DesmoClan Montreal

And you thought all those problems were because it was Italian.

JC

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Ducati Motor SPa
Service Bulletin 101.339B - Flux Capacitor Malfunctions in L-Twin and Single Cylinder models
Affecting: All models 1947-present, excluding Indiana 350 and 650

There have been increasing complaints to Ducati service departments regarding a variety of mechanical and electrical issues arising without warning in Ducati motorcycles of various models and production years. After evaluating various complaints, we have determined that a program of voluntary warranty service should be performed on the flux capacitor mechanism found on all Ducati models produced since 1947 (excluding Indiana 350 and 650 models).

The flux capacitor, illustrated below, is usually located in the vicinity of the cockpit, but may also be installed in the fuel tank, above the shock mounts, or inside of the tyre tubes, depending on the year of production. A list of mounting points for various models is attached.

Symptoms of flux capacitor malfunction include loud rattling noises coming from the right hand engine case on dry-clutch equipped models, electrical malfunctions on all models, inexplicable stalling, inability to start the bike and the worst possible times (ie on the morning of an important ride or event, or while being observed by an attractive member of the opposite sex, or after knocking over a Harley Davidson outside a bar in a rough area of town), erratic neutral light function, heavy clutch pull, flaking chrome surfacing on valve rockers in desmoquattro models, crankshaft galley plug backout in pre-2001 models, uncomfortable seating position on all models excluding Multistrada and STs, and the inexplicable attraction of passers by who will make inane comments such as “Is that the new Harley/Buell?”, “What’s that noise?”, or “Does Ferrari make them Doo-caaat-eees?”.

Servicing the flux capacitor requires service tool 001.555.9910483-B, FLXCAP Tensioning and Removal Unit B. To perform the service on Indiana models without the flux capacitor, use service tool 001.554.6674632-A, 5 Pound Sledgehammer.

Begin the service by assuring the customer the service will not take more than an hour, and that you know precisely what the problem is without elaborating on what it might be. Proceed to make a work order under the heading “General Service” under category C, noting the symptoms that the customer illustrated.

Proceed by placing the bike in the back of the service bay out of sight of the customer. Take the FLXCAP tool and use it to prepare espressos for the technician(s) assigned to the service. Sit near a window or bay door and drink the espresso while observing attractive members of the opposite sex passing by. Insert comments regarding the quality of their posterior, and the likelihood that you would engage in copulation with the observed in question.

Wait at least three hours before finishing the work order. Scribble incomprehensible gibberish on the order and stain it with oil and grease for effect. When the customer returns, tell them it was more serious than expected and the service took longer than initially quoted, and take the time to remind them that the shop is not liable for differences between estimates and actual labour done. When asked what the problem was, respond flippantly by saying “oh, it happens to all of those models, it’s just a loose connection in the (mutter something incomprehensible here) harness, it’s working perfectly now”. Before delivering the bike back to the customer have a technician rub grease on the bodywork and place fingerprints on any clear plastic items.

IF the customer continues to complain about symptoms, simply explain in a calm tone “It’s a Ducati, they do that.”

Appendix A: Identifying and Verifying Function of Flux Capacitor

Identifying the flux capacitor unit is straightforward. Various supplier changes and technological advancements over the last few decades mean that current flux capacitors are usually small enough to be integrated seamlessly into the wiring circuit. To locate these hidden units, look for the following symbol and follow the appropriate colour-coded wiring.

On pre-1985 models the flux capacitor was of the wound-coil static-resistance type, with a central encabulation module to regulate the flow of nofer-trunnion amperage variations. It is easily identified by the periodic release of smoke from its wiring harness on startup.

To verify the function of the pre-1985 flux capacitor, take a high amperage voltmeter and connect the sensors to the mauve and purple terminal posts of the flux capacitor. Under normal conditions, wound-coil type flux capacitors should show a nominal resistance of 1.21-1.30 jiggawatts; under 1.15 jiggawatts is considered insufficient for maintaining the operation of the system, and the unit’s adjustment spline should be turned until the correct amperage is attained. A discharge of over 1.35 jiggawatts indicates a serious malfunction in the regulation of nofer-trunnions, and if you survive the voltmeter test you should immediately replace the flux capacitor.

Post-1985 models will display an error code on the dash when the flux capacitor amperage is outside of the normal range. You can identify this code by counting the number of times out of 10 the neutral light functions. 7 failures of the light per 10 cycles indicates service code 776, flux capacitor hypercharge, 8 failures per 10 cycles indicates code 777, flux capacitor radus coil undercharge.

Appendix B: Location on Various Models

Flux capacitor location varies according to model and year of production, as well as the amount of grappa ingested by assembly line workers at the point of production. Post-1985 models will have the flux capacitor identified according to the symbol and colour code outlined in Appendix A, but on pre-1985 models the flux capacitor unit must be located by the technician. Here is a list of common locations for the flux capacitor unit on popular pre-1985 Ducati models.

Single Cylinder Models:
Narrow case (125, 160, 200 overhead cam models): Usually the flux capacitor can be found in the headlamp circuit. Identification is difficult due to the lack of colour coding in any of the wiring harnesses on these early models. Simply look for signs of overheating or scorching in the wiring harness and the flux capacitor should be located nearby.

Wide case (250, 350, 450, excluding desmo models): The flux capacitor will be installed inside the rear tyre tube of these models. As a result the service of these flux capacitor units should include the replacement of the air in the tyres; explain to the customer that fresh air is needed in the tyres to maintain optimal roadholding.

Single cylinder desmo models: The flux capacitor is located in the bevel shaft of the overhead cam drive. These models used an experimental design of flux capacitor that utilized the rotation of the bevel shaft for the generation of ionic fields. As a result undetectable oscillations through the valvetrain creates a tendency for the valves to easily work out of clearance, usually creating clearances that cannot be corrected by the shims on hand, forcing a trip to the dealership and a subsequent wait while the correct shims are shipped on the slow boat from Bologna.

L-Twin Models:

Bevel drive overhead cam L-Twins (750S, 750SS, 900SS, Darmah, Mille, Mike Hailwood Replica): On models with fiberglass fuel reservoirs, the flux capacitor will be located inside the fuel cell. Generally locating any leaks or seepage of fuel through the joints of the tank can identify its location. On models with metal fuel tanks the flux capacitor is integrated into the kickstart gear, and has a tendency to cause violent kickback when persons unfamiliar with kickstarting Ducatis attempt to start the bike. On models with “electric start” the flux capacitor is in fact what masquerades for the electric starting motor. It serves no function in starting the bike.

Air cooled belt-driven overhead cam L-twins (350, 500, 650 Pantah and all variants before 1985): On early belt driven air cooled models, the flux capacitor is located in the primary gear of the camshaft belt drive pulley. Like early desmo single cylinder models, the oscillations created by the rotation of the flux capacitor have a tendency to unbalance the harmonic resonance of the cam belt system, usually leading to catastrophic cam belt failures shortly after the bike is sold to a new owner.

Please note that Indiana 350 and 650 models do not have flux capacitor units; as such they should not be considered true Ducati motorcycles. Any attempts to publicize or draw attention to Indianas should be terminated with extreme prejudice using the procedures outlined in Service Bulletin 101.559R – Selective Company Memory and Enforcement of the Ducati Code of Silence.

If you have a Ducati and you haven’t heard about Martin Brickwood Performance in Pointe-Claire, you are seriously missing out! Guy Martin makes a variety of upgrades for 4 and 2 valve Ducatis, as well as distributing Brembo brake components and Cycle Cat parts.

Guy is best known for his upgraded valve-retention system that extends the adjustment interval of Ducati valves from 6000-7500 miles (10-12000 kms) to over 12 000 miles (20 000 kms). I’ve personally heard of 4V streetbikes going for over 15 000 miles without needing adjustment with these collets. He makes sets for all 2V, 3V, and 4V models (except the 999R and 749R), and they are well worth considering if you want to reduce your maintenance cost.

He also sells reconditioned rocker arms for desmoquattro models, which are a steal at 50$ USD each in exchange for your old ones. Compared to 100$ US for an OEM rocker that will probably flake again anyway, this is a steal.

Guy offers extensive engine tuning options if you want to get some more power and torque out of your Duc. Give him a call to find out what your options are.

Be sure to mention the DDCM to get a 10% discount on labour!

