Irbit Express: GETTA GRIP!

 From the very first test ride, I knew the factory bars were going to have to get binned.  Cruiser style bars with a weirdly angled pull back that made my wrists ache, and thin grips that I hated.  Besides the Ducati, all of my bikes have had dual sport style bars. So, I ordered a set of Tusk ATV Sport bars, Rox Pivoting 2" Risers, and scored a great deal on a set of Oxford Adventure Heated Grips. 

With a evening suddenly free this past Saturday, I planned to knock out all these upgrades. However, I ordered the wrong size Rox Risers and the new set wouldn't be delivered until mid-week.  I made some calls around to local dealerships but no one had anything in stock. So, I ordered another set from the A to Z delivery service (albeit of a lesser quality). Since they wouldn't arrive until Sunday, I decided to just install the bars and grips, and add the risers later if I needed them. 

Ural has a great motorcycle channel with a big library of "How-To" videos from David. Using the gas tank removal video I set out on my maiden voyage into disassembling the Gear Up.  The tank was extremely difficult to remove, as well as the fuel line from the pump. Maybe it was user error, maybe it was the gas fumes distorting my brain. Because, of course I spilled an incredible amount of gas. I couldn't find a long enough section of fuel line for proper draining. Eventually I got all the lines disconnected, fuel drained out and was ready to work. 

Now that I had clear access to the backbone of the frame, I re-routed the winch wiring, routed the wiring for the heated grips, cleaned up all the zip ties, and set out to swap the bars and grips. It's an easy process, and I even drilled out a hole for the mounting post on the throttle side control set. No more grinding them off and dealing with rotating controls, like an amateur. I plan on installing the single side mount handguards from the CBR600F, so on the throttle side, I moved the tube / control set in enough to allow about 3mm of bar to extend past the throttle tube. This will keep the grip from dragging. Otherwise you may end up with an unexpected a DIY throttle lock / cruise control. 

The Oxford Grips have a low voltage / running bike detector, so no need to do my usual relay installation. Everyone seems to have their own way to install/secure new grips but my method is hair spray! You need the strongest hold you can find, like 80's big crimped goth hair strong.

Zip tie and scrap wood to the rescue!

New bars, no risers. Felt good, but low.

New bars, plus risers. Feels great!

Pretty crowded but I made it work.

I'm not 100% happy with the controller mount but it works. The gold bolt mounting the controller is from my stash of spare Ducati hardware! This bike has bits from both the Duc and the Honda.

Grrrrrrr! I opted for a more comical design than the normal tiger shark teeth.

I took the rig out for a quick errand, and the new bar/riser/grip combo feels so much better. It's easier to control on the lunar surface of the backroads around my compound. I have more "torque" on the bars, and the thick grips feel much better on my mitts. After having not one, but two hand/finger injuries last year, I learned how important the the thickness of a gripped item can be. 

At the request of my youngest, I also installed an "aircraft" seat belt after riding on some very rough roads. The previous owner used mismatched hardware sizes, and eyebolts that were about 2"/50mm too long, plus, no rubber sealing washers between the hardware and tub. It was more of a challenge to remove those damn eyebolts than it was to install the winch bar. 

Much better! Reused some tie-down points from the Hurricane to use for dog tehters.

New tail art decal, and a wooden handled shovel to really add to the military feel. 

Couldn't resist adding my favorite sticker. Yes it's crooked, no, I don't care.

The only remaining mods are a storage box under the rear of the tub for a small scissor jack, and my tools, and some skid plates. It's not like there are performance upgrades for the old Russian Iron. One free evening, I plan on going over all the fasteners, checking the spokes, and just giving it a good once over.  The pusher (rear driven wheel) is getting close to retirement. I'll swap over the spare wheel, and change the tire and check the wheel. I've never changed a tubed tire on a motorcycle, should be a learning experience. 

Stay safe out there comrades.

Project Odd Duc: Jet Setting and Twiddling Thumbs

 Last year, I noticed my bike was running very rich at idle.  The common cause is the needle jet getting worn into an oval from the needle drag.  With parts on hand to resolve this, and swap out the mixture screws for thumbscrew style, and a few hours of free time, I got started. 

Old vs New

This should make adjustments much easier.

Well, I've never seen this before. 

In the cap for the horizontal carb, I found whatever that yuck is.  It was gritty but yet I saw no signs of wear on the slide nor the diaphragm. I cleaned the carb out (thankfully nothing was in the bowl) and reassembled. 

