The Elephant that was a Duck

[El Camexican]

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept92014012_zpsc8a1741c.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept92014012_zpsc8a1741c.jpg.html)
If you know your Ducati/Cagiva history you understand the title.

I drove up to Canada to pick this up. I could have just bought one in Texas (that was clean!) and saved myself a bunch on gas, but this particular Duck has a special place in my heart and a bunch of mods I have neither the time, nor money to repeat on another bike. I was not expecting it to be quite so dirty, but I know exactly what’s under all the dust and rust, so I sucked it up and didn’t try to negotiate the already great price.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept92014005_zps5dbedb75.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept92014005_zps5dbedb75.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept92014001_zpsc8abddcc.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept92014001_zpsc8abddcc.jpg.html)
My buddy bought this bike new in 1992 and drove down to the USA to pick it up in the crate. He let me drive it while still on break-in and after almost flipping it over at the first intersection (first time with a hydraulic clutch) I immediately fell in love with the mechanical mayhem that is the air cooled Desmodromic engine when coupled to an open dry clutch and full floating brakes. Ya gotta love it when you pull into a coffee shop parking lot and every wannabe mechanic within earshot comes running up to try and diagnose what’s wrong with your bike because it sounds like a hand full of bolts in a washing machine next to a ringing rotary phone… because it’s running perfectly!

Early in its life there were some electrical issues that were addressed and then with about 19,000 miles on the ticker the stator exploded sending shrapnel everywhere. Rather than just rebuild it the owner backed a truckload of money up to it and hit the dump button. The result is one of the sweetest street legal bikes I’ve ever ridden.

To kick off the build he bought a lightened Falicon crankshaft and Carrillo rods, then the entire engine and every nut and bolt in it was sent to Sub-Zero for cryogenic treatment. Next the heads and shortened intake runners went to Extrude Hone for pressurized abrasive paste porting. The cylinders were punched out to 944cc and 12.5 to 1 pistons were installed. All moving engine parts were coated with moly ceramic before reassembly and a set of 41mm Keihin flat slides were stuffed into the frame rails. The final bolt on was a full D&D exhaust system with carbon fiber cans. Today it has just over 21,000 miles on the clock and not a single engine bearing has over 3,000 miles on it.

The bike has been dyno tested twice since the mods. The result of the last dyno pull was a tick under 92hp and 80 pounds of torque at the rear wheel. That may not sound like much to today’s liter bike crowd, but to put it into perspective this engine came out of the factory with only 65hp and 53 pounds of torque at the wheel. Not bad for a 24 year old, carbureted, 2 valve, air cooled, twin with vintage status.

With the engine done he went to work on some other items with handling and weight loss being the goals. An 851 battery box was modified to fit and many other subtle changes were made to accommodate the intake, air filter, brake and suspension changes. Carbon fiber and aluminum trinkets replaced steel and plastic parts on the engine and chassis. An RC30 front brake master, Kevlar lines and full floating cast iron Brembos discs, a Corbin seat, an Ohlin shock and re-sprung forks with a Gold valve kit replaced stock parts. It total over 37 pounds was shaved off the stock bike bringing the curb weight down to 403 pounds and I intend to take another 5 pounds off with a lithium ion battery.

I’m told that the only other mods that can be done to one of these are TI con rods, full race cams, a lightened stator and welding the exhaust ports solid and machining them at a straighter angle, all of which would render the bike to a track only toy, so in other words there is nothing left for me to screw with and that’s not a bad thing given all the other unfinished projects I have.

He parked the bike in 2006, coated everything in grease and oil and left it sit... without a cover as you can see:rolleyes: Fast forward 8 years and I plan to rebuild the carbs, change the timing belts and tires, replace the now deteriorated Kevlar lines with braided stainless, check the valves (after I learn how to do it) and install an Antigravity lithium battery. The cast iron discs will need a bead blasting before they are matched up to new pads as well.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept92014002_zpsdb8b3265.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept92014002_zpsdb8b3265.jpg.html)
I should mention that I crashed the bike right after the mods were done in the late 90’s?  The good news is the guy in the van that turned in front of me and fled the scene was found 100% responsible, so his insurance covered the extensive repairs and as (almost) always yours truly walked away without a scratch. I rarely crash anything twice, so this is the perfect bike for me as the calcium starts to leach out of my aging bones.

[bkm]

Totally cool story and congrats on the purchase. I haven't heard the term "extrude honing" since my 5.0 Mustang days. This was the hot ticket to the long runner EFI intakes the 5.0's had.

[jb2wheels]

Wow - a lot of hidden $$$ in that bike. An excellent project.

I have limited Ducati experience but I get the Duck/Elephant thing.

My dad bought an 888 SPO new and spent a lot of time with it on the track. I was lucky enough to spend a weekend with it on the big track at Willow Springs and a few laps around Daytona with it as well as a few weekend tours around CA.

Funny you mention the master cylinder. What was it with Ducatis of that era? The 888 master sucked, too. The cast iron rotors have great feel and power with the right pads and a better master. As I recall, we used one of a ZX7 or such.

[coolpool]

Glad you know what you're looking at, I wouldn't have given that a second glance in it's "apparent" current condition. Good luck with the resurrection!

[Vealmonkey]

Nothing like a "desmo duck". What a neat find and a great story. I remember years ago there were carbon fiber parts available for them, not sure about now. What a neat ride those machines are. When you arrive on a Duck, they rarely fail to draw lookers. Best of luck with it and look forward to follow ups.

[stoshu]

Looks like you pulled that from West Kildonan.

[trike savior]

sweet bike EL. Cant wait to see pics with a good spit shine. the fact you have known the bike since new makes it super cool

I must be getting old if something from 1992 has vintage status. I was 6.

to me vintage things are things you have no chance of catching up to in age. LOL

recently raced a Bentley continental GT on my 82 Yamaha 750 SECA. Was not expecting it so he got the jump and I didn't win but didn't get spanked. I was telling my buddy about it and how I would love to be there when the guy was bragging to his friends, to tell him it was a 32 year old bike.

[atc007]

Lovin it! Congratulations bud. What a truly cool story. Thanx for sharing :)

[Husky250]

Nice find, will be sweet to get riding. Along the same lines we had an '86 Merlin 350. I managed to cartwheel it down a hill under full load. It bent the pin that holds the shifting shaft/wheel thingy..... Anyway, the gas tank said Merlin, the case said Cagiva (elephant and everything), but it was made by italiajet, and the part I bent we had to get from Harley Davidson>>>> That was an experience!

[El Camexican]

Looks like you pulled that from West Kildonan.

