Ducati and others

So quick news on the Ducati Darmah. Eventually made a paper tool from some diagrams I scrounged off the internet. Fixed the pickups and still exactly the same.

Chris had the brilliant idea to swap the wires back to the way they were (badly). Swapped them back and it started first kick!

Trying to work through the logic of what is going on!

Also got a Honda Transalp in for an oil change and some damage repairs. That all went fine although the footrest hanger was impossible to bend!

Also have another XR400 Honda in, this one bogs down when really hot (dessert), from internet searches, this model runs too rich so will be cleaning out and refurbishing the carb with smaller jets. And also changing the small (deceleration) diaphragm shown below.

Ducati Pickup adjustment

So the Ducati needs a special tool to align the ignition pickups, costing nearly 200 quid. So I thought I would use plasticine pushed onto the pickup faces, then replace the cover, turn the engine over and then see what's what with the plasticine. And it worked (to some extent). Obviously this doesn't check the angular position, but should enable me to get the distances right. You can see on the photo where the rotor has scraped the plasticine, the thickness of the plasticine will give the gap and as can be seen on the RH pickup, it also shows the angle of this pickup is not parallel to the rotor. I adjusted the RH pickup (which was the cylinder not firing) to be square to the rotor.

The second photo also shows that the rotor has also (at some point) come into contact with the clutch gear.

Triumph/Ducati contd.

The bushing tool worked really well so it was a doddle to screw them into position, I did have to adjust the diameter of the tool slightly, but now it works really well.

I now have to push in the bearing pieces, which is another challenge!

With a fully charged battery on the Ducati, I now am getting a spark on the rear cylinder but not on the front, swapping around the pickup connectore I can get the front to spark so the problem is coming from the front cylinder pickup wiring/adjustment/other. The resistance from both pickups is within spec. about 210 ohms, so the wiring etc.. would appear good, I need to now check to see if the pickup moved when I was messing about in there. OK off with the cover again tomorrow!

Ducati/Triumph

Went to try and start the Ducati this morning but the battery was dead. Some prat had left the ignition switch on Park!

So I put the battery on charge and then worked on the Triumph swinging arm, came to the conclusion I really need a press to remove the bushes and install the news ones, but I don't yet have one (it's on the list), so it was down to fabricating a tool to force the bushes out with a sledge hammer.

It was hard work, but eventually got them all out without any damage. I made another tool to pull the new ones into position, having thought that banging the new ones wasn't the best way to succeed. Have put the bushes in the freezer tonight and will try my tool tomorrow!