An update after a day of lows and highs...
Multiple trips to Austria and Germany for work, a week in Spain on holiday and a dose of the COVID meant little has been done on the Ducati since the last post until this last week.
As suspected, the KTM thermostat had a smaller outlet than the OEM Ducati one. This necessitated mackling up a bit of an abortion of hose adaptors and joining pieces and loads of Oetiker clamps to get it plumbed in and fitting...
...as I didn't want to make any permanent modification to the existing cooling pipework in case the KTM 'stat didn't do the job.
And then when I filled the cooling system the fitting on the rear cylinder head (the back plastic 90° elbow in the photo)..
...started weeping, because the KTM stat was different enough to the Ducati one to be trying to lift the fitting away from the head.
On the off chance, more than anything else, I stripped it all down and removed the elbow and checked the condition of the square section o-ring that seals the elbow to the head. Luckily I had a spare brand new one, so when the old one measured up 1.5mm thinner than the new one I chucked the new one in and bolted it all back and filled the system and it was no longer leaking.
Another issue I've been wanting to look at is the side stand. The standard multi stand is known, even on bog standard bikes, for letting the bike lean over a long way. And with my bike running a lot more ride height it was even worse. This picture gives some idea of how much lean there is with the OEM stand, when you look at the angle between the bike and the level ground in front...
There's a guy on the multistrada forum who's been using a modified panigale side stand for a year or so, subjecting it to all kinds of use and abuse with no issues, which isn't actually any longer but doesn't stick out at such an angle so it makes the bike sit more upright due to effectively being longer. Anyway, he offered up another one for sale on forum so I bought it off him to try.
There isn't any flat ground where I live, so if isn't obvious that the bike is now a lot more upright then you'll just have to take my word for it
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With an MOT booked for this morning the last week has been spent getting all the last little bits and pieces and done and checking tyre pressures and chain slack and the like.
All boxed up and done last night, with the bike starting and warming up like a dream and my lucky jubilee clip fitted....
,...and the plan was to give the bike a wash this morning and then get booted and suited and head over to Derby for the MOT and then a couple of hours of rumbling about the Peaks, taking advantage of the weather and taking the opportunity to get back into the groove not having ridden it for two years.....
That was the plan.
Bike washed.
Booted and suited. Bike would not start. Throwing immobilizer fault codes.
After some googling of the fault code and some investigation it turns out the immobilizer antenna, which clips to the underside of the ignition barrel cover....
...had become dislodged, probably thanks to overenthusiastic spraying of the hose around the headstock by yours truly while washing the bike, and dropped down by a mm or so. This was enough to stop it detecting the key's transponder chip. So refitted and a couple of drops of superglue applied to hold it in place securely and all boxed up and it was back to starting on the button.
Problem was I'd now missed my booked appointment and couldn't find anywhere else open or that had an appointment available.
Fuck it.
I took it for a local test ride anyway.
Good news, the coolant temperature is now where it is supposed to be. Running at 75° while trundling along, whereas it would have been at about 55° on the Ducati thermostat.
Even better news, the bike is as much of a hooligan toy as I remember it being before it was taken off the road two years ago.
So, disappointed to have lost out on any riding this weekend but over the moon that all the issues that causes it to be taken off the road appear to be solved.
I'm away with work until Friday so I'll see if I can get it in for an MOT first thing Friday morning.
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