You're on the right side of the river, but about 3 miles off;)

FYI, my Dad knows your Dad and they did play ball together and my Mom confirmed that her and I were at your Grandmothers retirement party in 71, or 72, she says it was a real big deal. It turns out I may have even been in your house and met you when you were still a rug rat. How crazy is that? What a small world. Great meeting you the other day (again?), hope to do it again soon!

[El Camexican]

Here’s one more set of “before” photos:
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept12A2014004_zpsb2f697a7.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept12A2014004_zpsb2f697a7.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept112014030_zps85b6b0bf.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept112014030_zps85b6b0bf.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept112014021_zpsbf3e9375.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept112014021_zpsbf3e9375.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept112014026_zps2989217f.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept112014026_zps2989217f.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept112014027_zpsf2f8fcbf.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept112014027_zpsf2f8fcbf.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Sept112014028_zps7b04dae1.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Sept112014028_zps7b04dae1.jpg.html)
Chased through the parts today: Bags of fork shims, an Ohlins spring, stock shock, one stock fork spring, carbs and all air box related parts, set of aluminum belt drives, 3 rear sprockets 41T, 39T, 37T, stock carbs, inner and outer clutch tools, a set of heavy duty engine mount bolts, a dozen muffler mounts, 2 full exhaust systems and three sets of canisters, solo seat, a new Corbin seat (and there is one on the bike), numerous handmade billet peg hangers, stock brake discs, stock wing screen, brake levers and shifters, jetting kits, a large clutch slave (said to reduce pull force), two stock connecting rods, a set of ¼ fairings and a few other items that seem to be related to the stock fuel system. I put the full fairings on for the ride home as they are a little big to put in the cab and are less likely to get scuffed while mounted. I’ll start working on it in a few weeks, looks like it will clean up well.

[DohcBikes]

Wow!! Way to go man, she's a real beauty!! Cant wait to see the dream continue!!

And I must say, a FINE trailer to haul her home in style

[jb2wheels]

Looks like the trailer was made just for it ;)

[DohcBikes]

Is there any way we could get a paper napkin blueprint for the build plan?

[stoshu]

You're on the right side of the river, but about 3 miles off;)

FYI, my Dad knows your Dad and they did play ball together and my Mom confirmed that her and I were at your Grandmothers retirement party in 71, or 72, she says it was a real big deal. It turns out I may have even been in your house and met you when you were still a rug rat. How crazy is that? What a small world. Great meeting you the other day (again?), hope to do it again soon!
Give me a shout later when your done your stuff. Gonna be at a party on the corner of 9 and 27. You should know people there. I think you're staying across the street.

[El Camexican]

Give me a shout later when your done your stuff. Gonna be at a party on the corner of 9 and 27. You should know people there. I think you're staying across the street.

I'll be out till at least 2:00, so no promises, but if I can I will. Thanks!

[El Camexican]

Is there any way we could get a paper napkin blueprint for the build plan?

Give me a few days, I need to find my red crayon.

[M.Pargiello]

Nice score! Always a fan

Makes me miss this one :(

201081

Desmodromic valve systems are really cool, and sound even better!

[El Camexican]

Finally got the Duck imported and home last Wednesday. Had to leave a bunch of parts at the border due to avoid some taxes, but I will get them here at some point.

So Friday night about 8:00pm I cracked a fresh jug of rum open and got to it. As of 10:00pm Sunday (just as the wife was about to call a 24 hour divorce lawyer) the following was done:

Replaced the timing belts
Replaced the brake lines
Welded up a cheesy tool to remove the front axle
Replaced the front discs
Replaced the pads
Rebuilt the carbs
Modified the battery box to hold the lithium battery
Washed the bike
Attempted to fire it
Removed and beat on the fuel pump till it worked
Attempted to fire it
Removed carbs again to get the injector pumps to work (the carbs have no choke circuits)
Fired it on the first revolution, sounds as mean as ever!
Repaired the horn and passing light switch
Moved the clip-on back to keep the horn switch from getting messed up again
Replaced the stock clutch slave with a Yoyodyne unit
Rubbed some shine back into the paint, plastic is in incredible condition
Polished the clutch up to look pretty
Removed the exhaust system only to discover I am missing mounting hardware for the upswept pipes
Took the cast iron brake disc rings off the aluminum hubs and sent then for sandblasting
Started the slow process of filling paint chips with a paint pen

Still pending..
Looks like I either didn’t get, or lost the muffler mounts for the upswept pipes that are going on it, so I’ll have to make a set, got the right side done tonight
Needs a set of clutch plates, ordered a few days back
Clutch line looks like crap, so it will get a braided line to go with the fancy slave
Have a CF rear fender and a new set of K&N air filters on the way
I have a carb leak, may have pinched an O-ring, or it got swollen when I accidentally used brake cleaner in place of carb cleaner, will need to fix that. Update: petcock does not shut off, had to thread a bold into the line and my garage reeks of fuel.
Ordered new K&N air filters

That should be about it. I was really tempted to tear it down to the frame a week back, but it’s still in really good condition for being 22 years old, so I think I’ll wait till the valves need adjusting in a couple thousand miles and perhaps get crazy with the polishing at that point.

By the way; the tiny little 480 amp Anti-Gravity battery spins the engine like the plugs are out of it. A new lead acid battery would only turn that engine a dozen times before it wouldn’t spin fast enough to start back in the day. This battery spun it at least 50 times while I was sorting out the fuel issues and still had enough juice to fire it when everything was right. I’ve charged it since, but I am in awe of what it has for power. They claim it can start a car and after seeing it in action I have no doubt.

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/ClutchDucatiOct202014031_zpsc4eb73f5.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/ClutchDucatiOct202014031_zpsc4eb73f5.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/BeforeandafterDuctaiOct152014025_zpsbba83aa0.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/BeforeandafterDuctaiOct152014025_zpsbba83aa0.jpg.h tml)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/PortDucatiOct202014007_zps35546215.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/PortDucatiOct202014007_zps35546215.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/CleanDucatiOct202014046_zps7638e7fd.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/CleanDucatiOct202014046_zps7638e7fd.jpg.html)

[bkm]

That thing is so damn cool. It's one of those mechanical marvels you just sit around sipping on your favorite cocktail enjoying it's company.

[El Camexican]

Got the cast iron discs blasted last week. Sure enough it’s been raining ever since, so the humidity is making them start to rust again. I shot the non-contact areas with cast iron coloured engine paint to keep them pretty for a little longer.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DiscDucatiNov92014013_zps9a62128f.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DiscDucatiNov92014013_zps9a62128f.jpg.html)
I also cut 75mm off one set of the D&D silencers and put them back together on the upswept pipes. Thought they looked better like that.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/UpsweptPipesDucatiNov92014011_zps0e056008.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/UpsweptPipesDucatiNov92014011_zps0e056008.jpg.html )
The new clutch is in it and the oil & filter has been changed, but I’ve been unable to ride it yet due to a carb leak I can’t fix until I get back State side to pick up a set of float needle seats and another base gasket. I also want to see if I can get the solo seat to fit onto the Corbin seat.

