Here we are then, at Woburn! A dull day for photos but I needed some! and security weren't keen either but he was a Ducati fan so I was let off!! Rest of the pages dedicated to maintenance issues until I go somewhere interesting! Normally just commuting to work.. For more chat, Ducati tales and tips, highly recommend www.ducatisti.co.uk.

Winter 2006 below..

Winter 2007 on another page!

Plenty of small things need doing over the winter, but generally in great condition. Radical riding position compared to the last one, but I'm slowly getting used to it! More anon!!..

Winter 2006. Now (early Nov) in smaller and smaller bits in the shed. List of stuff that needs doing:

• Neutral Light doesn't work: see below

• Replace clutch fluid: see below

• Head bearings suspect: see below

• Oil and filter change: easy, fill with fully synth. Just about get old filter off without a proper wrench attachment. There is only a small amount to grab, but if it hasn't been done up too tight you can just get a G clamp on it to get it started!!

• Replace chip that went with open pipes, with the standard one: easy, got helpful IT chap at work to help with chip extraction tool, then just press in the new one - mind you don't bend the legs though!

• Buy/fit rear hugger: easy, fleabay carbon jobby for £60. See on right ===> 

• Check tightness of bolts!.. all ok.

• Check valve clearances - no time to do in the end, but a must for next winter! Hoping that 1998 was a good year for alternator nuts!

• Replace belts: see below
  

• Replace nasty tank pad with nice one: carbon pad formed to the tank shape from ebay - not great fit (I guess it springs back a bit on 'cooking!), but should do the job. Because it's so rigid it sits a bit proud, so will probably get another one at some point.

•  

• soften up rear suspension. having put everything to standard settings, I still can't feel the rear. Slackened off preload a couple of turns to see if I can tell the difference! Will ride for week or so and then do some more.

• carbon stuff? heel plates/exhaust cover etc etc.. seems a bit of a waste though if it isn't lighter than what is on it currently! eg. front sprocket cover.. hugger put on to keep the dirt off the shock..

Special tools seem to be the sticking point - tool for turning engine (made one in the end with M8 bolt and spacers as recommended in the Haynes manual), angled feeler gauges, chip removal tool (take in to IT dept at work!), headrace adjustment tool. will have to do jobs as I make/find the tools.

Neutral Light:

<== The neutral light hasn't worked since I got the bike. It is fairly easy to find neutral at junctions etc. but still nice to find out why it doesn't work and sort it out. From the manual/forums the usual culprit is the "plunger (not) being the correct distance from the trigger on the selector drum". This depends on the thickness of a washer acting as a shim! 

Once the switch (with plunger!) was removed, it turned out that it was just a case of the wires having broken off the back of the switch. A very nice chap at work (thanks Sean) put it right and back in it went. Re-using the connector bullets down near the battery took the most effort, but it's all up and working now.

Summer 07 update. Unfortunately over the summer the problem resurfaced. Fortunately neutral is easy to find (not always the case on these things!) so I have not bothered having another go. Might try again in the winter.

Belt Change:

Top Useful links:-

http://www.ducatitech.com/4v/maint/belts/index.html

http://www.tassell.co.uk/belt_change.htm

http://www.ducatisuite.com/belttension.html

These links point to some very helpful sites that I used to help get an idea for how tight to set the belt tension without the Ducati tools. This and the advice from the very helpful Baines racing "Put the cylinder you are checking at TDC (top dead centre) with valves closed and push the cambelt between the cam pulleys so as to just come level with the edge of the casting on the rocker pin cover.  You would have to push it with both thumbs and quite hard."

I summed up all the advice, took a deep breath and did the job. If they go ping over the next year I'll let you know!! Would seem to be a market for hiring out one of the ducati dial tools. Alternatively the Facom tool (on ebay ~£60).

Clutch Fluid Change

Black fluid in the reservoir made it look very old. I changed it, then following some forum reading, had a closer look at the slave cylinder area. These are renowned for being designed (across the range) such that the muck thrown at it by the chain going round the front sprocket manages to work its way past the seals and into the fluid.

<== This is a partially cleaned up version of the gunk that was originally in that area. The corrosion and blistered paint implies to me that clutch fluid might be leaking? I never noticed any leakage, but it might have been soaked up in the grease/dirt etc. in the area.

Sure enough the gaiter that protects the push rod from this dirt was shot to bits:==>

<==Having removed the piston from the cylinder, it appears that some of the bore is a little scored, and the piston was polished on one side and not the other.==>

I have ordered a slave piston seal and gaiter from MotoRapido for a few pounds so I'll see whether it makes it through a year without getting black again. If it's too far gone, I'll probably buy a whole new unit with a bigger piston. This is quite a common mod in order to make the clutch action lighter - very good idea for us old gits with creaky tendons!

All back together and I noticed that dirt and damp had also got along the push rod, causing build up of a little corrosion. Wet and dried it off but still not entirely satisfactory. Action still very heavy!

All for now, but I'm sure it won't be long before we're back with the tools out!

Update; fluid went black again fairly quickly, but it all functions ok, so I guess the next step is to get an improved aftermarket design.

Head bearings?

At low speed I had felt the occasional 'clonk' from the time I bought the bike. I never felt any effect at speed, but it was disconcerting. I put it down to head bearings that occasionally need tightening, and put it off until I had time to make the tool to adjust them.

However, when putting it away one evening, and pushing it backwards, it did it again. I was determined to track it down. It lives on a paddock stand, so I went round wiggling as many things as I could. Finally got to rear wheel. It wobbled on axle! only a few mil, but enough to alarm! and although both circlip pins were in, the wheel nut wasn't even finger tight..

So, off with the wheel and onto the net to find two giant sockets to tighten the wheel nuts back up - even needed a new torque wrench to cope with the high torque required. Once off I found that one of the drive pins had no bolt in it. replaced all the pins and bolts (some of the bolts were very soft and the old ones sheared off when re-used!). Put it all back together and stayed tight for the rest of the summer. Apparently it's quite common for the nuts to come loose. One of those things to keep an eye on.

and on to 2008!!

19/01/2008