@Borgo Panigale The bolts used to hold my Darmah’s pressure plate are very different… 6 small M5x10 BTRs. And they do not look like they could stretch much. Again, the bike is a 1980 Darmah and packed with OEM nylstop nuts and BTR bolts. I understand that 60’s to early 70s bikes had lots of nuts and bolts issues. An older Ducati rider recently explained me that back in those days, they would literally lose things on the road when riding… When they bought a Ducati from new, the norm was to directly replace every nut by a nylstop.
My clutch centre nut regularly used to loosen off. Sometimes I could get home and sometimes not . Tried everything back in the day, eventually ended up with industrial grade "permanent " locking compound which sort of worked. At least the nut only loosened slowly. I blamed the helical gear forcing tje clutch in and out
Just wondering if you tried them on a record player before installation to ensure no heavy metal satanic messages came out backwards....?
@ducv2 Which nut are you referring to, if I may ask? The big one holding the drum, or the small one used to lock the clutch « rod » adjusting screw ?
By the way, did I mention that I found some really nice bar end mirrors for this bike? Paid 95€ for these, so not unexpensive… However, great quality, and they look almost period correct to me.
New contactor received from Australia. It looks good and,more importantly, no more intermittent cuts. This contractor does not allow the « parking » position anymore (key to the left, with front and rear lights on), but I do not mind as I have no use of it (bikes always parked indoors at night) and I find that in day light, there’s always a risk to mistakenly let it on parking which may left you stranded with empty battery, depending on how long you stopped. In a nutshell, very happy with this, as I feel it’s one more step towards better reliability, which gives me hope for near future road trip options.
Nice... but no natty rubber boot for it ? which, it has to be said, usually snaps after 2 years use Btw - notice the jaunty angle of the left hand indicator light
@Andy Bee You are correct, the annoying rubbery thing found on the OEM contactor is not used on the aftermarket one. Water proofing of the light panel is achieved with two plastic washers that are located on each side of were the contactor goes through the panel. They get pressed when tightening the contactor screwing cover, hence water tightness. And invisibility. Additionally, now there’s a very small touch of red on that bike, which qualifies it more as a Ducati…
Tbh I'm not entirely sure... although after a quick search I see Back to Classics have them in stock. https://www.ducaticlassics.com/ducati/079446050/ignition-switch-cap-cev
And after check my email & old invoices I actually got mine from mdinaItalia... https://www.mdinaitalia.co.uk/Rubber3.html
At last, I went for a check ride this morning. Speedo : check. Key contactor: check. Clutch : check. No more slipping!! So happy with how things finally turn out…
Well thanks much gentlemen! I would be lying if I said this one wasn’t more challenging to refurb that my previous endeavors… There still are a few things that will need to be addressed in the future. Like a complete engine overhaul. I have a couple small oil leaks (oil breather, V cylinder to case) and the V head will need to be machined for a new thread for the exhaust manifold flange… That and the obvious crank centrifugal epurators clean up and con rods bearings needle bearings. I hope to be able to ride it until 40.000km before that. We shall see. So now, after having carefully listed the tools I may need during a road trip, I am looking for my tool kit options. I already have most of the tools I figured may be needed. I would like to find a nice vintage looking tool bag. Rear compartment is fairly small (22x15x5)… Here’s my tool list: - Spanners (8/10/12/13/14/17) - Allen keys (2,5/4/5/6) - Pliers - Cutters - screwdrivers (flat/philips) - Chain tensioning tool - Fuses (8A/25A) and light bulbs - Fuel hose - Rilsan - Tape. What else could I possibly need ?
Re the second photo - it's always good when you get the rear cylinder fins perfectly horizontal side on so you can see the 'barrel' through them. Btw - I went out for a jolly 80 mile or so ride today and even when err... 'pressing on' there was still no clutch slip... my latest thought, prompted by your new (steel) plates that have those oil scavenging spirals cut into them, is that I'm running the oil level at the bottom mark and perhaps too much oil can cause slip. I'm also taking a little more care & time by purposely operating the clutch when changing gear rather than trying to just snap it in & out like a modern bike.
Check the tightness of the engine mounting bolts before you go and nip them up if needs be. Ensure you have a screwdriver small enough for the little screws that hold the fuel tap front plate on. These plates hold the lever & gasket in place and sometimes when you switch to reserve, usually in a panic when in town going round an island, the gaskets can be wrenched out of place & leak a little. Loosening & re-tighten the plate square stops that. These old bevels aren't a challenge per se that needs to be overcome to a finish, but rather a continuous ongoing relationship that we need to listen to and involve ourselves in. That's why they are so rewarding