[El Camexican]

Had a chance to tinker a bit on the weekend, so I changed out the clutch line and got the carb leak fixed. Bleeding the clutch line turned out to be a nightmare. Not sure why it wouldn’t gravity bleed, but it didn’t. Ended up with fluid all over the place, big mess.

So when that was done and cleaned up I fired it up. I had to remove the cables to pull the carbs, so I guess my attempt to visually sync them was off enough that it only lite one cylinder at first. Once the other one started firing I was able to get the idle speed set.

Once it warms up “violence” is the only way to describe what a rap on the throttle invokes. Unfortunately until it’s warm it burbles, spits, choughs chokes, gags, sputters and hangs up.
The 41mm FCR carbs are full race, no choke circuit, independent idle adjustments and as I’m gathering from bits and pieces on the internet, if I put large enough pilots in it to get it to idle when cold it will be way to rich when it gets hot.

Enough complaining. I warmed it up and went around the block. I whacked the throttle from idle a few times in first gear and the rear tire just lite up with next to no forward motion. Kind of neat to stick around to feel the percussion of the exhaust bounce back against your body from the cement houses on either side of the street. Its loud, eyeball fluid distorting loud.

So its back in the garage again for some detailing. I started with the upper triple tree that had some damage from a key chain. It also had a textured finish and a very defined casting line, so it got a little clean up, but not before I snapped a security bolt off flush with the tree while taking off the ignition.

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014062_zps20dbdb10.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014062_zps20dbdb10.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014030_zps00798ee0.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014030_zps00798ee0.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014031_zps1a649ff6.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014031_zps1a649ff6.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014035_zps0f2bb294.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014035_zps0f2bb294.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014037_zps63e15c81.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014037_zps63e15c81.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014041_zps2a326557.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014041_zps2a326557.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014044_zpsbe365025.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014044_zpsbe365025.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014047_zps6a3e8c3f.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014047_zps6a3e8c3f.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014048_zps166b2a64.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov172014048_zps166b2a64.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/DucatiNov182014006_zpsd1c0e728.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/DucatiNov182014006_zpsd1c0e728.jpg.html)

[El Camexican]

During the final years he owned the bike the owner decided to make himself a set of foot peg hangers. He pulled the originals, measured everything up and got a buddy to weld bar stock into the configurations he need.

He then (for the first time in his life) he cut and drilled all the patterns and holes on a conventional mill and then made the required bends. He figures they had a combined 100+ hours into them when for whatever reason he stopped working on them, so I ended up getting them along with all the other spare parts.

I’m stuck waiting for parts to arrive and the authorities seem to have misplaced my importation documents making it impossible for me to plate this thing, so I decided to use the down time to try and fit them up. Turns out he had them very close to perfect. Not an easy task when you consider that the right hand side is a hanger, peg, brake lever, return spring, stop light switch and rear master cylinder mount all in one that mounts to within 3mm of the swing arm on one side and 1mm of the exhaust on the other. The left side is just the hanger, peg and shifter.

It took some cutting, grinding and adjusting to get it all together, but in the end another 8 hours of labor had them polished and fit up. They weight only about ½ what the stockers do. Needless to say I have sent him photos of the fruit of his labor along with a big thank you for a job well done.
205198
205199
205200

[200X FT]

Great job on the Duck. Awesome job. I immediately got the "bolts in a washing machine" reference to the engine sound. The Lloyd Bros. brought their duck to a local 1/2 mile (im a flattracker) and had people yelling left and right that it was gonna blow. LOL . Yeah it blew, doors off that is :D. Supertrapp mufflers on it :drool: As far as "eyeball fluid distorting" exhaust notes go, I could tell you about the time "new" Triumphs came by with open megaphones.... or the Kawasaki S3 triple with stinger pipes.... LOL

[El Camexican]

As far as "eyeball fluid distorting" exhaust notes go, I could tell you about the time "new" Triumphs came by with open megaphones.... or the Kawasaki S3 triple with stinger pipes.... LOL

Thanks Bud! If we’re going to talk loud bikes let’s cut straight to the chase. This is one of Old Man Honda’s first attempts to dominate the smokers with a 4 stroke. I have never heard one in person, but legend has it that the men who road, tuned and were near these things for any amount of time all suffered permanent hearing loss. Turn your speakers up and watch this video. Somewhere around the 50 second mark you’ll get what you came for and then some. How about the 18,000 RPM red line?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRop_ZMwo0

[200X FT]

Its funny you posted the RC166 clip for I was lucky enough to hear one live at Vintage days Mid-Ohio one year. I was probably only eight or so and I remember my dad telling me "this is the only time in your life you're going to hear this". And if I remember correctly, I believe John Surtees was grand marshal that year and he was the one riding it. Also, what about the RC 116, the 4 cyl., 50cc, 22,000 RPM redline racer :drool: Sorry to jack your thread, just sharing notes. Keep up the good work!

[jb2wheels]

The RC166 clip is worth the threadjack!

[El Camexican]

Sorry to jack your thread, just sharing notes.

Are you kidding? I constantly jack my threads. This will end up being about aliens before I get the Duck plated:lol:, carry on, please.:beer

[200X FT]

Thanks. Couldn't get the pic of the S3 uploaded, so here's some Italian for you. Buddy I race with, Paul Bailey, built this beast. 750 Laverda. That's Paul, with the bike. Sounds pretty darn good 205467

[El Camexican]

All done!!!

Finaly got State side to pick up the parts I was waiting for and the stands to lift the bike properly. Got home and spent the next 8 hours as follows:

- Replaced the clutch master and removed the stock choke assembly
- Changed the rear sprocket and cleaned the chain
- Put the cast iron front discs back on
- Lubed the speedo cable
- Greased the clutch rod bearing
- Changed the clutch spring retainers
- Fixed a leaking bleeder on the clutch slave
- Polished the rear brake carrier
- Replaced the rear fender with a carbon fiber part
- Cleaned and waxed the rims
- Adjusted the shifter position
- Re-routed the fuel vent hose
- Replaced all the windshield, mirror, hand control and gas tank bolts with gold anodized aluminum bolts. They are SUPER light!

Any other changes will have to wait till the valves need adjusting in a few thousand miles as I plan to take it down to the frame at that point and get crazy with the polishing. A lightened flywheel may be in the future as well as I can’t seem to find anyone on the net that is displeased with the mod.