With the carbs reassembled and reinstalled (I hate fighting throttle cables), I was able to reset the mixture the next morning.  Originally the Horizontal cylinder had to be enriched an extra 2 turns to keep the bike running on 1 cylinder; while the Vertical was set at stock (3.25 turns out).  I retuned the Horizontal to 4 turns out and the bike is running well.  I'll put some miles on it and check the plugs. 

My favorite riding season is here, while I won't be taking any long trips this year, I hope to get out and roll south to see some of the beautiful fall colors and dodge the deer as they get ready to go insane.  

Stay safe out there. 

Installation: Oxford Vintage Style Heated Grips

 I've had heated grips on every bike, besides my vintage Hondas. Typically, I install the cheap Kimpex set and do all my own wiring with a relay (XJ600 and the Hurricane). But this time, I dropped the coin for a set of the Oxford Vintage Style Heated Grips.  I didn't feel like running all the spaghetti to a relay and distribution blocks.  Plus, these include a sensor that turns off the grips if the voltage drops too low, or if the bike is shut off (after a few minutes).   Installation was simple, remove old grips, run your power feed, install new grips, route wires, test, and zip tie it all. 

Still so easy to work on! 

I'm not a fan of this, but it's better than nothing.

Still plenty of clearance if I have to brake while at WFO (don't do that).

Even after a few seconds on high, they were getting toasty!

I skipped the supplied super glue, and went with a light amount of JB Weld.

I love the retro style! 

I'm hoping to get some commutes in this week, and the morning temps have been nice and low so we'll get to see how they do.  


Stay safe out there.

Project Ducati: Wire it Up and Fire it Up!

 My connector kit arrived and I made quick work of the foul repairs for my fuel pump, but also noticed another questionable wrap of electrical tape.  Hmm...we'll deal with that later. 

Much better!

I also decided to print a clutch gasket out of TPU instead of using the washers to space out the closed cover.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the dry clutch rattle.  I think it takes away from the lovely L Twin sound. 

We'll see if it holds up to engine temps. 

So, with the wiring fixed, the last hurdle was those damn float valve seats.  With no more work to be done on the Duc, I started pulling all the remaining "stuff" off of the Hurricane.  I decided I would rather take less dough, and sell it to someone who wants to bring it back to it's full 80's plastic glory; instead of selling it to some rando on FB who'll put it in a ditch (or worse).  Stripping down the Honda was pretty easy, now I essentially have a street fighter kit in a box. 

I got a USPS notice about an inbound packing with a funky tracking number.  Could it actually be my parts, all the way from the Netherlands?!  It was indeed my friends! 

That night, I got the carbs assembled, and then installed them over lunch today.  With my kiddos gone for the evening, all resources were redirected to the garage.  I had one goal, and one goal only.  Ride the Duc, even if it was around my street.  All the remaining reassembly went rather easy (hmmm...maybe too easy).  I dropped in the new fat battery, put some fuel in the tank and turned the key.  The gentle whine of the fuel pump filled my ears.  So, I hit the go button!  It turned over a few times, and then back fired like a 5.56 rifle round going off.  Hmmm...too easy indeed.  Perhaps I swapped the plug wires.  About 1 minute later, I was hitting the go switch again.  One revolution, then.... nothing.  No lights, no starter, no fuel pump.  Just a buzz from behind the instrument cluster.  Is this it?  Am I getting the Ducati electrical curse right off the bat?  

I found the buzzing relay, luckily I had a replacement (never throw anything away). With the new relay installed, I turned the key.  LIGHTS! Glorious lights and the fuel pump singing like a choir of angels, then BUZZZZZZZ.  SON OF A B!TCH.  2 relays?  Wait a minute, this has to be something else.  Immediately, my mind went to a guy on YouTube that I've been following as he works on his 900ss.  He chased all kinds of issues and went way down the rabbit hole, only to have it end up being a bad ground.  So, I pulled the airbox (man this bike is easy to work on), cleaned up the ground cables and frame mounts.  

The moment of truth.... 

I threw on my helmet and gloves, and rolled out into the street.  I put about 3 miles on ripping, I mean, riding as a sane person.  Once the clock hit 10pm, I figured my neighbors probably didn't enjoy the fine music of my Italian motorbike, so I rolled into the garage.  The idle was still high, so I referenced the good book  and found the idle screw.  I dropped the idle, it sounded better, then I noticed the damn "enrichment circuit" (it's not a choke, according to Ducati), was still about half on.   It's reversed from my Honda and has a pretty far throw so I goofed on it.   With the circuit closed (open?), I reset the idle and it seemed happy.  Tomorrow I'll sync the carbs, and pass the Hurricane on to it's new owner.  

Stay safe out there. 

Project Ducati: What's your clearance Clarence?