Call Guy at 514.694.9695
MBP Ducati
Guy@MBPDucati.ca

Riding the Legend – The 916

There aren’t many machines that inspire awe and envy quite as effectively as a Ducati 916 “Campione del monde Superbike”. In fact there aren’t many machines that become legends before they even get out of the box - this was the case when the 916 was unveiled to the public in late 1993. With development beginning in the late 80s, when the 851 was still the king of the V-twin sportbike class, the 916 was destined for greatness in all aspects – design, style, performance, and racing pedigree. Designed from the ground up as a top spec racer, the 916 was blessed with prodigious performance for the day, and the styling created by Massimo Tamburini and the Cagiva Research Centre was achingly beautiful and well ahead of the curve when compared to the portly and conservative styling of contemporary sportsbikes. Here was a purposeful, clean and perfectly executed machine without compromise introduced into a sea of overweight and ponderous competitors.
Contemporary road tests proved the 916 had more performance than its modest figures let on – able to cover a standing quarter mile in 10.8 seconds, and zipping from nought to sixty miles an hour in the 2.9 second range, the 916 was lighter, faster and had impeccable handling manners when compared to the Japanese 1000cc fours. This was despite a significant power deficit; Ducati claimed between 105-114 hp from the desmoquattro mill, which was a stroked and massaged version of the outgoing 888 L-twin. Lap times held no doubts when the dyno disappointed – the 916 was always fastest around a track, and its domination of World Superbike attested to the incredible stability and composure of the design through the bends.
This was all well and good at the track and against the clock, but how did the racing pedigree translate to the street riding experience? What is it like to own and ride the legend, to live with a 916 on a daily basis and on real roads? This is where I hope to provide some insight, having logged thousands of miles on my personal 1997 model through all types of weather and roads.

The Machine ———-

The greatest asset to the 916 is its focus and lack of compromise, which can also be its greatest weakness in daily use. This machine was designed to win races and dominate the competition, not for puttering through city traffic or suffering ham fisted riders. Where Japanese superbikes are easy to ride and more or less forgiving of minor errors, and are even docile when treated with respect, the 916 is a snarling, raucous, unforgiving purebred that will not suffer fools gladly.
We’ll begin with the motor; here is one of the finest designs to emerge from Borgo Panigale in the 20th century, providing a scintillating powerband that the modest dyno charts can never convey. One thing that strikes most riders is the revvy nature of the mill, despite the fact this is a big twin. The motor spins up freely and effortlessly, and produces most of its power in the upper rev range. Such is the benefit of desmodromic valve actuation that is lost on most motorcyclists – here is a motor that should feel lazy and punchy, but instead screams to redline with fervour usually reserved for multi-cylinder machines. Low end torque is not particularly noteworthy, and is overshadowed by the stupendous driveline lash inherent in a big twin – anything less than 3000 rpm and the bike will shudder and protest your inputs. Midrange is more than adequate, but stock machines are marred by a flat spot at 4500-5000 rpm – something easily remedied by a slip on exhaust kit with an upgraded fuel EPROM. It’s above this that the motor truly shines – from 6000 rpm the bike emits a hard-edged roar from the huge ram-air intakes and lunges with ferocity to the 9500 rpm redline. Spinning the motor above 7000 rpm is a revelation, and produces a spine tingling howl accompanied by a significant spike in power. The undeadened intake roar of a 916 is one of the most incredible noises one will ever experience, and was lost when the 996 got rubber venturi blocks in the intake runners. Redline seems to come on fast and without warning – in typical Ducati fashion, the 13 000 rpm tachometer has no marked redline, and the locomotive surge of power in the upper rev band stops abruptly with the cutout rather than tapering off before redline. Despite this, the motor is happy to be short shifted around 7000-8000rpm, and makes plenty of useable power and grunt from 4000 rpm onward. Vibration is minimal, with only a slight buzziness creeping through the fuel tank in the midrange; nothing comes through the bars or the pegs, unlike most other Ducatis which have the footpeg brackets bolted directly onto the crankcases.
Throttle response from the Weber-Marelli fuel injection is superb, and a model for fuel injection systems – this on a design that is now approaching 15 years old. On/off transitions are smooth and easy to modulate, and the throttle feels directly connected to the motor – no hesitation, lag or overboosted feel here. Unlike many Japanese designs, which use overly sensitive throttles to make the bike feel more responsive, the Ducati has a progessive feel – half throttle is half throttle, full throttle is full throttle, whereas most designs are overly sensitive below half throttle and numb above that. This means that at first a rider may find the Ducati a bit flat and underpowered – but twist the grip with a bit more authority and suddenly the bike comes alive.
Ducati gearing is always a source of curiosity to people new to the brand. The 916 is no exception; with 55 miles per hour available in first gear, and the motor turning a leisurely 3500-4000 rpm in sixth at 60 miles an hour, the gearing is tall to a fault. The 916 is geared for over 170 miles per hour, with a genuine 155-160 mph available on the straights – impressive stuff for a 100-odd horsepower twin, and a testament to the superb aerodynamics of the design. Sixth is really an overdrive at anything less than triple digit speeds. Shifting is quite adequate, if a bit notchy; as with most things on the bike, one must use authority when shifting, and careful adjustment of the pedal height is critical.
Pulling away from a stop in first requires practice and finesse, especially with the finicky dry clutch conspiring to self-destruct its friction plates if you don’t carefully feather the throttle and clutch. Any newbie to the 916 is going to be surprised when they feel a harsh vibration channelled up the seat when the clutch slips – this is the bike’s none-too-subtle way of telling you “you need to practice your technique a bit more, squid”. This isn’t mentioning the stupendous racket the dry clutch makes, especially after a few thousand miles of bedding in. You will hear it constantly – knocking on part throttle acceleration, clinking on overrun, chattering at low revs, and generally giving the bike an air of perpetually imminent mechanical destruction. Having a stock, closed clutch cover helps mask the noise, but most owners opt to open up the clutch, making the noise even more pervasive. It’s a strange quirk of the brand - learn to love it or buy something else.
The brakes on a 916 are a bit behind modern standards, and were known for being a bit disappointing even when they were current. The discs are a weak spot, and most 916s came with rubber brake lines that gave mushy feel. When properly set up, there is very little lever travel and a slightly wooden feel, but the front brakes will haul the bike down very easily with a firm hand on the lever. The rear brake is for appearance only – the only reason to use it is to settle the suspension or hold the bike on a hill. Using it while downshifting will lock the rear wheel, and any other time it doesn’t seem to do anything at all. Mike Hailwood knew this 30 years ago, and was known to never use the rear brake on the bevel head racers because combining it with the prodigious compression braking of a Ducati twin was a quick way to lock the rear wheel. Learn to ignore the rear pedal and be firm with the front, and the system won’t disappoint, but don’t expect stellar performance.
The real revelation of a 916 is the superb handling. When setup properly, the bike is a paragon of stability combined with fluid response. A 916 will almost never shake its head, and is the antithesis of a twitchy, flighty Japanese sportbike. What you lack in quick turn-in is made up for in an absolutely amazing ability for the bike to hold a line, even over road imperfection. One has to learn to give steady, smooth and authoritative inputs – once you get used to the slightly heavy steering, the magical ability of the bike to effortlessly lean and carve through apexes will make you never want to get on a twitchy-bastard of a Japanese sportbike again. The amazing part of the 916s handling is its ability to flatter the rider and inspire confidence – nothing surprises or upsets the balance, and even sliding the rear wheel feels completely controlled and without drama. Suspension fine-tuning is very effective, and with adjustable rake and trail and rear ride height the bike can be tailored to suit anyone. The incredible ability for the bike to lean (there is no limit to ground clearance – if you are dragging parts, you have lowsided) means that even spirited riding feels effortless. The bike simply shrugs it off. Beyond this, the 916 chassis has an amazing ability to transmit “feel” unlike any other machine. You feel the road surface through the steering, feel even the smallest imperfections gently channelled through the suspension and frame in such a way that you are always aware of what is occurring and what the chassis is doing, without it being harsh. It’s difficult to imagine the feeling until you’ve ridden one, and then gone back to another machine. Everything else feels woolly and numb in comparison.