I pasted a crappy video of it running today below. I wish I could get Mr. Big Wheel to produce them for me.:)

206046206047206048

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHq7_VSeSSI

[onformula1]

Sweet bike! Desmodromic engines are very cool.
I had a street bike magazine editor friend connection where we got to "break in" all kinds of bikes before shootouts or tests.
I revalved & respunged a bunch of these bikes.
The 916 & 996 were my favorites.
Keep up the great work.

[onformula1]

Forgot, I love the D&D's

[El Camexican]

Sweet bike! Desmodromic engines are very cool.
I had a street bike magazine editor friend connection where we got to "break in" all kinds of bikes before shootouts or tests.
I revalved & respunged a bunch of these bikes.
The 916 & 996 were my favorites.
Keep up the great work.

Sounds like a dream job. I've never ridden a 4V Duck, but I'll bet it's a blast. FYI, D&D seems to have has a falling out with the Ducati's. I called to see if they had a couple replacement parts to allow me to run the stock head pipes with the upswept cans and got a very cold "we don't do Ducati's anymore".

[onformula1]

Sad for them to ditch a iconic bike, soooo much cooler than a HD...LOL

[El Camexican]

Sad for them to ditch a iconic bike, soooo much cooler than a HD...LOL

Gotta follow the money and the Harley market has plenty. Vance & Hines went that way too. Besides, when you build Harley accessories you don't have to change your tooling very often;)

[onformula1]

Gotta follow the money and the Harley market has plenty. Vance & Hines went that way too. Besides, when you build Harley accessories you don't have to change your tooling very often;)

Very true, same boat anchor motor for ever!

You know about these guys right?

http://www.ferracci.com/

[El Camexican]

You know about these guys right?

http://www.ferracci.com/

Yea, but I recall they were into the 4 valve bikes. Loved watching their Superbikes honk around the tracks back in the day.

[El Camexican]

With Trikefest behind me I finally got around to tearing this thing down for a facelift. The plan was to gusset the frame, remove any unneeded brackets, add a battery box, set the valves, powder coat the frame and add a little bling to the fairly new engine. Well that was the plan... The first issue was removing the frame from the engine (no I didn't say that backwards) So a stand was build that allowed it to be installed while the bikes is on stands and then lowered an 1/8" to the ground where it remains until it is stripped to the engine.

The good news is that the valves are within spec. The bad news is that the crank bearings are shot after 6,500 street miles and a couple track days. It also sat on the dyno a couple times, so that may not have helped either. This engine is going to be the most intricate rebuild I’ve ever done. A bunch of proprietary tools are needed to take it apart and the assembly process involves at least one pre-assembly of the cases to determine axial pre-load on the crankshaft bearings and transmission shafts.

I managed to split the cases yesterday, but I’m holding off on removing the transmission until I have everything I need to put it back together. Lots of little parts that look almost the same as other little parts on these engines. I guess some people would say they’re simple and I’d agree, but simple with the addition of dozens of shims, clips, pins and retainers added to the mix. I literally have a 2 cylinder engine spread out over 40 sq. feet of table tops and 3 large plastic bins and the trans is still in it! I haven’t had to take a bike engine to a mechanic for assembly in my life, but if it ever happens it may be with this one. Fortunately I’m taking lots of reference photos, but some things are not in the manual.

For example the crankshaft; It’s a Falicon Super Light with Carrillo rods. Cool would be an understatement, but the left end of the crank appears to be from another engine as does the flywheel. The manual says to line up the key slot with the dimple on the flywheel, so I pulled it off without a thought only to realize mine doesn’t have a dot :wondering

Then there’s the worn-out crank bearings. I was feeling a slight intermittent “hammering” sensation in my crotch when I rode it briefly. Mostly around 4,000 to 6,000 rpm, nothing under or over that from what I could tell, but not having ridden the thing for 20 years I figured maybe it was just a carb syncing issue.

The first oddity I found was that while still assembled the crank had zero axial play which is exactly what it’s supposed to have. In fact they should have .002” of preload in them when cold and fresh. However, it had enough radial play to make a “clunk” sound when moved up and down. My first Internet search (before I split the cases) came up with a theory that the synthetic oil had caused the ball bearings to slide in the groove instead of turn and flat spotted them, but that seemed like an old wives tale. The story went that some poor SOB lost his Ducati warrantee for using synthetic oil, but there are way more posts on the Internet about Ducati’s coming off the showroom floor with incorrectly shimmed bearings.

After splitting the case and pulling one bearing it turned out that the balls seem perfectly round and that there is no visible scoring in the inner race (I haven’t cut it opened yet). No large bits of metal in the oil either. They seem to have eaten themselves up at a very slow rate. Oddly enough the removed bearing has about the same axial and radial play, but the crank had no end play? WTF? It should have had a bunch of end play as well. I’m thinking they put too many shims in there. There is one shim that measures .020mm on the RH side and two that combine for .063mm on the LH side, but with the bearings worn out there is no way to know what it was originally. BUT, get this. There is evidence that the bearing had turned a few revolutions inside the steel housing that is pressed into the cases at the factory. The bearings are a snug fit, they can be tapped out easily with a little heat and a hammer, they are not a high pressure press fit, so what would cause them to turn in the casing? I’m thinking excess lateral pressure would do it.

So next I start looking for replacement bearings. Seems Ducati specified one RPH bearing and one NSK (same manufacture) These are angular contact bearings and come in a variety of load angles. Supposedly 18 degrees for Ducati, but the one bearing in this engine that I’ve removed is a KOYO bearing and all indications are that it has a 40 degree load angle.

I pulled out the shop bills from 1996 bills and they show a Ducati part number as well as an industry part number and they cross over to RPH and NSK respectively.

In short it looks like the shop supplied cheaper non-spec bearings and/or may have installed them incorrectly. Unfortunately I don’t know which it is, so I can’t risk installing SKF or KOYO bearings. Hell, at this point I’m not even sure I want to trust an RPH bearing if it doesn’t come in a Ducati wrapper :lol: I guess I’ll see what the dealer quotes me for OEM and go from there. No other issues I can see so far. I guess the bushings on either side cover held the crank in place enough to keep it from tearing up. I’d rather not pull the rod caps, but likely should while I’m in there.

Meanwhile all the bare aluminum bits went out for chrome including the swing-arm and the same place is striping and plating all the hardware in yellow-chromate zinc. The frame was coated on teh weekend and it looks great. If it ever runs again it will be an eye popper:Bounce

More pics to come.

233760233761233762

[big specht]

Lol I wounder who dug this old thread up. It's good to see you didn't give up on it.

[tripledog]

I love V twins and I can't deny, though the crank bearings have been fried.
It's a curse, can only type one verse, please don't axe me why.


I'll be watching.

