Monday, 27 July 2009
Shakedown Ride!
Right the boring bits are over now for the good stuff and the eye candy!
The handling is amazing. The closest I could describe is like a 600 sportsbike. It turns much much sharper and in conjunction with some more sticky and aggressive tyres like the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsas feels very stable. It is a little unnerving how light it feels at low speeds now and I find the front a little more flighty. I may increase the pressure in the rear (currently at 2 front and 2.2 rear) to be 2 front and 2.4 rear to push a little more weight over the front. If that doesn’t work I may drop the front forks have a notch to load the front a little more. I only stopped twice and two different pubs (not drinking I might add) and was approached by 2 different people commenting on how classic the bike looked… It now definitely attracts attention so avoid gold if you don’t like that kind of thing!
I’m currently obsessive about the bike and can’t wait to open the garage doors and just look at it. Was it worth all the pain and effort – yes and I would do it again in a second! Thanks to Martin for his patient hack-sawing and to Francine for being much more than a patient girlfriend but whom without I would not have been able to complete this swap! Oh and also thanks to Francine for asking me if I had tightened the rear axle nut shortly before riding off for the first time… I had of course tightened it back up ahem ahem!
Fitting Marchesini Wheels
Well they finally arrived. After about a month of buying, bending, straightening, re-buying and removing cush drives I finally managed to get my Marchesini 999 wheels to the powder-coaters. First I think it’s worth explaining why I went alloy and especially gold alloy. The bike that first made me want to buy a SC1K was the 1979 Ducati 900 endurance racer (pictured below).
I adored the gold wheels that it (and many other Duc racers of the time) fitted. So whilst part of me was after the performance gain that a saving of 7kg unsprung would give (LOADS!!!) I was also attracted to the classic Ducati red and gold wheels! It took a while to find the right gold but it is worth the hunting.
OK general advice for anyone starting this mod, it is not easy, not cheap, it takes time and it is worth every hour and every penny/cent you spend on it. The results are amazing, the handling literally changes the feel of the bike completely. What follows is a guide on how I did this and I take no responsibility if it does not work for you or you, it is for guidance only! To do it you will need the following
· Pair 749/999 wheels
· Rear 749/999 brake caliper
· Rear 749/999 caliper mounting bracket
· Set of spacers to make the thinner SC1K axle work with the 999 wheels (available from http://www.performanceparts.de/ )
· Set of 749/999 front brake discs
· 749/999 rear brake disc
· Speedo Healer
· Rear 39tooth Cuacati 749/999 sprocket
· 749/999 sprocket carrier
· Front and rear paddock stand
· Torque wrench
· Grease
· Cable ties
· New rear brake line (optional)
If you want to go the route I did and have them powder coated you are going to need some extra bits and also patience and a reasonable amount of tool knowledge (or a friend who has the same). D have them powder coated you will need the following extra bits
· New set of cush drives (5 in total)
· A good trustworthy powder coater who does not use acid baths
· Set of Marchesini stickers to finish off your wheels!
· Possibly a couple of new tire valves
Removing and fitting the cush drives and bearings Below is a detailed description of how to remove and fit cush drives and bearing s for powder coating purposes. If you do not wish to powder coat I would recommend skipping this bit! Ok first step to powder coating your wheels is to remove everything from them (tires, balancing weights, stickers, tire valves, bearings and cush drives. This is all easy apart from the bearings and cush drives. Bearings can be removed be either using a drift and a hammer (do a Google search many many posts on how to do this) or using a blind bearing puller (my choice). The cush drives are a different matter! You need a blind bearing puller that can fit inside the cush drives and then the puller must be able to expand to lock into the centre whole of the drive and the sides of the puller must then be able to brace on the hub of the wheel.
I adored the gold wheels that it (and many other Duc racers of the time) fitted. So whilst part of me was after the performance gain that a saving of 7kg unsprung would give (LOADS!!!) I was also attracted to the classic Ducati red and gold wheels! It took a while to find the right gold but it is worth the hunting.