 With a second set of hands, we were able to check the closing valve clearance.  Thankfully, all valve clearances (closers and openers) were within Ducati specifications.  No tinkering with shims for me, at least not yet.  I've heard from multiple sources that once Ducs hit this type of mileage, the clearances are pretty stable.  Sorry for the lack of pictures, would have needed another set of hands.  Although, I have been thinking about using a remote camera and starting to do video of work in the shop; but video editing is not something I'm familiar with.  

Initially, I thought the valve covers had been installed with gasket material and gaskets, but I think it is just residue from the factory gaskets. Either way, it's been a mess to clean up without damaging the engine cases.  I've been using a little 3d printed piece from a previous project and it's working great! See, that's why you save useful stuff!  With the valves covered up, it was time for new plugs. 

Hmm...going to need to address this as well.

I ran out of new-old hardware, time to buy another bag.

The big delay is going to be those damn carb parts.  That's what I get for being a ham-fisted moron at times.  Slow down, especially when working with old plastic parts.  With the carbs complete, it will be time to sync them with my fancy electric sync tool.  I think I'll gladly trade more frequent service intervals for doing half the work, and that work being easier to access.  

I got the clutch basket cleaned up, and everything installed.  I had printed a clutch holder tool out of PETG.  When I first tried to fit it, I thought it didn't align correctly, however it did fit the basket and hub.  What did not align were the bolt holes, but it worked.

2 outta 3 ain't bad, but it's not ideal.

I was worried about this bolt bending, but it worked.

Single use tool, but it got the job done up to the required 136ftlbs!

Once everything was bolted down, it was time to put in the plates and pressure plate. Under the spring caps, I found 2 small washers, which I don't see on the parts diagram. I don't really see the purpose of them, as you do not crank the springs all the way down, otherwise the clutch would not function.  I need to get a torque wrench that goes down to 5ft-lbs to check the spring bolts. 

Starting to look like a motorcycle again. Who knows, maybe it will be running this week.  Still need to put on the new front tire, and flip the rear.  

Stay safe out there. 

**UPDATE**

Right after I hit publish, I remembered I DO have torque wrench that goes down that low, but in inch-pounds.  And I realized why those washers were there.  So, with each spring assembly removed, washers added, I was able to set the proper torque value. 

One of the many cool vintage tools that have been passed down from my Grandfather.

 

Project Ducati: Keeping Time

 With the Honda being stuck in limbo until I get my new rad cap on Friday, it was time to finally do the belts and valve service.  

A friend graciously passed his 2v Ducati tools along to me a few weeks ago.  After a quick run to pick up a bolt for the engine turning tool and a length of all-thread to use in addition to my ceiling straps to secure the bike, it was time to get working.  

The belt change was really easy.  Once I had the engine set for horizontal TDC, I refreshed the marks, added a second to each cam gear and loosened the tensioners.  The vertical belt was a bit of a struggle since there was tension on the cam gear, but using the belt and sheer determination, I got it set back in alignment and the belt slipped on.  The horizontal was no issue. 

This makes life much easier, but my stuck clutch plates don't.

This is the last belt these tensioners will see.

New belts with proper tension.

Another thing I purchased from eBay was a bag of hardware from a torn down 900SS, it was a great deal for $25.  I replaced any mangled or rusted allen bolt I could from my hardware grab bag.  One day a full set of stainless bolts will be obtained, maybe when the engine is nice and pretty after powder coating.

I finally managed to track down the float valve seat assemblies to replace the two I broke, after emailing multiple eBay vendors, carb shops, and our local Ducati dealership.  However, two problems....  1. I accidentally ordered 2 sets from two different vendors.  2. One vendor is in the Netherlands and the other Australia.  I guess we'll see which one gets here first, and it won't hurt to have a spare set.  Although, I am STRONGLY considering a set of FCR39 flat slides, instead of the DSG and Stage 2 tune for the TDI wagon.  But we'll see. I think I'd like to just ride the 900SS stock for a while, but man do those carbs and open air box sound good. As my friend that gave me the Duc tools said "They sound like how Cate Blancette looks in Thor: Ragnarok".  

In the meantime, I needed someplace safe to store  my nice, clean carbs.

I moved on to the valve check but it was late and my brain was struggling at this point. My horizontal openers are within spec, but I was struggling with depressing the closer and checking the clearance.  I'll need to try again, or, ideally, have a second set of hands. 

This project needs a catchy name until it's road worthy, like how the Hurricane was Project LOL (lots of leaks) for awhile.  I kinda like Project: Secondhand Duc, but I'm open to suggestions (not like anyone else is reading this).  

Stay safe out there.