[Jmoozy27]

Not sure how I ever missed this. That's one helluva build, nico. If anyone is up to the challenge. It be you sir. :beer

[El Camexican]

Received a quote on engine bearings and seals today. "Gulp" is a word that comes to mind. :eek:

Here's a few more for now...
233782233783233784233785

[bkm]

That is such a cool bike. Remind me to never buy one.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[El Camexican]

That is such a cool bike. Remind me to never buy one.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Ditto. It will be my last. Starting to remind me of those well used "cheap" Lambo's you see pop up once in a while that seem affordable if you could just cut back on a few luxuries like eating and a roof... till you realize a tune up and an oil change will set you back about the same as the car.

Ever hear the expression: "Beautiful Italian piece of sh*t" ? Or how about: "Titanium fasteners, the final stage of Ducati inflicted insanity" Let me tell you, its a real thing! mymint87

[YTZ drew]

The closest I'll likely ever come to owning a duck is the original Honda voltage regulator on my '06 599, which has "Ducati Energia" inked stamped on it. That's an amazing piece of engineering you have there Nico. I look forward to pics of the final result. I'm sure it will be astounding.

[redsox]

wow!! the world works in strange ways. I was driving yesterday and a very sharp ducati passed me and was working its way through traffic. for whatever reason, this thread popped into my mind. the elephant that was a duck. hadn't thought about it since i first read it. i hadn't even really remembered that i remembered it, but it just popped into my noggin. now, ultra-randomly, here it is. back to the top of the heap. freaky. Looks nice man!!! can't wait to see it done..

[El Camexican]

Moving along at a snails pace...

Swing-arm and other bits have been chromed. Some of the hardware has been cad plated yellow, but plenty left to go, I just hate trying to figure out where things came from. Started getting some of the engine parts prepped and ready to go together. Turns out I'll need to replace at least one transmission gear and a few more bearings than expected.

I'll be pickling up a spare trans as well as the gasket kit I had mailed to the wrong address a month ago:rolleyes:

Safe to say that nothing on this engine is so complicated that it can't be done in a home garage with a hand full of specialized tools, but I'm really apprehensive about assembling it. So many shims, clips and doodads, scary to think what parts might still be laying on the bench when its all together :lol: I don't think I've ever had a disassembled;led engine take up this much space before.

234596234597234598234599234600234601234602

[DohcBikes]

https://img.ifcdn.com/images/d95f73d5a1f5fbca4f5e3c5d7c14bb9be844e52a4a8335c17c ec24ac01e75923_1.jpg

[tripledog]

Nice to see that your Duck has a healthy portion of carbon fiber in its diet. Looking great so far!

[El Camexican]

Nice to see that your Duck has a healthy portion of carbon fiber in its diet. Looking great so far!

All it's missing is a carbon fiber front fender which I don't like the look of, so that's not happening and a carbon fiber gas tank which I'm kind of glad I can't find as they were ungodly expensive back in the day, but they do shave a huge amount to weight off the bike. That said so would me skipping a few meals and that would save money!

[tripledog]

All it's missing is a carbon fiber front fender which I don't like the look of, so that's not happening and a carbon fiber gas tank which I'm kind of glad I can't find as they were ungodly expensive back in the day, but they do shave a huge amount to weight off the bike. That said so would me skipping a few meals and that would save money!

Power to weight ratio, or wallet to weight ratio. Pick your poison. You said you were progressing at a snail's pace. Must be that snails are turbocharged in Mexico, because this bike seems to be coming together quickly.

[El Camexican]

Power to weight ratio, or wallet to weight ratio. Pick your poison. You said you were progressing at a snail's pace. Must be that snails are turbocharged in Mexico, because this bike seems to be coming together quickly.

Let me put it this way: If I did this for a living I'd have starved before I got the cases split.

[El Camexican]

Still waiting on parts and finding new and wonderful things that need replacing each time a stare at it for more than 2 minutes, but I am getting more things ready to bolt on when the day comes with the down time.

Cleaned the pistons up and got them back into the barrels yesterday. Once they are in the stiction is unbelievable! The rings must have a lot of tension on them. I didn’t remove them to clean the piston crowns (which resulted in about 2 hours of work to clean behind the rings afterwards) as I’ve read they are super brittle. It takes a lot of force to move them in the 94mm bore even though the piston can be rotated freely. No wonder the battery gets drained so quickly on this thing.

Getting the wrist pins installed will be another challenge. The pin bore is so close to the oil ring that there is no piston material between the ring and the pin, just a few thousands of an inch of space, so in order to get the pin in and through the rod you have to drop the oil ring down to the chamfer of the cylinder. Again the Internet is full of horror stories about this process and the broken rings it’s produced. Speaking of the oil ring it’s not like any I’ve ever seen. It’s got slit hinges all the way around it, I assume it’s to reduce tension and conform to whatever the cylinder does.

I deburred and polished the intake spigots and assembled the kick stand. It’s a jewel. The bolts and springs are yellow anodized, the mount plate is silver anodized to match the cases and the stand is chromed. I’m really digging on the yellow anodized parts.

Reorganized all the hardware as well. The daughter calls it “Dad’s OCD display”. Good thing I did. I realized the dealer sent me two incorrect engine parts, so another month just got added to the project.

Started dicking with the crankshaft preload as well, OMG, what a PITA. There are guys on the Internet talking about how as little as +/- .002” in axial play can mean the difference between cracked cases, flat spotted bearings and cracked alternator covers (which I already have). Then there are a bunch of different opinions on what temperature it needs to be checked at and how the way you want to ride will make a difference to what you should pre-load it to. Even Ducati seems to have issued varying specs over the years. I wouldn’t be so paranoid had the last set of mains not been cooked. Good news is that the early 900 cases are considered to be amongst the best they ever made, so distortion under load is said to be less of an issue than on newer years.

Based on my preliminary numbers (I plan to check this multiple ways) and assuming that the replacement bearings and the old bearings started life out at the same width I would guess the last guys didn’t preload it enough. I say this because their shims add up to .032” and I get exactly that much play without a gasket (which it had). I’ll never know for sure, but something went wrong. If there’s anything positive to keep in mind it’s a comment I read on the Internet about the preloading where a guy said: “How much time do you think a Ducati tech puts into this process? Surely we as owners are going to spend a lot more time making sure it’s right than they do”.

Considering that I’ve found a poorly made woodruff key in the engine (halfway to shearing), the rear cylinder was missing a dowel pin and there are a few missing washers and at least 3 non-spec bearing in the engine I’d tend to agree with his comment LOL! Guess it doesn’t really matter how much you pay the dealer, there’s always going to be a chance that someone that doesn't give a sh*t about your engine can end up working on it.

235030235031235032235033235034235035235036

[tripledog]

Looking good! As in Bat Shart crazy good.