OK general advice for anyone starting this mod, it is not easy, not cheap, it takes time and it is worth every hour and every penny/cent you spend on it. The results are amazing, the handling literally changes the feel of the bike completely. What follows is a guide on how I did this and I take no responsibility if it does not work for you or you, it is for guidance only! To do it you will need the following
· Pair 749/999 wheels
· Rear 749/999 brake caliper
· Rear 749/999 caliper mounting bracket
· Set of spacers to make the thinner SC1K axle work with the 999 wheels (available from http://www.performanceparts.de/ )
· Set of 749/999 front brake discs
· 749/999 rear brake disc
· Speedo Healer
· Rear 39tooth Cuacati 749/999 sprocket
· 749/999 sprocket carrier
· Front and rear paddock stand
· Torque wrench
· Grease
· Cable ties
· New rear brake line (optional)
If you want to go the route I did and have them powder coated you are going to need some extra bits and also patience and a reasonable amount of tool knowledge (or a friend who has the same). D have them powder coated you will need the following extra bits
· New set of cush drives (5 in total)
· A good trustworthy powder coater who does not use acid baths
· Set of Marchesini stickers to finish off your wheels!
· Possibly a couple of new tire valves
Removing and fitting the cush drives and bearings Below is a detailed description of how to remove and fit cush drives and bearing s for powder coating purposes. If you do not wish to powder coat I would recommend skipping this bit! Ok first step to powder coating your wheels is to remove everything from them (tires, balancing weights, stickers, tire valves, bearings and cush drives. This is all easy apart from the bearings and cush drives. Bearings can be removed be either using a drift and a hammer (do a Google search many many posts on how to do this) or using a blind bearing puller (my choice). The cush drives are a different matter! You need a blind bearing puller that can fit inside the cush drives and then the puller must be able to expand to lock into the centre whole of the drive and the sides of the puller must then be able to brace on the hub of the wheel.
You then use a spanner to pull the cush drive up as the sides of the puller are pushed down onto the hub. The centre ring will start to life and stretch the rubber and eventually one of two things will happen. The force will over coves the friction of the outer ring of the cush drive and it will pop out (Wahoo) or the force will overcome the strength of the rubber and the centre ring will pop out leaving the rubber and outer ring mounted in the wheel still (doh and double doh). I had 3 of the option a’s and 2 of the option b’s.
If you have any of the second option you are in for a long and painful process unfortunately. Once that happens the only way to remove them is to remove the rubber and then use a hacksaw blade in the drive to cut through the outer shell. The best way I found to remove the rubber is with a hole cutting drill bit in a drill with a good amount of torque. Use this to remove most of the rubber and then finish it off with a propane torch. Once you have done this use a hack saw blade wrapped in a clots(to save your finger tips) to cut on 2 sides of the cush drive all the way through. I then used a chisel and hammer to fold the inner metal sleeve in on itself and then mole grips to pull it out. Took about 40 mins to do each one but worked very well and probably sounds more work than it actually is. The longest part is the slow process of cutting.
Once this is done you can have your wheels powder coated! When you get them back there is then the process of putting the cush drives and bearings back in. It is important this is done perfectly so don’t try and bodge this bit! To put the bearings in I used lots of grease and a socket with the same size head as the outer ring of the bearing. I then used a dead hammer to knock them in straight. After doing this I have received much better advice which is to freeze the bearings and they will shrink and drop into the whole much more easily (This is the way I will go in future). The cush drives are a much bigger problem due to the very tight fit. I had my girlfriend take them into work and had them put in using a hydraulic press, this worked perfectly.
Fitting the wheels
Front – This is easy as pie. Remove the existing wheel and the 2 spacers from it. Unbolt your calipers and use cable ties to hang them off your indicators (do not bend the lines too much) Fit your 749/999 brake discs and the 2 spacers to your new wheel. Slide the axle through the spacer-hib-spacer. Re-fit your brake calipers, ensure the axle is pushed all the way in and the wheel does not move side to side. Tighten your fork bolts and drop the bike down onto its front wheel (this will seat the wheel on the axle correctly. Tighten up your axle bolt and stand back and admire your work!