Riding the Legend ———-

So what’s it like to actually ride a 916? The first thing that strikes a rider is the size of the bike – it’s tiny and thin, like an 8/10ths scale replica of what you expected. The midsection is surprisingly narrow, and once seated on it the bike seems to disappear beneath you. The tailsection is high and large, forcing you to perform a small acrobatic manoeuvre every time you get on or off the machine. The seating position is compact and forces you into a crouch, while the seat height is reasonably low for shorter riders. In fact the whole machine is better suited to someone with a small frame – it fits my 5’7” 130lb body perfectly, but taller and larger riders will feel cramped by the restrictive seating position and small size of the bike. The seat is broad and flat, but the stock padding (or lack thereof) is completely inadequate for spending any time in the saddle, and if you slide backwards against the bum-stop you are raked out into an uncomfortable stretch. The trick is to sit close to the tank and relax your upper body, being careful not to get frozen into the infamous torture-rack seating position. The clip-ons are low and well placed for the seating position, but inevitably you get pitched forward by the ass-high seating position and lose circulation through your wrists. In my case, my hands tend to fall asleep every 30-40 miles. Surprisingly, while the 916 was always known for being a horrifically uncomfortable bike, most current sportbikes are even more uncomfortable. Progress has led to increasingly squeezing the rider into an awkward riding position, and what goes for “comfortable” on a sportbike today makes a 916 look downright cushy.
Once you hop on, you are greeted with a clean dash that is dominated by the huge green Ducati Racing tachometer. Next to this you have your standard Ducati speedometer, which only starts at 20 miles an hour, and has 55 miles per hour conveniently marked in red – just to remind you that once the needle swings past that mark your license may be at risk. Flick on the ignition switch buried in the tank behind the top yoke and wait for the fuel pump to prime. Now reach down under the throttle twist grip to find the fast idle button – a spring loaded toggle that holds the twist open slightly to increase the idle. Thumb the starter and listen to the lazy starter struggle against the high compression pistons, building momentum until the bike suddenly thunders into life with a bark, the clutch chatter offsetting the boom of the exhausts. Wait for the engine to warm up before blipping the throttle, because the slow oil circulation means that the valve train gets a beating when the motor is cold.
Riding the bike takes a bit of getting used to. There are small quirks that every 916 owner has learned to deal with. The sidestand is invisible when you are seated on the bike, and flips up behind the footpeg, so getting it down requires a bit of fancy legwork. Stock, the bikes came with a spring-loaded “suicidestand” that would snap up when the weight was removed – this should have been bypassed by now, but if it isn’t take extreme care. As previously mentioned, the dry clutch and tall gearing conspire to make launches difficult until you get the technique down, and if you are ham fisted with your shifts you will grind the clutch and get a nice vibration shot up your backside. Riding requires firm and steady inputs with everything; any hesitation is punished. Riding and shifting smoothly requires careful throttle control and blipping, and a slightly abusive attitude. Rev the motor, work the throttle, be firm with the shifter and brakes – with an authoritative hand the bike responds beautifully and cleanly. Once on the go, all the quirks seem to melt away.
That is, until you get stuck in traffic. Here the true horror of riding a 916 sinks in. At anything less than 40 miles an hour, the bike feels like a caged beast, rattling the bars and growling in its confinement. The clutch chatters and clacks, the driveline lash makes the bike stutter and jump, the clutch feels heavy, the steering is ponderous, the turning circle is much too wide, the heat coming off the underseat exhausts roasts your legs, and the brakes feel wooden and difficult to modulate. You curse the seating position and the tall gearing, and have to explain to people at stops that yes, that noise is normal, no there is nothing wrong with the motor, that’s just the clutch… When you come to a stop you realize finding neutral is nearly impossible, and the neutral light is about as trustworthy as a Dallas used car saleman, and then the bike stalls without warning because all-this low speed running is fouling the spark plugs. Everything conspires against you at low speed, and after a while you begin to wonder if something is wrong with the bike – what’s that noise, is that the clutch or is the motor knocking? Did I get a bad batch of gas, what’s with all the sputtering? I think the plugs are fouling again…
Then you hit the open road and wind out the throttle, and suddenly all the problems you encountered in the city melt away. The motor comes on the cam and sings clearly and crisply, the clutch racket disappearing and the power coming on smooth and strong. The gearbox suddenly makes sense as you carve through the backroads, never needing more than one or two gears with enough in reserve to accelerate into the triple digits on the straights. The natural cruising speed seems to be right around 80 miles an hour, with 100-110 effortlessly available to pass slower vehicles. The slow steering gives way to smooth and progressive turn in, the bike completely unflappable on even rough roads. The fairing punches through the air effortlessly and you tuck into the slipstream and hammer through the gears, listening the magnificent noise and riding with grace and ease. This is where the 916 makes sense, flaws be damned. You forget the finicky running at low speed and the discomfort you are feeling from the cramped position; out here, on the open backroad, the 916 is a revelation and an incredible experience that borders on religious. You are a part of the bike, every component seems to be connected to the tips of your fingers and the palms of your hands. You feel everything and you are in complete control of every function. You are dancing across the asphalt in perfect harmony with the machine.

Living with the Legend ———-

So all of this is well and good if you take the bike out for a nice ride on a clear winding backroad. But what is it like to live with the legend on a daily basis?
I’ve logged many thousands of miles on my own 916, and have made a point to use it frequently. All too often I see cases of neglected “garage queens” – bikes bought for the pedigree and bragging rights, then used seldom if ever, languishing and slowly deteriorating at the back of a garage. These garage queens are the worst examples to buy, as years of neglect will take its toll on these sensitive machines. So, despite the irritating flaws and uncompromising nature of the machine, I use my 916 whenever I can. These are the types of machines that respond well to frequent use and babying, even if their very nature precludes them from being useable as daily drivers.
One conclusion I’ve drawn is that there really is no excuse for not using them daily, as long as you have a good stock of painkillers and can avoid slow traffic. Riding a 916 over long distances (I rode my own 3000 miles from Montréal to Cape Breton and back) is an exercise in stamina and testing your threshold for pain; without copious amounts of ASA and ibuprofen it’s nearly impossible for all but the most masochistic of us. You lose circulation through your wrists, your hands cramp, your legs freeze in the crouched position, your upper back aches. It’s not an exercise for the faint of heart. But I still prefer long distance touring to trundling through traffic; at least on the open road the bike has a chance to stretch its legs and run free, even if you aren’t nearly as composed as the bike is. With tall gearing, an unstressed motor and stupendous fuel economy (55 miles per gallon is possible at a steady 100 miles per hour) the 916 has a long-legged, intercontinental ballistic tourer feel to it. If it wasn’t so damned uncomfortable it would be brilliant, and Ducati themselves realized this and created the ST4 to put the 916 motor into a proper sports touring package. Generally most of the riding one will end up doing will be finding the fastest routes to get to a nice set of twisting switchbacks, or the nearest racetrack. Anything in between is an exercise in tedium and pain control.
The main issue with 916s is that they are finicky beasts at the best of times. They require regular tinkering to keep in top spec, and are plagued with all manner of irritating issues ranging from small glitches to catastrophic failures. Most of the “quirks” can be ironed out with careful and thorough preventative maintenance, and a healthy scepticism for the integrity of Italian engineering always helps make things more bearable. In all honesty it isn’t as bad as some people would lead you to believe, but regardless a 916 is far behind the Japanese competition in terms of reliability and dependability.
It is absolutely critical that the maintenance schedule is followed to the letter, no ifs ands or buts. Valve adjustments and belt changes are the minimum operations to prevent mechanical catastrophes, but many other small tasks must be carried out on a regular basis to ensure nothing goes wrong. This is the main difference between an old Ducati and a Japanese machine – where a Japanese machine can run forever with minimal attention, a Ducati superbike demands constant care and servicing. But when the servicing is performed according to schedule, you will be rewarded with a brilliant machine that will perform well and last many years.

In the End… ———-

So all of this is to say that the 916 is a stunning motorcycle that is at times very difficult to live with. But don’t despair, because we fortunate few who have bought these machines know that despite the headaches, the backaches, the problems and the flaws, we will always love our finicky Italian beauties and will keep putting up with the punishment for those brief moments of glory on the backroads. If you have the opportunity to ride a 916, take it; if you have to opportunity to own one, buy it. It was a marvel in its own time, and even today, some 14 years after it was introduced, the 916 remains the pinnacle of focussed sports riding and is a benchmark for anyone who wants to own the most uncompromising, pure-laine superbike of the 1990s. On the right road, in the right gear, at the right speed, with the asphalt whistling by, the 916 is a religious experience to the sportbike faithful. The legend of the 916 lives on, and is well deserved indeed.

———-

Jason Cormier is a freelance writer and motorcycle mechanic, and President of the Ducati Owner’s Club of Montréal.

The DIY PDI Checklist

If you have just bought a new bike, it’s a good idea to do a thorough post-delivery inspection to make sure everything is safe and well adjusted. While your dealer should have done a complete safety check during the pre-delivery inspection, it’s always a good idea to double check. Plus it will give you a chance to learn some of the finer points of your new bike.