[knappyfeet]

Holy guacamole..............how come I didn't see this thread before?

This things awsome!............your almost as good as me:cool:

No....seriously tho........very nice. I've never owned a Duc before and with my bad back never will so I will live out Ducati ownership through you.

[El Camexican]

Still coming along. Spent one weekend changing some transmission gears, and a shaft and shimming the crankcase and transmission and the following weekend polishing things. Shimming is one of those tasks that takes 20 hours the first time you do it and 20 minutes the second time. I should know, I’ve done it four times now :lol: I've had the cases together an apart so many times that I ruined the no longer available from the dealer gasket.

It gets weird because of the preload on the crankshaft. The preload adds end play to the transmission shafts and shift drum, which is fine, but the expectation is that the crankshaft bearings will eventually wear in and you don’t want the transmission shafts preloaded when they do. There is also the issue of centering the shafts in the cases. It’s a big barrel of monkeys especially when your shim stocks are limited and you have to adjust them by the .001” with your finger tips on a spinning grinder disk.

235425235426

Fortunately the suspension parts never got sent to Arizona. I find that they work so much better when you actually have them bolted to your frame:lol:

235427235428235429235430235431

[El Camexican]

Things are starting to come together. Most of the chrome, plating and polishing is done, the engine is together and the pipes are at Jet Hot to be refinished.

I figured out what messed up the bearings while I was setting up, or “shimming” the engine and measuring all the old bearings and shims. It appears that all the shims were calculated without the case gasket in place, or considered in the calculations and then a gasket was added and everything got .013” looser than it should have been. No big deal for the transmission, but it meant that the crankshaft had .007” of end play rather than the recommended .006” of preload. I didn’t feel the end play when I was pulling the engine down because the weight of the horizontally positioned crankshaft on the angular bearings took up the free play. As much of a PITA and nervous second guessing as this all added up to at least now I don’t have to go to sleep thinking that in 6,000 miles I need to do another rebuild.

Nothing I’m finding in this engine surprises me anymore. The wrong shims, mixed up and missing washers and bolts, missing dowel pins, non-spec bearings, bearings and seals that were not seated perpendicular to the housings, shaft keys that were damaged and then turned around and reused! Many that control cam timing and all of which Ducati states should not be reused. Makes me wonder how much of Ducati’s reputation for being high maintenance is caused by improperly trained techs? Keep in mind all this half assed stuff was done by a Ducati shop that had one of the best race prep reputations back in the 90’s.

I’ve been dealing with the clutch this week and as expected the dry feature makes things a little different than what I’m used to. The outer clutch hub is a two piece unit that has 8 bolts, two seals, two O-rings, two bearings, a locating pin, a spring clip and two washers, but no dampening springs like most Japanese wet clutches. The result of the solid design is that the hardened steel basket has tabs that look more beat up that any aluminum ones I’ve ever seen. Not a good design for hard launches, and aggressive downshifts, but it adds yet more sensation to the instant feedback to the rider that these bikes exude.

The only non-solid connection between the rider and the road on the entire bike is a super stiff cushioning system on the rear sprocket, but even that is almost solid compared to the rubber blocks on Japanese bikes. There is no handle bar dampening, no balance, or counter shafts in the engine which is part of the trellis frame and the swing-arm bolts directly to the engine.

To exaggerate just a bit, if you ride over an ant you feel it in every part of your body that’s in contact with the bike. It’s a bit of a sensory overload at first, but if you like to ride with your weight on the front wheel and know exactly what your bike is doing I can’t think of a better design. Unfortunately it sucks on rough roads, low speeds, heavy traffic and needs three lanes to make a U-turn, but other than that it’s fun to ride LOL!

23587223587323587423587523587623587723587823587923 5880235881235882235883

[knappyfeet]

That motor is giving me a boner.

All those fasteners and hardware zinc/cad plated with the yellow chromates is the tits.

A buddy used a Caswell plating kit and did up all his fasteners with the yellow chromate and it looked awsome.

Your doing a great job.

[El Camexican]

That motor is giving me a boner.

All those fasteners and hardware zinc/cad plated with the yellow chromates is the tits.

A buddy used a Caswell plating kit and did up all his fasteners with the yellow chromate and it looked awsome.

Your doing a great job.

Yep it gives me one too, but along with the sex appeal comes the temperament of a bipolar stripper :lol:

I ordered another pile of yellow and red aluminum bolts from Pro Bolt last night, so all the cover bolts are getting switched out and no non-critical hardware on the bike will be steel.

I can't wait to get it on a scale. I'm guessing 380 to 390# wet (stock is 425#). There's an easy 10# on the stock flywheel and kick stand and CF wheels would shave another 15... time for a cold shower.

[knappyfeet]

the sex appeal comes the temperament of a bipolar stripper :lol:

I'm o.k. with that.

380 to 390 seems doable........maybe even more.

[El Camexican]

Getting close. She'll spin over this week, but I'm 6 weeks out on some carb parts, so fire up is a ways off.

236452236453236454236455236456

A BIG thank you to Jet Hot!!! Had the pipes cleaned, coated and returned in less than 10 days with a lifetime guarantee. Now if only they had a suspension division...

236457

[tripledog]

I thought your shock WAS guaranteed for a lifetime (to get it back).

[El Camexican]

I thought your shock WAS guaranteed for a lifetime (to get it back).

Wow, you really are a glass half full kind of a guy!!! :lol:

[Evan Hagenow]

I take it your shock is still missing in action?
Sweet bike btw, even though I didn't comprehend half of the things you were saying about the engine internals.

[El Camexican]

I take it your shock is still missing in action?
Affirmativo



Sweet bike btw, even though I didn't comprehend half of the things you were saying about the engine internals.
Me neither :lol:

[tripledog]

Wow, you really are a glass half full kind of a guy!!! :lol:

Yes, I am half-glassed.

[El Camexican]

Got the rest of the aluminum trinkets in and fired it up... sort of. One cylinder is firing intermittently at idle and completely cutting out above 2,000rpm. After many tests all I can conclude is that I either have a pick-up coil that tests fine, but shuts down when called upon to perform, or a wire that is broken somewhere. I recall that cylinder was a little late to fire up before I started this rebuild, but I always attributed it to the carbs being out of sync. I've decided to go with some aftermarket units from Germany that are 400 Ohms VS the stockers that are 100 and have very thin wires.

I also added an HID headlight system to increase the lumens and lower the draw on the already stressed stock system and an inline switch to keep it off during startups. Crappy electrical systems are a trademark of the early versions of these bikes.