Rear – This is a little more complicated. To remove the rear wheel follow the guide in the workshop manual (a definite purchase if you are doing this mod and only a couple of quid of eBay). Bleed the rear brake caliper and remove as one with the mounting bracket. Fit the spacers to the new wheel as per the instructions that come with them. Fit the sprocket onto the sprocket carrier and the rear caliper onto the caliper mounting bracket. Now here is the difficult part that is so so so much easier with two people! You need to line up the SC1K swing arm spacers with the rear wheel and the rear brake calliper mounting bracket. It is a very tight fit and needs patience. Once they are lined up knock the rear axle through and re0fit the chain to the correct tension. I found that the rear line on the SC1K was overly complicated and convoluted and also the banjo fittings were the wrong angle for the new calliper so used the opportunity to change the brake line too. I used the Goodridge build a line kit which was fantastic. I used a 40cm line a straight banjo and a 20 degree banjo to fit perfectly (see pic for cable routing).
Once all is fitted it is worth checking the rear brake works or if it needs more bleeding, check the chain tension when sat on the bike, ensure the wheels are aligned and the axle tightened to the right torque.
Enjoy!
If you have any of the second option you are in for a long and painful process unfortunately. Once that happens the only way to remove them is to remove the rubber and then use a hacksaw blade in the drive to cut through the outer shell. The best way I found to remove the rubber is with a hole cutting drill bit in a drill with a good amount of torque. Use this to remove most of the rubber and then finish it off with a propane torch. Once you have done this use a hack saw blade wrapped in a clots(to save your finger tips) to cut on 2 sides of the cush drive all the way through. I then used a chisel and hammer to fold the inner metal sleeve in on itself and then mole grips to pull it out. Took about 40 mins to do each one but worked very well and probably sounds more work than it actually is. The longest part is the slow process of cutting.
Once this is done you can have your wheels powder coated! When you get them back there is then the process of putting the cush drives and bearings back in. It is important this is done perfectly so don’t try and bodge this bit! To put the bearings in I used lots of grease and a socket with the same size head as the outer ring of the bearing. I then used a dead hammer to knock them in straight. After doing this I have received much better advice which is to freeze the bearings and they will shrink and drop into the whole much more easily (This is the way I will go in future). The cush drives are a much bigger problem due to the very tight fit. I had my girlfriend take them into work and had them put in using a hydraulic press, this worked perfectly.
Fitting the wheels
Front – This is easy as pie. Remove the existing wheel and the 2 spacers from it. Unbolt your calipers and use cable ties to hang them off your indicators (do not bend the lines too much) Fit your 749/999 brake discs and the 2 spacers to your new wheel. Slide the axle through the spacer-hib-spacer. Re-fit your brake calipers, ensure the axle is pushed all the way in and the wheel does not move side to side. Tighten your fork bolts and drop the bike down onto its front wheel (this will seat the wheel on the axle correctly. Tighten up your axle bolt and stand back and admire your work!
Rear – This is a little more complicated. To remove the rear wheel follow the guide in the workshop manual (a definite purchase if you are doing this mod and only a couple of quid of eBay). Bleed the rear brake caliper and remove as one with the mounting bracket. Fit the spacers to the new wheel as per the instructions that come with them. Fit the sprocket onto the sprocket carrier and the rear caliper onto the caliper mounting bracket. Now here is the difficult part that is so so so much easier with two people! You need to line up the SC1K swing arm spacers with the rear wheel and the rear brake calliper mounting bracket. It is a very tight fit and needs patience. Once they are lined up knock the rear axle through and re0fit the chain to the correct tension. I found that the rear line on the SC1K was overly complicated and convoluted and also the banjo fittings were the wrong angle for the new calliper so used the opportunity to change the brake line too. I used the Goodridge build a line kit which was fantastic. I used a 40cm line a straight banjo and a 20 degree banjo to fit perfectly (see pic for cable routing).