A basic “PDI” should include checks of all the following items, and should be done before your first ride:

- Verify the tightness of:
o The front axle pinch bolts
o The front and rear brake caliper retaining bolts
o The fork triple pinch bolts
o The rear axle bolts
o The rear sprocket bolts
o The rear chain adjusters
o The handlebar clamps or clipon mounting bolts
o The steering damper mounts (if applicable)
o The mirror bolts and adjusters
o The exhaust bolts, flanges and brackets
o The seat bolts (if applicable)
o The saddlebag mounts and mechanisms (if applicable)
o The footpeg mounting bolts and the footpeg retaining pins
o The gearchange lever pivot bolts
o All fairing and bodywork bolts, nuts and fasteners
o The coolant hose clamps (if applicable)

- Check the operation of:
o The headlamps - high, low, and passing beam
o The taillights and brakelight switch for the front and rear
o The neutral light
o The oil pressure light
o The dashboard warning lights
o The turnsignals
o The horn
o The steering lock and parking lights
o The seat release latch (if applicable)
o The front fork travel (no sticking or binding or funny noises)
o The steering head (should not be too firm or too loose and should not make noise)
o The rear shock travel (ditto)
o The fuel cap release
o The choke or fast idle lever (if applicable)
o The brakes, clutch, gearchange, and throttle (check for smooth engagement right to the stops, and make sure nothing sticks, binds or jams)
o Any auxiliary functions, accessories, or controls (if applicable)

- Check the levels of:
o Oil (should be checked frequently)
o Coolant (if applicable)
o Brake fluid
o Clutch fluid (if applicable)
o Fuel

- Check the adjustment of:
o Verify the tyre pressure (very, very important to do this once a week at least)
o The brake levers (if they are adjustable, make sure they feel comfortable and aren’t too far away from the handlebar on the front, or too low for your seating position on the rear)
o The clutch cable (if applicable. It should have a few mms of slack - not tight and not loose. If it is hydraulic check the lever adjustment like on the brakes)
o The throttle twist (the twist should have no more and no less than 1-2mm of freeplay)
o The rear chain slack (if applicable. This varies on each bike, but for a general idea: on a single-sided swingarm bike, there should be 25-35mm of slack; on a double swingarm bike, 30-40mm. No more, no less.)
o The gearchange lever (the lever is adjustable in two spots, depending on the model – at the gearshift rod and at the input shaft. The lever should be close to your toes at rest without touching, and you should be able to shift up and down by just gently flicking the lever with your toes, not stomping down or lifting your foot up off the peg)
o Make sure the suspension adjustments are set correctly – this is mainly for the front forks, make sure at least the preload adjustment are the same on both forks and that the forks caps are raised the same height above the top triple clamp.
o Check all the fuses to make sure none are burnt out
o Check the routing of all cables, hoses, wires and lines to ensure nothing is pinched, leaking, cut, twisted, binding, rubbing, or restricting the operation of other components.

- Check for leaks from:
o The fuel system
o The radiator and hoses (if applicable)
o The oil cooler and lines (if applicable)
o The hydraulic brake lines
o The hydraulic clutch line (if applicable)
- Start the engine and check:
o The cold startup / choke operation
o The idle speed
o Throttle operation
o Temperature guage operation
o Tachometer operation
o Speedometer, odometer and trip computer (if applicable)
o Check for exhaust leaks
o Double check for any fluid leaks while the engine is running

Once you are sure everything is ok, take it for a short verification ride around the block to make sure everything is working fine, before you go on an extended ride.

Check out our updated Ducati Tech Corner for our articles and links to excellent technical libraries.

Desmoclan Ducati Tech Corner

Jason

Four things that don’t get much publicity:

First, you can remove the rubber gasket and space the stock clutch cover with the brass bushings embedded in the gasket instead of running an open clutch cover. So you get the full-noise effect without exposing your clutch to damage or quite so much road crap and rain. This works better on older (1998 and older) models, with covers that didn’t have sound deadening material in them. Obviously you can get an “undeadened” cover from an older bike if you want to do the mod, they are mostly universal fitting. I prefer the sound of this setup to my old carbon fibre cover and most open covers - it’s loud enough to be heard but not too loud, and it resonates nicely inside the space of the cover. And then you have the peace of mind of a solid metal cover protecting your precious clutch pack. If you want to space the cover out further, you can get 5/16″ OD brass plumbing grommets from any hardware store to replace the teeny gasket rings.

Second, and this tip comes straight from a former Ducati race mechanic, take off two of the six clutch springs on the pressure plate. Obviously remove two that are diagonal so it is even. This isn’t pretty if you have an open cover, I know, but you don’t need the force of six springs to handle the torque output - four is more than enough. So you can reduce a bit of pull effort and shave a few ounces (grams?) off the clutch pack at the same time, for free!

Third, regular cleaning of the clutch plates is critical for making them last, but there is a little trick to add life to the clutch pack. If you pull out a partly worn clutch and look very closely at the friction plates, you will notice one side wears slightly faster than the other side. Take note of which side this is (I forget if it is facing the inside or the outside, it’s been a while since I did it last) and simply flip each friction plate over after cleaning so the worn side is facing the opposite way. This will even out the wear on the friction plates if you do it regularly.

Fourth, If you want to increase the lever travel, I discovered this little trick. You need to have Brembo adjustable levers to do this. Instead of lining up the adjustment wheel with the numbers, just put it halfway between 1 and 2 (1 being the furthest out). It will give you another 1/2″ of travel, which is a significant difference. On most adjustable levers it would just slip out of position, but on the Brembo levers it will stay in place between two cogs.

Cheers
Jason Cormier

Ducati Desmoquattro Superbike FAQ – So you want to buy your dream bike…

What’s good about them?

Well, many things. Most people tend to agree that the 916 series is a groundbreaking model and will remain a classic motorbike for years to come. This ensures good resale value (bad for buyers, good for sellers, heaven forbid you should actually sell it) and means you’ll always know you bought a motorbike with genuine heritage and prestige. They are beautiful machines, inside and out, from the small details up to the entire bike. The Italians are particularly good at making the machine as a whole seem like an intricate piece of art, with individual parts being beautiful on their own as well as together. Beyond the good looks, these bikes are good to ride too. Handling is very manageable and confidence inspiring, not to mention very stable. These bikes are very responsive to suspension setup and mild performance tuning, turning a great bike into a fantastic one. And few will argue against the cachet and head turning potential of these machines.

What’s bad about them?

Many things again. They cannot be neglected or abused – they require frequent maintenance and careful servicing, otherwise they will suffer serious mechanical failures. They need to be used regularly or they will suffer a whole other set of problems. The electrical is inadequate on early models, without exception. They are dogs to ride at low speeds, they are uncomfortable, and they are utterly uncompromising machines. They were designed as race bikes first and street bikes second – remember that and it won’t seem so bad when you are stalling and overheating in traffic.

As I will explain, there are many areas that need attention, and many things that can go wrong. But if you are a patient tinkerer with decent mechanical ability, or someone with a fat wallet and a helpful dealership, then you can keep them running well forever.

What goes wrong?

Electrical – the pre-1999 charging systems are completely inadequate. The 916 uses a piddling 350 watt alternator that cannot keep its 16 AMP battery charged without regular hook ups to a trickle charger. The alternator uses a stator hub bolted to the end of the crankshaft on the left side – the nut holding the hub on has a tendency to loosen and can cause engine seizing, if not crankshaft and alternator damage, so it needs to be tightened regularly. The regulators on early models are prone to failing and should have been replaced with an upgraded, metal backed item – but even these can overheat next to the horizontal exhaust pipe, unless they are relocated into a cooler spot with better airflow. The wiring has a tendency to burn out quite easily if the system is overloaded. The system is not really weatherproof either – none of the connectors are greased at the factory and key components are exposed to corrosion. It’s a good idea to go over the entire system with dielectric grease as soon as you get a hold of it. It’s not uncommon for a bike to refuse to start after rain riding or washing, because water gets into the connectors and corrodes them.

Things that break – Some things on the superbikes are fragile, and commonly crack or break. Some you need to worry about, some you don’t, some are potentially catastrophic. 1. The coolant reservoir/expansion tank is located inside the frame ahead of the airbox and under the fuel tank; because of its complex shape and awkward position, it tends to crack and leak. It’s cheap to replace, around 20-30$, so keep an eye out for leaks and fix it ASAP.
2. The plastic airbox on early models (pre-1999-ish) is a bit thin and commonly cracks along the creases of the plastic. This isn’t really anything to get upset about, just seal the crack with black silicon. You can always put on a later airbox or if you have the money get a carbon fibre replacement.
3. The triple trees and clip-ons can crack – this is a serious problem and if it pops up it needs to be fixed immediately – you don’t want a fork to fall off or a clip on to snap while you are riding.
4. The rear wheel spindle was recalled for the potential to develop hairline fractures – dealers were supplied with an ultrasound machine to check for invisible cracks. Make sure this has been done.
5. The oil pressure switch (or “sender unit”, located ahead of the clutch cover) commonly fails. It will usually start setting off the oil light intermittently, and oil will seep up through the switch. Obviously if the oil light starts coming on, check the oil pressure right away – if it is within specs, then your pressure switch is to blame. Replacements are 5$ from UAP/NAPA.
6. The stock clutch slave cylinder on early bikes is very likely to blow its seal and dump the hydraulic fluid, leaving you without any clutch control. If you are masochistic, keep a few spare seals to replace them when it happens. If you are smart, buy an Evoluzione double-seal piston or an aftermarket slave cylinder to fix or replace the stocker.
7. The stock sidestand is a spindly aluminium item, and is very fragile compared to a cast steel item. So don’t put any undue stress on it – this means ABSOLUTELY NO levering the bike onto the sidestand to clean the chain or spin the bike around, and always set the bike onto the stand gently. You do not want one to break unexpectedly, especially while levering the weight of the bike on it.
8. Generally, Ducati has a fondness for aluminium bolts. These are nice and light, but they are also prone to stripping and breaking very easily. So always be gentle and follow the recommended torque specs whenever you are removing or installing anything.