I really like how the red tidbits look against the chrome.

http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/Ducati%20LH%20DONE_zps9goeetyo.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/Ducati%20LH%20DONE_zps9goeetyo.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Ducati%20RH%20DONE_zpsb3x2xoy0.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Ducati%20RH%20DONE_zpsb3x2xoy0.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/DUCATI/Ducati%20Carb_zpsvj2bmbmx.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/DUCATI/Ducati%20Carb_zpsvj2bmbmx.jpg.html)
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y434/lucky1366/CARB_zpsjlughvba.jpg (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/lucky1366/media/CARB_zpsjlughvba.jpg.html)

[tripledog]

Looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product.

[knappyfeet]

Very nice.

Good call on the coils as that's what it sounds like................ or perhaps a wiring issue but who knows.

Red tidbits are nice........kinda reminds me of the kits LochartPhillips were selling back in the day.

[El Camexican]

Very nice.

Good call on the coils as that's what it sounds like................ or perhaps a wiring issue but who knows.

Red tidbits are nice........kinda reminds me of the kits LochartPhillips were selling back in the day.

Found the problem. My bad, but I had help;)

There are two wires coming off of each of the two pickups and they are all different colors. In order to pull the wires through the case hole the plastic connectors need to be removed. When I put them back together I referenced both the Haynes and Ducati manuals, but both fail to list a color for any of the four individual wires. Considering every other wire in the schematic listed a color I assumed (yea, I know :rolleyes:) that they were interchangeable.

I posted my doubts on a Ducati forum and got a reply that the wires were likely interchangeable, but that seems to not be the case as she lite up on both cylinders and kicked out a puff of black smoke from the previously dead cylinder as soon as I switched the wires at the igniter box and hit the button.

Carbs are still way out of sync, but that will be taken care of very soon :Bounce

[tripledog]

Don't get the carbs In Sync unless you want a boy band instead of a powerband.

[El Camexican]

I'm well aware of how that works. I bought my RZ 500 after watching an episode of Different Strokes.

[El Camexican]

A little update...

After getting the wiring sorted out I was till getting some missing and popping above 4,000rpm, so I ponied up for a set of aftermarket pickups some guy in Germany makes. Got them installed about a month back and was still getting some midrange popping out of one cylinder.

After seeking the advice of the Ducati forum stiffs (they know a lot, but the site is like a church) I was compelled to fatten up the pilots and the needles as well as get the synchronization done and put a timing light on it, but the Invasion prep has been taking up all my evenings... until yesterday when the trike and dirt bikes were deemed dune worthy and I was able to pull the Duck back out of the corner.

Bumped the jets up, checked the timing and synchronized the carbs at idle and then again at 4,000rpm and I'm thrilled to report that the misfiring is gone, it starts much easier and the occasional hanging up of the revs before dropping to idle is gone.

I'll do one more photo shoot with some sort of nice back drop before she becomes a driver again. Can't wait to get the tires scuffed up!!!:Bounce

[knappyfeet]

Glad you got it all sorted out

prepping for the invasion......What are you taking?

[El Camexican]

Glad you got it all sorted out

prepping for the invasion......What are you taking?

The trike and the one without a headlight. I figure I may never get to the dunes again, so I may as well pop for the tire and experience everything I possibly can on there. Are you going to be there?

238987
238988
238989

[knappyfeet]

......E-HOO-LAY LA CHINGADA !

Glamys right..........you'll like it. For everyone here regionally its our playground........... along with others.

I've got family coming out from Ohio for a trip to Vegas that week. I'm going to try to ride out there Monday to meet some members. I'm in the El Cajon area so a ride down there on the dr650 is 2 hours away.

[El Camexican]

Glamys right..........you'll like it. For everyone here regionally its our playground........... along with others.

I've got family coming out from Ohio for a trip to Vegas that week. I'm going to try to ride out there Monday to meet some members. I'm in the El Cajon area so a ride down there on the dr650 is 2 hours away.

Cool, hope to meet you.

Glamy, que pinche avion guey?

[El Camexican]

I can't believe it took me this long to drag this thing out of the shop and take it for a ride. Had an appointment downtown that has indoor parking with turn radiuses that were designed for VW's. Last time I took my truck I was having to back up at every ramp and was still rubbing curbs, so with the sun shining down and minimal afternoon traffic I decided to take it for it's maiden voyage.

After just an 8 mile round trip my back hurts, my arms are numb, my left knee seems to have developed a new pain, my neck is sore and my ears are ringing. Yep, it's everything I expected it to be! :Bounce:Bounce:Bounce

I'm not big on break-in's, but I thought 7,000rpm should be the limit for a while, so just a few raps from 4 to 6 along the way was the max. It was awesome! She breaks the tire loose at 5,000 and wags her butt between the white strips as she barks and growls. There's a 1/4 mile long tunnel under a mountain on my route that may have suffered structural damage :lol:

Unfortunately as I was putting up to my house she started sputtering and I smelt fuel. Looks like one of the float needles has a piece of crud in it. Hopefully I can drop the bowl without removing the cables and screwing up the sync.

242328242329242330242331

[El Camexican]

Found it. Almost gave up, bowl was spotless, needle was clean. It was a big flake of red paint that I assume came off one of the fuel outlets when I pushed the hoses on. It floated back up the up the fuel line. The only reason I found it was because I decided to run the pump and flush the line. I added an external filter for good measure. She'll get another run tomorrow if the weather holds.

242343

[tripledog]

Sympathy pains perhaps, but my wrist hurts from merely viewing the pics. I will forego the screen shot...

[knappyfeet]

After just an 8 mile round trip my back hurts, my arms are numb, my left knee seems to have developed a new pain, my neck is sore and my ears are ringing.

Yep..........time for a Goldwing............or a bagger!!

I surrendered to the touring machine long ago and never looked back

Very nice Ducati.

[El Camexican]

Yep..........time for a Goldwing............or a bagger!!

I surrendered to the touring machine long ago and never looked back

Very nice Ducati.

Thanks.

Swore I'd never go that route. Mentioned a small Harley for my 60th birthday gift to a buddy a few weeks ago. He just laughed at me. Not sure what's next. I've never been big on long bike trips, I prefer to trailer to a nice place and ride hard over long highway rides, but I am getting older.

[jb2wheels]

I can't believe it took me this long to drag this thing out of the shop and take it for a ride. Had an appointment downtown that has indoor parking with turn radiuses that were designed for VW's. Last time I took my truck I was having to back up at every ramp and was still rubbing curbs, so with the sun shining down and minimal afternoon traffic I decided to take it for it's maiden voyage.

As I vaguely recall the only Ducatis I spent any time with (888 SPO, early 916), they don't turn much tighter than a crew cab duallie.
Although you can use more of the "lane" to line it up.

A great excuse for a ride though!