Once all is fitted it is worth checking the rear brake works or if it needs more bleeding, check the chain tension when sat on the bike, ensure the wheels are aligned and the axle tightened to the right torque.
Enjoy!
Monday, 13 July 2009
New cans!
Finally they arrived! After over a month Termigoni finally found enough Kryptonite, or whatever other incredibly rare metal they use to build the damn things, and sent my exhausts off! On unpacking it becomes clear how light they are compared to standard (also how easily oily finger marks show on matt black!
First job, remove old exhausts. They came off easy as pie, for once Ducati had not tightened the bolts to 300nm, hadn’t used superglue and hadn’t used stupid torque bolts made of toffee.Next job remove old ECU and replace with new one, easy unclip and clip, no problem. Next, undo the tank and disconnect the fuel pump and fuel lines ensuring no petrol in the tank. Damn I have a full tank of fuel and no pump. Ok ignore that entire section, loosen fuel tank, lift up around 12 inches and balance precariously on a can of WD40 to give you access to the airbox cover. See WD40 really does fix any bike related dilemma. Remove the old airbox lid and replace it the new one (which is exactly the same but with a great big hole in it, totally worth £900!!). tell you what Termi, how about you sell your cans for £600 and I’ll just drill a hole in the airbox!
Remove can of WD40 and tighten up the tank. Now remove the baffles from the exhausts before fitting them. I can not emphasise how important that is! Termi must have cleverly built the silencers around the baffles as no human could insert something so tightly! After trying pliers, heat, mole grips, swearing, throwing stuff and shouting the damn things were not moving. Well not exactly true. To make it more frustrating one had come out, the other was not going ANYWHERE! Eventually I got it about 5mmm out and managed to slide a flathead screwdriver up the bolt hole and lever the baffle out! Wahoo, success!
Fitting the new silencers was a doddle and all tightened up nice and easily. Right for the sound test… hmmm enclosed garage and 2 cans that have holes the size of coffee mugs… best wheel it outside me thinks. Well on starting, the sound has to be heard to be understood. Loud is not even close, the best word to describe it would be Armageddon!! So so loud. Took it for a test ride to the shops and back around Southampton to see how loud it was when ridden, maybe it would be better. Nope it was even louder! Swiftly back home and refit the baffles (WITH copper grease this time!). Ok now it appears to have the sound of a small hoover…. Hmmm.
As all the best solutions involve destruction it’s time to get the hacksaw. Half an hour and 15cm lopped off each baffle later and it sounds fantastic! Best of all it looks road legal and sounds reasonable when idling but under acceleration it sounds amazing! Deep and throaty with a good growl.
So now it’s just awaiting the wheels from powder coaters and the custom brake discs and the final stages of the project should be underway. Oh and those horrid mirrors must go for bar end options too!
Monday, 6 July 2009
Test Ride
It's a dry Friday, you have more leave than an Italian politician and a bike with a new set of forks.... what do you do?...day off!
Decided on about a 120 mile route leaving from Southampton and taking the (very) long way to Fernsham pond. Beautiful small lake with many ducks (always a bonus). I was lucky enough to sit under the tree below and enjoy my lunch and magazine... A perfect way to spend a Friday if you ask me.
The new forks performed fantastically! So much firmer in corners with none of this front wheel chattering over uneven surfaces. A much firmer ride but with better dampening. Overall all money very well spent!
Decided on about a 120 mile route leaving from Southampton and taking the (very) long way to Fernsham pond. Beautiful small lake with many ducks (always a bonus). I was lucky enough to sit under the tree below and enjoy my lunch and magazine... A perfect way to spend a Friday if you ask me.
The new forks performed fantastically! So much firmer in corners with none of this front wheel chattering over uneven surfaces. A much firmer ride but with better dampening. Overall all money very well spent! On the way back I may of got a little bit 'off track' (it's only being lost when you have somewhere to be in my opinion!) and ended up in the middle of a very small and muddy Forrest. Admittedly not the Sport Classics natural habitat but good fun and a another good spot for a brake and some more shots!...