Things that fall off – Here again, there are a number of items that need to be watched and loctited to makes sure they don’t fall off on the go.
1. The fuel tank bolts have been known to rattle loose and fall out – this doesn’t sound so bad, until you realize the bolts site directly above the front cylinder intake. Dropping an 8mm bolt into a running motor’s intake in a quick way to have a spectacular blow up. There are two bolts securing the front tank bracket to the bottom of the fuel cell, pull off the tank and secure these with loctite ASAP.
2. The sidestand, when the suicide spring is bypassed, has a tendency to back out its mounting bolt. This is because the snap-up spring is connected to the nut that secures the bolt in place – to bypass the spring you need to get a shortened bolt and ditch the securing nut. This means the bolt is only held in place with about ¼” of thread. You will notice it when it starts to back out, the bike will begin to lean over further than usual on the stand. Immediately tighten the bolt when this happens before the sidestand falls off. I recommend safety wiring the bolt in position, as it tends to get greasy and loctite isn’t very effective on a short thread that gets saturated with oil, dirt and grease.
3. The oil pressure switch won’t fall off (thankfully) but the wiring to it is pretty floppy and gets tangled in the wiring harness near the battery, so whenever the wiring is disturbed it has a tendency to disconnect the pressure switch. If you notice the light is off when the ignition is on but the motor is off, then the wire probably came loose and needs to be reconnected.
4. The front sprocket (“countershaft sprocket” in Ducati speak) is a unique fully-floating item. This means is loosely attached to the output shaft with a small brass plate secured with two 8mm bolts. It’s normal to have a significant amount of sideways free play in the front sprocket (its part of the reason there is really bad driveline lash at low rpms) but you have to check the tightness of the securing bolts on a regular basis, and loctite them regularly as well. Also replace the retaining plate every few thousand miles, it wears out quickly and replacing it will help smooth out the power delivery a bit.

Fueling – The fuel system is quite prone to clogging the filter and splitting the fuel lines inside the fuel tank. Replace the fuel filter regularly and keep an eye on the line for splits – when they happen, replace the all the internal lines immediately with good quality items, I recommend UAP/NAPA fuel injection line. Most models use plastic quick-disconnects to connect the tank to the fuel lines – these should be replaced with metal items (available from Triumph for 955i models, or from OMEGA lab supplies in Quebec) because you WILL break at least one in your period of ownership. Viton o-rings are used to seal the fuel tank and the quick disconnects, and woe to the person who doesn’t keep spares for either of them.

Rockers – On post-1996 models, the rocker arms of the valve system are prone to flaking their chrome. The rockers are coated in chrome where they contact with the camshaft lobes, and it’s here that the chrome will wear, pit, and eventually flake off, leading to camshaft damage and flakes clogging the oil system. The only solution is to buy aftermarket hard-chromed items from MBP or Megacycle to replace flaking rockers – buying OEM rockers will not fix the problem and they WILL simply flake again, no matter what the dealer tells you. To check for the rocker arm problem, pull out the handy oil strainer on the right side of the motor above the drain plug and look for chrome flakes. If there are flakes, you need to open the heads and take out the cams to check the rocker surfaces to know which ones need replacing. If you don’t find flakes, you can probably rest easy, but they should be verified at every valve adjustment regardless.

Galley plug – on any pre-2001 Ducati, there is a possibility of the crankshaft oil-galley (sometimes called “oil gallery”) plug to back out and start grinding on the inside of the crankcase (actually the bearing race of the crankshaft on the left hand side). Eventually the plug will fall out and you will lose lubrication to the big end bearings – meaning big engine failure. Check the oil strainer for slivers of aluminium from the plug rubbing the crankcase to see if it is happening. To fix it, you need to split the cases, pull out the aluminium plug and replace it with a post-2001 steel item secured with threadlocker red. It’s a 2$ plug that can cause big problems if it starts falling out, and along with the rockers is one of the main things to watch out for.

Belts – Camshafts are driven by an automotive style Kevlar-reinforced rubber timing belt, and these MUST be replaced every 2 years or 12 000 miles. If not, the belts will likely snap and head and piston damage will result. Any bike that has been sitting for long periods of time or has really low mileage is in danger too – the belts will snap if neglected over several years. Early belts were not Kevlar reinforced and are more prone to snapping – these are identifiable by their white lettering, as opposed to red on the Kevlar items. If you are paranoid (like me) replace them ever 6 000 miles. OEM items from the dealership run around 70-80$ apiece, but you can buy identical Bucci belts from third party suppliers for around 30$ each.

Crankcase breather – Ducatis have a fair bit of crankcase pressure, and respond well to large breather boxes to reduce pressure to atmospheric levels or better yet, a vacuum to help pull the pistons down. On race bikes, double breathers and large volume breather boxes were used for maximum power. On the street bikes, the breather is still pretty large by conventional standards. Unfortunately the stock breather isn’t the best design and is prone to getting overwhelmed with oil and misting oil over the rear cylinder. So a fine mist of greasy buildup around the breather is normal. If it bugs you, you can always get an improved aftermarket breather. Also make sure you don’t overfill the oil above the max level, as it will increase the likelihood (and amount) of oil misting.

Wheelies – Ok, wheelies and stoppies are bad for any bike. Tipping the sump backwards or forwards will shift the oil away from the sump pickup – when the pickup sucks air, you might as well be running without oil. On Ducati superbikes you have an added problem – the above-mentioned crankcase breather. Oil will shoot up the breather when you pop a wheelie, and has the potential to either spit oil into your airbox (best case scenario) or spray it over your rear wheel (very bad, especially when you are in the middle of a wheelie).

Airbox seal – Ducati superbikes use a unique airbox setup – the top half of the airbox is the bottom of the fuel tank, the bottom half is a stressed chassis member secured in the frame, with a rubber seal between the two. Air is fed into the system through ram-air ducts along the sides of the cockpit; instead of putting the filter into the airbox in the conventional spot, there are two filters, one in each air runner. This allows maximum airbox volume, the best airbox resonance, and good intake pressurization. Unfortunately, the airbox seal between the ‘box and the tank isn’t great, and dust can seep in. The best thing to do is coat the airbox and the runners with a layer of chain lube. Some companies sell foam filters that slip over the air intake trumpets – these will prevent dust from getting into the intakes, but it also takes up airbox volume, allows junk to get into the airbox itself, and destroys the crucial resonance effect - dyno tests prove a LOSS of 3-4 hp compared to stock filters. I’ve used them and I don’t recommend them. The fact stock filters cost a fraction of the cost of ineffective aftermarket items, and work best in most situations, is reason enough to leave them alone.

Bearings – Italians mechanics seem to have an aversion to grease so check the condition of the steering and wheel bearings, and be sure to load them with fresh grease whenever you can.

Drops – Ducatis are fragile machines, and a simple drop in the garage will mean thousands of dollars in damage. If dropped on the right side, the battery can crack and leak acid on expensive engine and frame parts, and the external dry clutch is easily damaged in lowsides. Fairings are expensive and easy to crack, as are the mirrors and mounting stems. All of this is not aided by a spindly aluminium sidestand that is prone to breaking and/or backing out its mounting bolts. This is assuming the dreaded “suisidestand” has been bypassed - the original stands were spring loaded to snap up as soon as the weight was taken off them, and rigged so that the ignition was cut when the stand was down. This means the bike would easily fall if bumped, and could not be idled to warm up without sitting on it. Get an aftermarket stand bolt and a bypass kit or face the consequences.

Oil – Ducati recommends 10w/40 viscosity oil in the desmoquattro motor. Most people agree 15w/50 or 20w/50 is a much safer bet, and synthetic is recommended. This is better for the bottom end bearings and for the rocker arms, which are prone to oil starvation due to the nature of the oiling system. When cold, the motor takes up to 90 seconds to circulate oil to the heads because of the lack of one-way valves in the oil lines, and a long circuit for the oil system. So let the motor idle for at least 90 seconds (or better yet, until the temp guage hits 140 degrees) before touching the throttle, otherwise you may exacerbate the rocker arm flaking issue.

What’s that noise?

If Ducatis are unique in nothing else, it’s in the noises they make. Some things can be disconcerting to newbies to the brand, so here’s a rundown of what to expect:

Dry Clutch – For those in the know, a Ducati dry clutch is a trick piece of race engineering for the road. To those who don’t know, it’s a bit scary. The clutch is located on the outside of the crankcase, and as the name suggests, it’s a dry multiplate unit – it’s the same as in any sportbike, except it doesn’t sit inside the engine bathed in oil. There are many benefits (and as many drawbacks) to this system, which I won’t bother describing here; needless to say, it’s a unique system, and has the distinction of making one hell of a racket. The noise is due to the clutch friction plate tabs rattling in the slots of the basket as the clutch spins around. I’ve heard it described as 1970s Buick big block with a broken conrod, or as the sound of a shot crank bearing. To me it sounds like terminal piston slap. Whatever it sounds like, it’s loud, it’s different, and it’s nothing to worry about. It will clatter and clack (tackatackatacka) when you leave it idling in neutral, and will jingle and boom (kerchinkakerchinkakerchinka) when you pull the clutch lever in. It will also clatter loudly if you lug the motor below 4000 rpm; driveline lash is a problem with the dry clutch, big power pulses, and a floating front sprocket. If you run an open cover you will also hear it when you shift or when under moderate load. If it really bugs you, you can always put a sound-deadened solid cover (available after 1998, you can tell by the rubber padding inside the cover) or buy an aftermarket fitted clutch pack that won’t rattle back and forth in the basket.

