New toy just as the nation freezes...

[hawkati]

Oh, I'll just add - shifting the engine around seriously easy due to a lighbulb moment. Engine in box on top of pillows, strapped to old rear paddock stand. Ramp into back of car - piece of piss!

[hawkati]

Surprise phone call the other day, and the engine is ready. Threw it in the frame in a frenzy of spanner twirling then the weather pissed on my chips. Stable is so full I can't swing a cat in there now so working on bike (or not, depending on weather) takes place outdoors.
Tomorrow & Wednesday I have off work & allegedly dry so I might just get the bastard up & running. Yee, and indeed, haaaa!

[weeksy]

If you were not already balls deep into it i'd have offered a dry workspace for a week.

[wull]

Just caught up on this. That’s a bummer mate but the positives are it’ll be bob on now and you know that it is.

[hawkati]

All good. Bit of tidying up and the fairing throwing on but it's a goer. Took it for a gentle 35 mile bimble last night and it's running just fine.

[Skub]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

[Taipan]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

Bank statements...

[Skub]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

Bank statements...

[Supermofo]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

I was thinking exactly the same thing! Sounds like there's a bag of nails in the crankcase and it vibes like it's come out of a sex shop. So probably normal Ducati

[hawkati]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

When it goes real quiet?

[weeksy]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

When it goes real quiet?

hey, it's a 1098 and it starts... that's better than the one i bought.

[Bigyin]

There's some clatter off that! How do you tell if a Ducati has mechanical issues?

I was thinking exactly the same thing! Sounds like there's a bag of nails in the crankcase and it vibes like it's come out of a sex shop. So probably normal Ducati

I am always happy my Ducati doesnt have the dry clutch, i couldnt live with that noise

Glad its all sorted for you, shame you picked up one with known issues and i bet the dealer knew as well

[hawkati]

Sofa so good - 450 miles of running in,300 to go and offski next Friday to that thar Europe. Completely rebuilt & threw new tyres on yesterday. New brake pads on tonight and an oil & filter change next Thursday. Yee, and indeed, haaa!

[hawkati]

Made it to portimao - roughly 2k of travelling over 5 days and mostly thoroughly enjoyable with a few occasions of grim urban riding. Clutch desperately needs bleeding but that can wait till tomorrow before going on track for three days. Then, a bit frustratingly, I have to return directly since work & family are getting too demanding.
Used dunlops - d212 soft front which will be dead by tomorrow, and a roadsport 3 which is damn fine even on the twistiest of mountain roads. Swapsies for d212 rear for track and medium d212. Roadsport 3 goes back on for the return = happy me.

[hawkati]

3000ish miles later and a hell of a random adventure. A few fundamental issues with the bike - exhausts fiendishly hot = setting luggage alight despite heat shielding. Throttle position sensor issue coupled with domino white ring "see jesus" quick action throttle = vicious behaviour. O ring in slave cylinder failing & shite rearsets = often not being able to downchange correctly.
Almost all that sorted out now, and a resolve that if I do Europe again it will be me, bike, card & no luggage rather than cluttering bike with shite.
Damn glad I did it though and with solving the problems above this bike is more keeper, less Christine now...

[hawkati]

[hawkati]

[hawkati]

It's still a bit of a bugger, but more forgiving than my old 996. I had to get back pdq so dud it in three days - 360, 470 & 470 miles. Ached a bit but the old bike would have broken me completely

[hawkati]

Just to add I blitzed a journey to hay on Wye yesterday- an impulse catching a friend at the literary festival. Definitely the most joyous journey yet on this thing, especially on some entirely unsuitable b roads. Fuck yeah!