Fantastic day and the Sport Classic was more than happy bouncing between country pub to country cafe and did a very good job of looking remarkably sexy outside.
Fantastic day and the Sport Classic was more than happy bouncing between country pub to country cafe and did a very good job of looking remarkably sexy outside.
My favourite comment so far about the bike... "i know what it is, not many people would but I do..". Too true, just the way we like it!
Forks!
Finally got around to getting a front paddock stand last week so could get on with fitting the new forks, wahoo! Really easy took approximately 30 mins to complete, 60 mins including tea breaks (very very important step in the process!). One piece of advice for anyone doing this is to buy the workshop manual, makes it so simple when you know the torque settings and the tightening orders.
First job remove mudguard, unmount brakes and cable tie to indicators (do not let them hang on brake lines and do not pull brake lever once off discs). Remove front wheel axle bolt and drift front axle through taking off the front wheel.
Then undo all yoke clamp bolts and clip-on bolts and slide out the old forks...
Make tea and acquire the use of some one with little hands and big patience to tighten all the ridiculous bolts on the inside of the fairing that you big hands and little patience will not allow you to reach!
Smile a big smile when your new forks are on!
Refit the front wheel and make sure the axle nut is greased before fitting. Tighten it to the correct setting and set your lovely bike down on it's new legs! It's very important then to polish again... Just in case!
Paul
First job remove mudguard, unmount brakes and cable tie to indicators (do not let them hang on brake lines and do not pull brake lever once off discs). Remove front wheel axle bolt and drift front axle through taking off the front wheel.
Then undo all yoke clamp bolts and clip-on bolts and slide out the old forks...
Admire shiny new adjustable Ohlins next to dull old non adjustable OEM forks....
Slide new forks in and (the most important step) polish immediately so you can start admiring and swooning straight away... DO NOT I repeat DO NOT have this moment spoiled with greasy, oily fingermarks all over you Ohlins....
Make tea and acquire the use of some one with little hands and big patience to tighten all the ridiculous bolts on the inside of the fairing that you big hands and little patience will not allow you to reach!
Smile a big smile when your new forks are on!
Refit the front wheel and make sure the axle nut is greased before fitting. Tighten it to the correct setting and set your lovely bike down on it's new legs! It's very important then to polish again... Just in case!
Paul
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
A bit of leverage
Ok, post numero trois! As things stand...
No, no, no, no, no, that will just not do. Horrible cheap factory fitted things. Down to the garage batman...
Box of beautiful Pazzo levers - Check
10mm spanner - Check
flat head screwdriver - Check
Cup of tea - Check
Right first the brake lever. Remove locking bolt - Done, remove pivot pin - Done, place new lever on bike - Done, Insert pivot pin - Done, lock with locking nut - Done. Ahhh voila, beautiful new brake lever. Easy as pie (mmmmm pie).
Next, the clutch lever. locking nut off, pivot pin out, lever off, unscrew the actuating pin as it's a hydraulic clutch from it's little housing.... man that's tight. Stop put things down. Get better grip and bigger screwdriver.... strip the head of the pivot pin. Swear, retrieve screwdriver from across the garage, swear at it. Get WD40... the solution to EVERYTHING. Liberal spraying, rest for 5 mins. Get pliers, grip pin bottom and turn. Remove shards of aluminium from fingers. Swear. Swear. Swear. Recover pliers from across the road. Swear. Drink now cold tea. Swear at it. Take lever back in flat. cook it on the gas for 2 minutes. Grip with pliers (hard). Turn with all your might. Get hoover. Hoover up shards of metal from floor. Swear. Recover lever from across the room. Place lever, tools, pride back in the garage. Tell girlfriend at length about Italian 'engineering'. Rest.
Next thing said girlfriend appears with mole grips, said offending lever and a smile....
Look on in bewilderment at a half removed pin. Offer help to remove the last bit. Sit back down. Watch as girlfriend proceeds to remove the pin, place the small socket back in the new clutch, re-insert actuator pin and pass it back to you. Swear.
Anyhooo, was probably worth the internal shards of metal because look....
mmmmmmmmm
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