Intake – Another source of glorious racket, the intake roar of an early superbike is truly awesome. Pre-996 models (916-748s) had unrestricted intake runners that generate a phenomenal roar from around 4500 rpm up. This is the airbox resonance effect, sometimes called Hermholz resonance; it’s the sound of the air alternately pounding into and getting pushed out of the airbox by the ram-air and intake effects. It’s a good noise, it means the intake is working properly. 996 and later models had rubber venturi blocks inserted into the intake runners after the air filters to dampen the noise – if you want the full noise effect open the runners and pull the restrictors out. Alternately if you don’t like the noise buy some restrictors and put them in.

Cams – Here we are talking about a lack of noise rather than an abundance of it. Because Ducatis use automotive-style timing belts to drive the cams (look at a Ferrari V8 and compare it to a desmoquattro with the belt covers removed) there is almost no camtrain noise, especially compared to the whirring and whining of chain or gear driven cams on most bikes. You might notice a slight twittering noise on overrun if anything – those are the desmo valves at work.

What do I need to know about maintenance?

Four valve Ducs are high maintenance machines, but everything is pretty straightforward. Follow the service regimen and your bike will last a long time – but neglect it and you will have serious problems. Here are some primer points on the unique steps in Ducati maintenance.

Valves – desmo valves need frequent adjusting due to their valve retaining setup. They use easily deformed half-rings to hold the valves in place, and over time these rings will shift and even break, changing the clearances drastically. A solution is replacing them with oversized, hardened collets from MBP (Canada) or EMS (USA) and matching shims, or if you are cheap and do your own adjustments reuse the existing half rings that have already been mashed into submission (assuming they aren’t broken).

It’s easy to learn how to adjust desmo valves, so don’t get scared off by the BS of arrogant mechanics. There are plenty of articles available on the subject so I won’t bother repeating the process here. Suffice to say that the biggest problem is that you need a lot of shims – 16 in total for the desmoquattro, that’s 8 opening and 8 closing shims. So if you need to adjust a lot of the valves, it’s a pain to run back and forth to the dealer ordering different shim sizes. If you have the money, buy an aftermarket shim kit and save yourself some running around. If the valves are tight, you can get away with carefully grinding the existing shims down to the correct thickness; be sure to grind them evenly and accurately on some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper.

The cost of neglecting the valves are serious – too tight clearances will stretch, mushroom and snap the valve stems and bash the valve seats, and too loose will cause noticeably poor running, especially at low rpm, and put more stress on the valve train. Improper clearances will also increase the likelihood of flaking rockers and cam damage. So don’t neglect them. Ever.

Due to the nature of the design (closing the valves mechanically), desmo valves are hard on the seats compared to most conventional valve setups. To maintain optimum sealing the valves should be lapped every adjustment, but this means taking off the heads – this is fine on early (pre 1999) bikes that use fibre type head gaskets that only cost about 25$ each, but a bit of a pain on later models that use 125-150$ a pop copper gaskets. So use your own judgement on that one.

Alternator – the alternator nut needs to be checked every 6000 miles on all desmoquattro motors, moreso on early single-phase bikes with the stator bolted to the crankshaft. While the 520 watt three phase system of 996s and later 748s is different, they are still prone to loosening their alternator bolts and causing serious damage. To check, you need to remove the left hand cover – early bikes used a now-unobtainable paper gasket to seal the left cover, later models just use Three Bond sealant. Most people just use the sealant rather than trying to track down gaskets, but on single-phase bikes you need to check the clearance of - and possible re-shim - the timing pickup on the LH cover if you are changing the way it is sealed.

Belts – Another area that should never be neglected, the belts are pricey direct from Ducati but cheaper from third-party distributors. CA-Cycleworks sells Bucci belts identical to the OEM items for half the cost. Replacing the belts is simple, but tension is critical, Always err on the loose side if you are doing it without the official tool (you should get it verified at a shop asap if you do so), otherwise the belt will snap very quickly. Again, never, ever neglect the belts, they are cheap insurance against an engine blow up.

Fuel system – as mentioned before, you need to keep an eye on the fuel lines and filter. If the filter gets clogged or the lines split, the fuel pump will work overtime and overload the electrical system, if the fuel flow doesn’t stop completely. So be prepared to replace the lines and filter ever 6000 miles or so, and make sure to avoid getting kinks in the lines. Something that can be considered is replacing the screw-type hose clamps with gentler snap-type clamps designed for high-pressure fuel injection lines – again, you can get these from Triumph for the 955i models. This will help prevent splits around the edges of the clamps. The o-rings on the disconnects are very easy to nick due to the design of the coupling (a very poor and fragile design that I curse often), and spares should always be kept handy because when they start leaking it’s a real pain in the ass.

Oil – obviously oil changes are important, but desmoquattros have an extra step in the process – check the strainer. The oil strainer is a gauze pickup that screws into the right hand side of the engine above the drain plug, and needs to be taken out every oil change to be cleaned and checked for metal flakes. Tiny amounts of metal or gasket material are signs of normal engine wear. Aluminum slivers, chrome flakes, or significant chunks of metal are bad news. The drain plug is magnetic and picks up swarf from the transmission, so it’s normal to find a few fingernail-clipping-like slivers of steel and steel fuzz. If you find a lot of steel material on the plug, either your shifting technique is atrocious or there might be something else going wrong…

Ducati says change the oil every 6000 miles. We say change it ever 2000-3000 (with new filter ever 6K), and always use synthetic.

What do I need to know about tuning?

Ducatis have a wide variety of tuning options available, with plenty of nifty parts to empty your wallet. Here are a few areas of note.

Exhaust – You can’t have an Italian v-twin without freeing the sound of Italian thunder. Aftermarket systems come in two forms – full systems (very rare and very pricey) and half systems (slip ons from the spaghetti pipes up, very common but still not cheap). Different models have different exhaust diameters, from 45mm up to a max of 57mm on race parts. Bigger diameter exhaust systems don’t necessarily help power, in fact a system that is too big for the motor tuning will just make it run horribly and sacrifice a significant amount of torque and midrange power. There is a sweet spot for each model, talk to a Ducati tuning expert about options. Even a half system will free a fair bit of horsepower – 5hp at the rear wheel is easily gained on a standard machine with a proper fuel map, more is possible by uncorking SP, SPS or R models.

EPROMs – These are one of the great features of Ducati superbikes. Weber-Marelli fuel injection systems (P7 [851/888], P8 [916 Strada], 1.6M [916 Biposto and Senna, 748, 996*]) store their fuel maps on a replaceable microchip called an EPROM. EPROMs range in price from 40$ for OEM items or copied aftermarket chips, right up to 250$ for calibrated, multi-trimmer aftermarket chips from specialists like Ultimap. Ditching the stock EPROM for even a basic unrestricted item (read: open exhaust pipe chip) will give a significant boost to the midrange and get rid of the 5000 rpm flat spot (put there for noise and emissions regulation testing). A new EPROM is a must if you replace the exhaust system, otherwise you will just hurt power delivery. Let your budget dictate what you want – a Ducati Performance open-pipe EPROM is cheap and will suffice for most street bikes, but if you want perfect fuelling you can always get a custom chip burned from dyno testing, or at least get a calibrated item from Ultimap.

* Single injector mod (996) – The 996 uses double fuel injectors, and they are known for being a pain in the ass. Stumbling, flat spots, and on-off hesitation is a problem with the 996 fuel system, but it can be fixed by disconnecting the two secondary injectors and installing a Senna open-pipe, single injector fuel map (Ducati Performance EPROM number 062) in the 1.6M ECU. Search the net for a step by step guide.

Intake – As I’ve already mentioned, the stock filters are your best bet for a compromise between air flow and engine protection. You will always get the best power from stock filters, as all EPROMs are tuned with stock filters in mind. If you are keen, BCM makes a modified in-the-runner filter setup, where oiled paper filters slide into brackets secured to the airbox openings. These filter better than the stock items, but they don’t solve the airbox seal problem, require airbox modification, and are expensive. In my professional opinion you should stick to stock filters, they are cheap and work well enough under most conditions.