[El Camexican]

As I vaguely recall the only Ducatis I spent any time with (888 SPO, early 916), they don't turn much tighter than a crew cab duallie.
Although you can use more of the "lane" to line it up.

A great excuse for a ride though!

Your memory serves you well. I had to take the outside lane up the ramps in the parkade LOL! Steering radius on these things is ridiculous, you either risk smacking the tank with the bars, or cracking the fairing with your knuckles. Once those risks are eliminated by adjusting the stops to the nearest .001" you're left with, as you say the radius of a school bus, but as you well know, once you get out of second gear and into the twisties all is forgotten.

I'm off to adjust the shifter height down a 1/2" and then to test my fuel filter.

[knappyfeet]

Thanks.

Swore I'd never go that route. Mentioned a small Harley for my 60th birthday gift to a buddy a few weeks ago. He just laughed at me. Not sure what's next. I've never been big on long bike trips, I prefer to trailer to a nice place and ride hard over long highway rides, but I am getting older.

I'm sick of riding hard.............

...........I spent my whole life riding hard as hell and kicking everyone's ass I could see. When i was young every road here locally was "owned" by me and my click. We were hard as Darth Vader and we knew it. We were doin stoppies down Sunset or Hollywood when the sportbikes where 580lb first gen GSXRs & ZX7s. We were splitting lanes like we had a death wish. We were doing 90mph wheelies down the freeway long before the new sport bikes made it ultra easy. It was fun at the time but I willingly handed over the reigns to the new generation of thugs and hooligans and guess what?..........it's just as fun.

No more aches and pains. A 300 mile day is like a 40 mile ride on my old GSXR1100. When I haul the trailer we get honking horns and thumbs up.........little girls wave from the minivan........I had a dude in a Viper yell "you rock!!" on the 15 from Vegas (maybe he was mocking me but I'll take it the other way)........point is you should try it. I had 2 wings......an 1800 and a 1200 and I just sold the 1800 cause my wife wants a bagger so we can pretend to be a 1% Boozfighter so I'll get one.

Every now and then I get a young punk who comes up beside me and does a stoppie or a wheelie to "dick" with me or let me know he's the sh!t. If this was 25 years ago I would have pulled him off his bike and beat his ass right there..........but now I just give him the thumbs up and turn up my Bluetooth and enjoy the ride. It's a new world........he will be in my shoes one day.

[El Camexican]

I'm sick of riding hard.............

...........I spent my whole life riding hard as hell and kicking everyone's ass I could see. When i was young every road here locally was "owned" by me and my click. We were hard as Darth Vader and we knew it. We were doin stoppies down Sunset or Hollywood when the sportbikes where 580lb first gen GSXRs & ZX7s. We were splitting lanes like we had a death wish. We were doing 90mph wheelies down the freeway long before the new sport bikes made it ultra easy. It was fun at the time but I willingly handed over the reigns to the new generation of thugs and hooligans and guess what?..........it's just as fun.

No more aches and pains. A 300 mile day is like a 40 mile ride on my old GSXR1100. When I haul the trailer we get honking horns and thumbs up.........little girls wave from the minivan........I had a dude in a Viper yell "you rock!!" on the 15 from Vegas (maybe he was mocking me but I'll take it the other way)........point is you should try it. I had 2 wings......an 1800 and a 1200 and I just sold the 1800 cause my wife wants a bagger so we can pretend to be a 1% Boozfighter so I'll get one.

Every now and then I get a young punk who comes up beside me and does a stoppie or a wheelie to "dick" with me or let me know he's the sh!t. If this was 25 years ago I would have pulled him off his bike and beat his ass right there..........but now I just give him the thumbs up and turn up my Bluetooth and enjoy the ride. It's a new world........he will be in my shoes one day.

Appreciate the insight. Guys that can do stoppies intentionally are my hero's. I've done them, but it's never the plan and it usually involves having my life flash before my eyes at the same time. The 100+ wheelies, lane splitting and other assorted acts of valor I can relate to. Fact is some time around 45 I found myself slowing down a lot, but not to the point that if all my spidey senses tell me it's ok to pin the tube I won't do it.

A few years back when I had my GSXR 1000 I would take a 3 day road trips with my buddies who all had BMW GS, Tigers and V Strom type bikes. They had their saddle bags and Ipods and I had a tank bag and ear plugs. They would constantly ask me how the heck I could sit on that thing for 3 and 4 hours at a time and then get back on and do it again.

My anecdote was that I likened bikes to women. My GSXR was like a high strung 20 year old super model in heat that was begging for more with every turn of the crank shaft. The BMW GS was like a 60 year old menopausal companion that was very affectionate and understanding of their needs. I would ask: Would you rather spend 5 minutes with the super model, or 2 hours with the 60 year old? Both are fun, but they are very different.

Bottom line, you get into the rhythm, your tires are warm and come around a corner that's elevated enough to allow you a glimpse of the next 2 miles of your life which has no oncoming traffic and a half dozen switchbacks. Do you want to spend the next 80 seconds of your life worrying about your all terrain tires slipping out from under you as your luggage catches a gust of wind at the wrong moment, or do you want to see if you can rub the Michelin man's face of the edge of your new Pilot Powers?

The pain of using a sport bike for touring all day long for those few precious moments when you can turn it on and let her scream at the top of her lungs is worth every ache, pain and ounce of scar tissue in my body... at least for now. That may change, but I'm going to live in denial as long as I can.

[El Camexican]

Took the old girl back to Canada last week to visit her first owner and entered a bike show at South Beach Casino for kicks. She took 1st. place in the European bike class and put $200 in my pocket :cool:

Earlier in the day we wove our way up through the line of Harleys and much to the chagrin of the other Duck owners gave the folks a little Italian smoke show, or "bellissimo fumo" :naughty:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY4vSV2-_Lk

[knappyfeet]

Super cool Mr. Suave!!!

[stoshu]

Took the old girl back to Canada last week to visit her first owner and entered a bike show at South Beach Casino for kicks. She took 1st. place in the European bike class and put $200 in my pocket :cool:

Earlier in the day we wove our way up through the line of Harleys and much to the chagrin of the other Duck owners gave the folks a little Italian smoke show, or "bellissimo fumo" :naughty:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY4vSV2-_Lk

Never even saw you there. Too busy having a couple in the lounge I guess.

[El Camexican]

Never even saw you there. Too busy having a couple in the lounge I guess.

Sent you a text when I rolled into town, but never got a reply, figured you were out of town. Blipped the throttle passing your place on this one on the way to Tim Hortons thinking it might wake you up. PM me your # if you changed it. :beer

254128

[stoshu]

Just checked my phone. Had a strange text from a 956 area code. Must have been you. Maybe next year.

[yaegerb]

Swing that SOB by Slidell Louisiana, I’ll answer :)