Author Topic: Help. I bought a Ducati (Read 10330 times)

Roach Carver · « **Reply #50 on:** April 30, 2016, 04:13:28 PM »

^maybe that will work. It's nothing spectacular. I guess it is to me though. This thing has not run in about 30 years and now it does.

Powderman · « **Reply #51 on:** April 30, 2016, 04:14:45 PM »

Quote from: Roach Carver on April 30, 2016, 04:09:01 PM

Stupid photobucket. I will try again.

It works now. PB as been messed up for me lately also. If I try and open a pic in my album when you click, the circle starts spinning to show it is loading, but will sit and spin for a............ , I don't know how long because I haven't been able to open a pic in the last couple of weeks. The only way to view them larger is to post them somewhere else.

Stev-o · « **Reply #52 on:** April 30, 2016, 04:18:59 PM »

Quote from: Powderman on April 30, 2016, 04:14:45 PM

Quote from: Roach Carver on April 30, 2016, 04:09:01 PM
Stupid photobucket. I will try again.

I haven't been able to open a pic in the last couple of weeks.

I do not have that issue.

Congrats Roach, the Duc is running!

Roach Carver · « **Reply #53 on:** April 30, 2016, 04:33:17 PM »

Yes it is. Thanks! Now to figure out how to shut it off.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #54 on:** April 30, 2016, 04:55:55 PM »

Sounds nice and crisp....

MoMo · « **Reply #55 on:** April 30, 2016, 06:42:05 PM »

Sweet sound

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #56 on:** May 02, 2016, 01:47:14 AM »

Beautiful work mate, well done! I have to say though, that I hate the paint. Sorry, I've been going away and coming back, and I just can't like it. I look at that beautiful shiny black fender and think how sweet that bike would look with shiny Black paint with a silver stripe and I just want to buy it so I can paint it that color! Cheers, Terry.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #57 on:** May 02, 2016, 04:17:21 AM »

Haha. I understand. I have mixed feelings on it at this point. I may change it but it won't be this riding season. If I was to do what I "want" I would have done a red metallic but I wanted to try something different. No worries. It's not a tattoo. It's just paint. Nothing a sander can't fix.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #58 on:** May 02, 2016, 04:51:15 AM »

No worries mate, get that "one wonderful day's ride" in (before something expensive falls off, it's still a Bevel twin) and then fix that paint, I know that there was a factory green not unlike that color "back in the day", but a Duke has to be red, or black, or silver, or the tri-colors of the Italian flag.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #59 on:** May 21, 2016, 04:30:53 AM »

So far I still have not completed this project. I am very close but just not quite there. I still need to get the wiring wrapped up and get the seat mounted. The plan is to take it on a three day ride in about three weeks. The way I work that is likely to be pushing it but I also don't have a lot of motivation. I can just ride something else... Something with an electric starter.

andy750 · « **Reply #60 on:** May 21, 2016, 05:58:11 AM »

Just came across this and its an inspiring project. Looking forward to hearing about your 3-day weekend ride especially after getting this far. Good luck!
(also enjoying Terrys background commentary).
cheers
Andy

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #61 on:** May 21, 2016, 05:08:42 PM »

Quote from: Roach Carver on May 21, 2016, 04:30:53 AM

So far I still have not completed this project. I am very close but just not quite there. I still need to get the wiring wrapped up and get the seat mounted. The plan is to take it on a three day ride in about three weeks. The way I work that is likely to be pushing it but I also don't have a lot of motivation. I can just ride something else... Something with an electric starter.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #62 on:** May 25, 2016, 10:05:09 AM »

I have 14 days until I leave on this 3 day ride that I take every year. I have a short list of things to complete on the bike but I am starting to sweat it a bit. I am going to keep plugging away at it but when I have a tried and true BMW and a CB sitting here it sure does make it hard to commit to taking off on this thing. I am going to be highly disappointed if this bike lets me down and I miss out on my yearly ride. The update of what I have left to do. Set valves, figure out some sort of headlight switch, a kill switch, put in a battery and get the seat mounted. I really should change the oil again before I leave but I plan to do that after a decent length shake down ride to make sure nothing falls off or catches fire. Oh and a good once over on the brakes. A bit of neglect put me in the ditch a couple years ago so I pay a little more mind to the condition of my brakes now.

