with its own recall of the same models. Ohlins’ defective rear shock absorbers are once again the culprits behind this recall, forcing 549 owners of the 2014 1199 Panigale S, Panigale R, and Superlegerra models to visit their respective Ducati dealerships to have the problems addressed.

A number of motorcycle brands have already issued their own recalls of models affected by the Ohlins shock absorbers. The problem, as has been stated here many times, can be traced to this defective part, which if not torqued properly, could fall apart at any moment’s notice, leading to potentially serious damage to the bikes or worse, injuries to the rider.

Ducati isn’t the only manufacturer to have fallen under this annoying problem. Other brands like Yamaha, Honda, and Triumph have issued their own recalls because of the same issue and it won’t be surprising if there are other companies who issue their own recalls in the coming weeks or months.

The problem with these Ohlins rear shock absorbers is especially problematic in Ducati’s case because of the involvement of the 1199 Superleggera, the brand’s ultra-exclusive superbike that was only limited to 500 units. It’s unclear how many Superleggeras are affected by this recall, but given its low volume and emphasised exclusivity, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if all 500 units are affected and need of repairs.

Should that be the case, Ducati’s got a bigger problem on its hands. The company promised the world with the Superleggera, touting it as one of the lightest superbikes in the market that’s supposedly the pinnacle of Ducati engineering. Then again, it’s not Ducati’s fault that these Ohlins components were found to be defective.

One thing I’m pretty sure on is that Ohlins will have a lot to answer for, not just with Ducati but all the other brands that were affected by this problem. Either way, the NHTSA has announced that the recall begins on June 29, 2015 so if you own any of the affected bikes, now’s probably not the right time to use them on the road. Get them fixed as soon as you can and then use them after that.

Click on the jump to read more about the NHTSA recall of Ducati’s 1199 Panigale S, Panigale R, and Superlegerra models.

Why it matters

I actually thought that Ohlins had found its way past this problem without more motorcycle brands coming out and issuing their own recalls. But much to Ohlins’ disappointment, Now the Swedish company has to relive this nightmare one more time. Tough times for Ohlins.

But something like this shouldn’t be swept under the rug because we’re dealing with potentially dangerous situations that could end up with somebody seriously hurt or worse, killed.

It’s a good thing that the NHTSA issued this advisory before anybody suffered those unfortunate fates. According to the agency, there haven’t been any reported serious injuries coming from the affected Ducati models. That’s the good news. Hopefully, none of the owners of these models will be stupid enough to ride their bikes when there’s a possibility that their respective bikes has these problematic Ohlins shocks.

Let’s hope that their smart enough to know better. Besides, the recall starts on June 29, 2015. That’s two weeks from now. I’m sure they can hold long enough to have their Ducatis diagnosed by their local dealerships before they start riding them again. That’s not too much to ask, but we’ve seen time and again what stubbornness does to people.