Head work – One nice thing about 4V Ducatis is they feature hand-ported heads right from the factory. No japcrap port casting here, just smooth and perfectly ported intake and exhaust tracts. 996s are ported to RS superbike specification; earlier models are very good too. Combustion chambers are CNC machined, which gives a smooth combustion surface to improve fuel swirl and reduce hot spots that could lead to detonation. They are easy to polish to a mirror finish with some fine grit sandpaper and abrasive compound, something worth considering if you have the heads off for freshening up. So basically you don’t need to port the heads; if anything you might want to polish the exhaust tracts and combustion chambers, but leave the intakes alone, they are hard to improve upon.

Timing – Ducatis respond well to careful setup of the valve timing. This needs to be done by a pro with the right tools and the right ideas – different Ducati tuners recommend different timing specs. Sometimes just baselining the timing to factory recommended specs makes a significant difference; often the timing will be off a few degrees due to the loose tolerances of mass production.

Squish – Here again, mass production is working against you. Desmoquattros run at their optimum with about 1.00-1.05mm of squish, but most (except for a few hand built homologation specials like the 748R) are between 1.3 and 1.4 mm. On early bikes with a 1.2mm fibre head gasket, the easiest way to set squish is to remove the 0.3mm base gaskets and seal the barrels with Three Bond. If you don’t want to ditch the base gasket, you need to have the barrels shaved at a machine shop. On later models with a thinner head gasket and thicker base gasket, all you need to do is order some thinner base gaskets – on the 996, the base gaskets are 0.6mm thick, so you get 0.3mm items and you are set. Always make sure you check the squish properly, if you have less than 1.00 mm of clearance you will contact the head when the conrods stretch, causing catastrophic damage.

Cams – Lots of options are available for hot cams, 916/996 SPS items being the most popular. Standard 916-748-996s have identical cam profiles and are mostly interchangeable. VeeTwo makes billet high lift cams, and there are plenty of other aftermarket options. But always be aware of the drawbacks – you will lose low end and midrange power to gain top end, and higher lift mean more stress on the rockers and valve train. Plus your bike will need thorough tuning to optimize for the new cams. And they cost a heck of a lot on their own – cheapest I’ve seen is 1500$ for a set of stock SPS items.

Pistons – Once you’ve looked up the cost of a set of Ducati piston rings, you’ll understand why aftermarket forged high compression pistons are so popular – they cost little more than a set of OEM rings. There are drop in piston options for the stock bores, which is the simplest and cheapest way to up compression and power. If you want to overbore, 853 kits are available for the 748, 955 kits for the 916, and over 1000ccs is possible for a 996. But when you start messing with overbores, you are stressing the motor beyond its design and can seriously compromise reliability. Grenading motors are not an economical option for the street. It’s also advisable to rebalance the crank for different piston weights, and this means splitting the cases and generally going through a lot of trouble to do it properly – which a lot of people don’t. My advice is to avoid buying previously overbored bikes unless you reaaaaally trust the person who did it.

Flywheel – On 1.6M single-phase alternator bikes, the flywheel is a dead-weight item bolted onto the left hand side of the crankshaft – it isn’t used for timing purposes like most bikes (including the later three phase superbikes, as well as P8 computer’ed bikes). What this means is that you can completely remove the 2lb flywheel to drastically reduce rotating mass in the motor. This makes the motor rev hellishly fast – there is no more power than before, but throttle response will be really snappy and the bike will rev and reach the powerband a lot faster. Unfortunately this serious compromises the tractability and torque delivery of the motor, so unless you race or avoid slow riding entirely it’s not the best option.

Cranks – Crankshafts can be swapped between models to increase stroke for a gain in torque and power. Almost all Ducati cranks from 1992 on are similar in design, even the 2Vs are the same as the 4Vs. Obviously you need a piston with a higher deck height to compensate for the added stroke, otherwise you’ll end up with a ridiculously low compression ratio. Putting a 916/996 crank into a 748 will give you 803cc. Putting a 900SS/ST2 crank in will give you 827cc. A 900/ST2 crank in a 916 gives 944cc, in a 996 it gives 1026cc. This is just with stock Ducati cranks – aftermarket options are available too if your wallet can handle it.

Clutch – Oh where to begin. Needless to say, the dry clutch has limitless aftermarket options, from lightweight clutch baskets to anodized pressure plates and springs and all sorts of ventilated cover designs. Less weight is always good, to reduce the rotating mass of the engine/driveline, but alloy and aluminium components in the basket and clutch pack will reduce the longevity of the setup - the stock steel baskets and hubs can last indefinitely. Clutch packs will last anywhere from 3000 to 30 000 miles depending on how gentle you are on take off and how much stop and go riding you do. Some easy mods to do (that cost nothing) are removing two springs to reduce lever pull, removing the rubber gasket from the stock cover and spacing it with brass grommets (to let the noise out and air in to cool things), and routinely washing the clutch plates in mildly soapy water. Flip the friction plates over on a regular basis to even out the wear, it’s a simple way to eek out extra miles from the pricey clutch packs.

Suspension – the stock components on any superbike are above average to really good. As with any bike, you can always rebuild the shock with a spring for your weight or get new fork internals, but the stock stuff is pretty good for majority of riders. Usually what your bike got was determined by what was on the shelf when it was being assembled. For example, some base bikes got a trick Ohlin’s shock, others didn’t. In general, the components respond very well to careful setup, much more so than most Japanese hardware (cough Kayaba cough) which feels pretty much the same even after serious knob-twiddling. On everything except the base 748 models you get an adjustable steering head angle – this uses eccentric bearing races to adjust the steering head angle between 24.5 degrees (road) and 23.5 degrees (race). If you don’t know where yours is set, there is a quick check – see if you can lock the steering. In race mode, you can’t lock the steering head, in road mode you can. Also be certain the steering damper is correctly positioned – the rear mount is for road angle, the forward mount is for race angle. My former mechanic forgot to switch this after rebuilding my front end and I had a hell of a time trying to figure out why the bike kept pulling to the left slightly… There is also a rear shock linkage that can be adjusted to raise or lower the rear ride height. This should be left stock for most applications – that’s 261mms between the bearing centres. If you really want to sharpen up the steering, add 8-10mm of length to the rod, thought I don’t recommend it if you aren’t familiar with suspension setup.

There are plenty of other things you can do, just look through a Ducati Performance catalogue some time to see how many methods Ducati has devised for emptying your wallet.

So why do I want one if it is this much trouble?

Well, the million-dollar question is always why do we chose a finicky, high maintenance, fragile Italian machine over a more reliable, faster Japanese machine. The fact is, these bikes are unlike anything else on the road. They were legends in their own time, they were championship-winning racers, and they offer some of the most fantastic feedback and feel you will ever experience on a motorbike. The steel trellis chassis transmits road feel unlike anything else, and the suspension components are top quality items, even on the base models. Handling and road holding is fantastic, even 13 years after being introduced. The engine is smooth, and the power pulses of the big v-twin are easy to manage compared to the tyre-spinning thrust of a four cylinder. Ducatis are mostly hand-built, even today, and a lot of attention goes into the details. Despite their flaws, the motors are very solid and can handle a lot of power when maintained properly. And having one of the most beautiful bikes of all time doesn’t sound bad does it? To be frank, we bought our bikes with our hearts, not with our heads. If you really want one, it doesn’t matter what the flaws are. They are brilliant machines and us owners are a nutty, die-hard lot.

Cheers
Jason Cormier

- How To – Adjust 4V Desmo Valves

Often demonized and rarely understood, desmo valve adjustment is becoming a bit of a lost art as people are discouraged from touching their own machines because of the supposedly frightening complexity of desmodromic valves and the need for “special tools” to do the job.

Of course most of this is BS. Desmo valves are no harder to adjust than traditional valves, the only difference being that there is twice the number of… everything – double the shims, double the measurements, double the rockers, etc. But with a little patience and the right techniques it’s all very straightforward and not at as mind boggling as some people would want you to think.

- Opening note –
I’m doing this adjustment with the head off and on the bench. This is the easiest way to adjust 4V heads, but has some problems – first, you need to replace the head gaskets, and second you need a special wrench to take the heads off. On pre-1999 bikes, head gaskets are thick, fibre-composite items that cost about 25-30$ each (so 60$ total). This makes taking the heads off worthwhile. On post-1999 models (starting with the 996) a thinner, multilayer metal gasket was used – these run about 125-150$ each. Obviously if you are running a tight budget and have a later bike, leave the heads on and adjust them in place. I will not cover the procedure for removing the heads; this tutorial assumes you have the heads off, or at least have the timing belts removed with the heads in place.

If you take the heads off, it’s recommended you lap the valves with grinding compound. Ideally this should be done every 6000 miles (10 000 kms) for optimum sealing. Every 12-24K miles (20 000 – 40 000 kms) is good enough for most people. Also think about setting your piston squish while you are in there, these motors respond well to careful squish setup.

-“Special Tools” -
To remove the heads (if you want to, see above) the special cylinder head wrench is a closed end 12-point 15mm with a ½ drive attachment for a torque wrench. You can buy cheap ones from DesmoTimes or Motoreva, for around 45$ US. Compared to 300~ for the Ducati tool, that’s a bargain and is well worth it if you plan on doing your own work.