Stev-o · « **Reply #63 on:** May 25, 2016, 04:29:53 PM »

I would do a couple shake down rides beforehand. How many miles is the three day? Breakfast club ride??

Roach Carver · « **Reply #64 on:** May 25, 2016, 04:55:34 PM »

I want to say a little over 600. I can't remember though. It's all remote roads. A lot of state parks. Definitely more scenery than speed.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #65 on:** May 26, 2016, 12:06:00 AM »

You'll be OK mate, I'm jealous!

Roach Carver · « **Reply #66 on:** May 26, 2016, 08:24:49 AM »

Don't be. You ride way more than I do. I am still planing to ride this thing but the crazy ignition system gives me reasons to be concerned. It operates like a magneto. Not points and condensers and you add to that a certain amount of rudimentary electronics to it it just makes me a bit nervous. I guess if it lets me down I will get a ride back to the house and swap bikes and catch back up.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #67 on:** May 27, 2016, 12:03:18 AM »

Yeah mate, that big Moto Guzzi would be my second choice, my mate Pete is a Guzzi nut and I rode his much modified T3 and his LM5 (POS, really disappointing after the T3) and I loved it.

One of the problems with my bevel Duke was the over-heating rear cylinder (common in "Forward/Aft" V twins) and the OEM cast Iron valve guides that would cause the valves to stick, turning it from a twin to a single on hot days. The fix is of course bronze guides with good clearances to allow for expansion.

I had sent my engine to V2 Motorcycles in Brisbane to be rebuilt with all the good bits, but the parts quote alone was around $3K and they wouldn't give a a total including labour, so when I saw a minty BMW K100RT (that I did 25,000 trouble-free miles on before I made the mistake of trading it for an R100RS POS) going for around $5K, I bought it and sold the Duke.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if I could have afforded to keep it, I'd really like to have it now, like my Harley and my Triumph, it really was a unique bike. Cheers, Terry.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #68 on:** May 29, 2016, 04:18:03 PM »

Made my first run on it tonight. It starts okay but it can be a little contrary. Anyway ride about ten miles and it ran fine. Handles nice. I will maybe venture a bit further in the next day or two.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #69 on:** May 31, 2016, 01:32:22 AM »

They do handle nice, that's where the term "running on rails" really applies, be careful of it standing up mid corner under brakes though, that was something I never got used to. Cheers, Terry.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #70 on:** May 31, 2016, 07:01:36 AM »

Thanks For the heads up Terry.

Roach Carver · « **Reply #71 on:** June 04, 2016, 09:45:36 AM »

Not too much new. I have put about 60 miles on it and the handling seems to be better than any of my other bikes so that's nice. I am still trying to figure out what to do on cold and hot starts. Sometimes 2-3 kicks and it fires right up. Sometimes it's 20 and a lot of fiddling. I hate the thought of fighting this mother every time I stop for fuel or lunch. I went ahead and checked out my plan B.

It's hard to not take this bike. It's tried and true and best of all. It has everything and everything works. I guess I will decide by Wednesday morning. Still planning to take the Ducati purely because I put so much work into it but the BMW is like an easy chair. I can do 3 days on it with ease.

simon#42 · « **Reply #72 on:** June 04, 2016, 02:43:36 PM »

it is a hard decision , i love air cooled bmw twins and have over 500 thousand miles on them but to be honest i would give the ducati a go
you have done so much work on it i think it would be a shame not to use it . you are only doing 600 or so miles, if worst comes to worst come back for the bm !

Roach Carver · « **Reply #73 on:** June 04, 2016, 04:33:58 PM »

I agree and wow!

Roach Carver · « **Reply #74 on:** June 05, 2016, 02:49:42 PM »

Made about 100 miles today. A good mix of straights and twisties. Also some stops and starts. I feel pretty good about it. It does have a little faint pop mid range. I may raise the needle one position/ drop the clip. All in all I feel pretty good about it. Thanks for pushing me along.

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Author Topic: Help. I bought a Ducati (Read 10330 times)