Hi everyone. Hope the summer weather bodes well for your rubber... OK, took the flywheel+starter gear to my LBS Duke franchise for sprag replacement. To keep it short'ish, somewhere along the line a new sprag was ordered but it was slightly oversize and the flywheel flange was enlarged slightly to accommodate it. The engineering shop to which it was out-sourced did as they were told, OK so far. Problem is, the internal diameter of the newly fitted sprag is not the same as the original, slightly larger! The result, nothing effing works as it should. I created a bit of shit storm in the shop this morning and they accept the error and promise rectification but they are a bit short on bevel knowledge and contacts, at the moment anyway...hopefully surfing like crazy as I type this. Here in France I have yet to find a Bevel specialist, from the net I can find various sites the other side of the world which do complete upgrade kits etc and even here in France a site which sells original size replacement sprags (groan, why oh why didn't I choose this option in the first place, sh1t). Can someone who has first hand knowledge recommended a UK specialist who actually carries out engineering work like this with whom I can get in touch ? Meanwhile I will keep surfing myself. Jeez, what a giant step backwards... If a specialist reads this, is fitting a replacement flange to the flywheel straight forward assuming I can find one ? or does it require several tons of pressure special tool or whatever. Yours, Gutted, pissed off, demoralised, not so angry as this morning but still wondering what it would have sounded like if I had returned the flywheel through their shop window...
Go for the very expensive VeeTwo option. The replacement SKF sprags you get for the originals will just let you down, simply not up the original std.
Thanks Paddy. I am thinking along those lines but meanwhile checking all options/avenue's in preparation for what my LBS comes up with. Nobody in UK then ?
I have a couple of Darmah flywheels but not the starter ring ? This guy did keep the original starter sprag bearings, he may have some ? https://www.dimarino.co.uk/
Tks T500. Not much turned up in my search at the moment. You would think somewhere in Europe there would be a mecca for keeping the old bevel's alive. Sign of the times I suppose. I have to wait for some kind of "course of action" from my LBS. I am hoping it's "sorry we are unable to do anything, no charge" in which case I will shop at VeeTwo in Oz.
And so there are - many firms in several European countries who restore, repair, rebuild, and recommission Ducati bevel twins and singles, and/or stock parts for them. Still, if you prefer to go to Australia that's your choice.
Australia is the only place he will get a modern belt drive sprag conversion for his bevel drive Darmah