You will also need a closing shim adjustment tool – a top hat shaped plug that fits into the closer shims to measure them with a micrometer. Aftermarket items sell for around 15$ US.

To remove the rocker pins, I use an M5 bolt with a nut, a washer, and a 5/8” socket. This actually works better than the expensive factory tool in most cases.

-Checking Clearances-
First, lets look at the desmo setup. We have a double overhead cam design driven by automotive style timing belts on the right hand side of the engine. There are two rocker arms per valve, one for opening and one for closing. Thus on each cam there are four lobes – two for opening, two for closing. The openers are the small lobes on the outside operating the top rockers. The closers are the large lobes on the inside operating the lower rockers. The closing rockers are aided by “helper” hairsprings that close them at rest or at low rpm. You can feel the tension of the helper springs when turning the cams. At higher RPM they become pointless, but when the engine is starting or at idle they are needed to maintain sealing with loose closing clearances.

There are two shims per valve as well – one small shim sitting on the top of the valve stem to set the opening rocker clearance and a large shim wrapped around the valve stem (securing the retaining collets) to set the closing clearance.

The easiest way to check the clearances if you leave the heads in place is to loosen and remove the timing belts with the piston at top dead centre on whichever cylinder you are working on. TDC cam position and the default position for measuring the clearances is with the opening lobes (the small ones operating the top rocker) pointing towards the top outside corner of the head.

Checking the opening clearance is simple – at TDC, check the gap between the top shim and the rocker arm.

There are two ways to check closing clearance, and the best method is to use both of them. First, there is “loaded/unloaded” clearance. The “unloaded” clearance is the opening clearance you just measured. To measure “loaded” clearance, you take a screwdriver or a small socket on an extension and press down firmly on the lower rocker arm (the forked part poking out below the bottom shim). Now measure the gap between the top shim and the top rocker arm. You will get the opening clearance with the closing clearance added to it – the loaded gap. What you are doing is pushing the closing rocker against the tension of the helper spring to squeeze it against the cam, thus giving you your different measurement.

The second measurement is the clearance between the cam lobe and the surface of the closing rocker. This is tricky to measure because it is hidden behind the cam, and needs a set of long, angled feeler gauges. In a pinch you can disassemble a normal set of feeler gauges and use the individual leaves to measure the gap. I measure the closer this way after doing the loaded gap, as a double check for my first measurement.

So in this case I had:

0.127 mm opening clearance
0.178 mm loaded gap

Subtract opening clearance (unloaded gap) from loaded gap.

=

0.051 mm closing clearance

This is too tight on the closer side. Ducati recommends the following for most desmoquattros:

Intake
Opening - 0.05- 0.18 mm
Closing – 0.16 – 0.25 mm

Exhaust

O - 0.05 – 0.23
C – 0.11 – 0.20

So this means we have to open things up to replace the closing shim.

- Changing Shims -

Replacing opening shims is a simple process, but changing closing shims is a much more involved procedure and has a number of steps. I will detail how to replace each type of shim individually; it’s best to avoid replacing closers unless necessary.

First, you need to know that each rocker pivots on a pin inserted into the side of the head. There is one pin for each rocker, with small oilways through the centre of the pins to lubricate the pivots. To remove the cams, and to remove either of the shims, you need to withdraw the pins out far enough to move the opening rocker off to the side off the top shim.

To withdraw a pin, you first need to take the central side covers off the heads. These are the triangular covers located on either side of the head between the cam end caps. On the left side, there is an external oil line that needs to be disconnected before removing the covers.

You will see four pins on each side of the head, the lower ones are for the closing rockers (and should be left alone) the upper ones are for the openers. Place the socket over the pin and extract it with the bolt and nut as shown; be sure to have a long bolt so you can screw it fully into the end of the pin, otherwise you risk stripping the inner thread of the pins.

Slowly tighten the nut to pull the pin out; it will feel tight at first but will gradually loosen as the pin is extracted. As the pin comes out, you will notice that you can slide the opening rocker arm sideways. Keep pulling the pin until you can slide the rocker off the top shim and to the side. You don’t have to remove the pin completely unless you want to remove or replace the opening rocker.

Now you can remove the top shim. If you are only changing the opening shims, this is all you have to do. Once you replace the shim, reposition the rocker arm over the shim and pound the rocker pin back into position with a hammer.

(Cam removed for clarity)

To replace a closing shim, things are a bit more complicated.

First, you need to remove the camshaft. To do this, you need to withdraw the rocker pin of the opening rocker on the right hand side so you can slide the rocker off the shim. Once this rocker is moved, you can manoeuvre the cam out. Undo the two retaining bolts on the right hand pulley cap and firmly pull the assembly out, being careful to turn the cam lobes so they don’t get caught on the rocker arm.

Now you can see the rocker arm faces clearly. Check the cam surface of the rockers for wear or signs of chrome flaking, a common and serious problem on any post-1995 4V Ducati. Any flaking rocker arms need to be replaced with improved aftermarket items, available from MBP Ducati or Megacycle in exchange for old rockers. If not, you risk damaging the cams, throwing off the valve clearances, and sending chrome flakes into the oiling system. In the case of this head, the rockers are showing the early signs of flaking, with grey patches along the cam contact surface.

To remove the lower shim, use a flat head screwdriver to lever the closing rocker down. Gently push on the edge of the closing shim to move it down and expose the retaining collet. Use a magnet to extract the two halves of the collet and then slide the closing shim off the valve stem.

Please note if you are removing the closing shims with the heads in place on the bike, you need to secure the valve stem so the valve doesn’t drop into the cylinder. The easiest way is to wrap a zip tie tightly around the stem above the oil seal, and be careful not to push down on the top of the stem.

The half-ring collets are pretty unimpressive, and they are the reason for the frequent adjustment intervals of Ducati engines. The stock half rings deform and crush easily, and will often shatter at high rpms, so don’t be too shocked if your collets come out in more than two pieces. A solution is to get larger, hardened collets from MBP or EMS, but on the 4V this requires using specially machined opening shims. It’s an expensive process to install the upgraded collets and shims, but it will pay for itself by allowing you to go from adjustments ever 6 000 miles (10 000 kms) to every 12-18 000 miles (20 000 – 30 000 kms).

Ducati recommends replacing the half rings whenever you remove them. Most people agree that re-using the already deformed half rings will make it less likely for the clearances to shift. If your half rings aren’t shattered or obviously damaged, consider re-using them. Supposedly the best way to re-install the rings is in the exact position they came out – so if you plan on re-using them, mark the stem and the rings with marker before removing them so you can reposition them in the same spot.

Reinstallation is the reverse of disassembly, as they say. One key thing is to make sure the half-rings are properly seated – there is a “special tool” for this, but as with most special tools you can do without it. Reinstall the half rings and closing shim the same way you removed them, then snap the rocker arm against the shim by levering it down and yanking out the screwdriver with the arm under moderate tension (about ½ inch of travel). This will snap the shim into place and seat the collets snugly. To double check, make sure the top of the valve stem is flush with the top of the closing shim, and gently lever down the rocker arm again to make sure the shim doesn’t slide down on its own.

If you do use new half-rings, you may have to redo the clearances from scratch. Hence why most people are happy to reuse the half-rings.

Always double-check the clearances on reassembly. If anything is off, fix it. The cost of being lazy and ignoring improper clearances is very high. When run with improper clearances, Ducatis will shatter collets, flake rocker arms more rapidly, damage the valve seats, and mushroom the valve stems. They can also break and drop valves, as the valve is designed with a welded carbon-steel length on the top of the stem where the shims and collets sit – guess where they are most likely to break under stress.

Hope this helps demystify the process a little.

Happy riding,
Jason

From Ducati.com:

“50% less maintenance cost on every 2007 Ducati
We are proud to announce that all 2007 Ducati models require less frequent service, fewer parts and less labour during each service and, as a result, greatly reduced scheduled maintenance costs – by as much as 50%.

Reducing the cost of service when you visit your Ducati dealer for maintenance is one way to measure the new quality of Ducati. It also contributes immensely to making the Ducati ownership experience as satisfying as the Ducati riding experience.

Research and development is the number one investment at the Ducati factory. This investment in performance and quality includes our factory processes, machinery and the people who build each Ducati. By ‘engineering-in’ quality through design, materials and testing, every Ducati owner will enjoy significant and quantifiable improvements in every Ducati motorcycle.

To a rider, the best measure of quality is by the riding experience. You can feel a new smoothness to the legendary Ducati L-Twin, a more progressive nature to the powerful brakes and more confident road holding in every turn. Reliability and quality – one ride is all the proof you will need.

50% less – 100% Ducati – standard equipment in every 2007 model.”

Ducati Maintenance Announcement

New to Ducs? Or you just don’t quite understand “desmodromic valve operation”? Check out this article from the Ducati Tech Café.

Desmodromics for Dummies