Firstly, apologies, it's been a long while for one reason (actually various reasons!) or another since I've been a regular on the forum - the apologies not for my absence ;-) ......but for my first post here for a while being a whinge! (.....although as I see it that's Ducati's fault not mine!! lol) I'd noticed that the finish on the heads of the front brake disc retaining bolts wasn't looking as good as it should and so as I couldn't be bothered to with the inevitable hassle it'd be to get them replaced under Warranty (with another set of bolts that'd go the same way!) I did my research and ordered a set of Titanium replacements. What I didn't anticipate was the difficulty in getting the crappy OE items out - titghtened to just 25Nm you'd think that a simple task....NO!! I couldn't get the buggers to move for love nor money, even after dowsing with WD40 several times over several days. Time to give in and buy the 'rattle gun' I'd considered buying on a number of occasions as I struggled to get that bloody rear wheel nut undone (....with my 39" breaker bar!). The Clarke 240V / 1000W(!) impact wrench arrived but even with this monster tool none of the OE bolts came out without a fight....in fact a 3 or 4 had me bricking it, was the bolt head going to round out or even worse shear off all together??!! Why?.........corrossion!! Use of poor quality steel bolts worsened by bi-metallic eltrolitic effects (steel into alloy;-) - thank God that for once the Ducati factory had used green 'medium' strength threadlock and not the red high strength stuff used uneccessarily almost everywhere else on the bike! There's been a couple of occasions previously that I've been a little annoyed with Ducati but this one takes the biscuit.......why can't Ducati get basic stuff like this right?.......umpteen bikes, some even old second hand 'dogs' that I did up, over many years and it's only with my first Ducati that I've experienced so much hassle....never needed a rattle gun before now! :-( Oh....and to put the issue in perspective.........2010 MTS12 with just 14K miles on the clock, NO winter use (i.e. not seen road salt) and a pampered bike to say the least!! Whinge / rant over! .....be warned ;-) ....even had to give up on the job part way through to go out and buy a replacement Torx bit (40T) as the existing one was showing signs of fatigue! (ok, not designed for use with a rattle gun but then you'ed not expect / shouldn't have to use a rattle gun with such a small tool anyway!) .....and......JUNK!!!! .....
Could you provide a link Andy as to where and what you purchased and did you add any thread lock, thanks Think i will change them asap Cheers
I have noticed this sort of thing with bolts in a number of circumstances and blame to exuberent use of thread lock. Some old lag I met model car racing gave me the advice to heat the bolt head before you try and undo it as it softens the threadlock. By trial and error I eventually found a decent sized soldering iron tip held on the bolt head for a couple of minutes worked a treat. Hope this helps. Andy
I don't think heat would make much difference here, the issue is clearly corrosion.......and for once (as I said before) Ducati have used a 'medium' strength threadlock compound only. Sorry should have said: I bought from eBay (search: ducati titanium brake disc bolts and/or multistrada 1200 titanium brake disc bolts), having searched high and lo found there's very few places to get Titanium replacements, ProBolt being one but at even higher cost. There are slightly cheaper alternatives that have Allen heads to the bolts but I figured Ducati went for the Torx head for good reason....seems that was a good decision on their part, Allen heads would have rounded out without doubt! Titanium vs Stainless Steel - well I did some research and found there's some 'expert' opinion that Stainless Steel bolts aren't suitable for this application, that said there's plenty of people making SS replacements and other 'expert' opinion that SS is fine.....I just decided to play safe......and of course I gain from a few grammes saving on unsprung weight!! lol I applied a very liberal coating of a medium threadlock to the new bolts, literally covered them - Titanium (and Stainless Steel) is prone to 'galling' (although mostly applies to Ti / SS to Ti / SS contact) as Ducati specify use of a thread lock so an anti-seaze / anti-galling compound (e.g. copperslip) is not appropriate.
Well, while we're at it, let me add to the whinge. Last year I bought your pal Kevin's S Touring. Being 6' 5" I added the SW Motech 30mm bar risers. Unfortunately this resulted in the throttle revving itself on full right lock. I looked at options to re-route the cables but nothing was possible. I therefore decided to bite the bullet and get a lengthened throttle cable custom made by Venhill. I set about dismantling the bike - removed all the fairing panels (including rounding out one of the poxy Allen bolts holding the tank trim in place with RED threadlock), removed the tank and then got to the step in the service manual that says "Slide (off) the filter box". Well nothing was sliding anywhere. Consulted Google to find that this was a common problem. Ended up giving in and taking the bike to Snells in Alton. To remove the airbox, remove and refit the throttle cable (and remove the centre stand for me to cut down) was 3.75 hours labour. I was a bit gobsmacked... Nick
Yes M8 x 20mm Torx 'button head' - 10 of (plus 4 for the rear) Tiger.........hmmm, think I'll hold fire until you've started pulling it apart and confirm there's no such issues....besides there's some pretty good rewards from the Mutly in compensation for the niggles! Nick - Hi, hope your pleased with/enjoying the Mutley despite the niggles. As for the SW Motech 30mm bar risers I checked their website and the fitting instructions - no mention of any possible issue with throttle cable length - you should contact them and make them aware of your experience! ;-) "...No extension of bowden cables necessary" "...No front brakeline extension is necessary for use of handlebars in their original rotational position within the handlebar clamps; however, if you roll your handlebars further rearward within the handlebar clamps, you may need to extend the front brakeline if using this handlebar riser" I believe these are supplied with custom brake/clutch lines and cables! :biggrin:
Andy, just a bit of a question...... what do you use to wash the bike? any cleaning product or just soap and water??
There's a question.....the list is extensive, I never use household detergent/washing up liquid (many contain salt!).....and I always use a variety of soft bristled brushes, never cloths or sponges which can trap a bit of grit and you end up marking/scratching plastics etc. I really like/rate # Autoglym Motorcycle Cleaner # Autoglym Car Shampoo (as well as the obvious cleaning 'chemicals' it contains protectants and anti-corrosion agents) or a quality car wash/wax product. ....but for more info/tips see: Cleaning Your Bike (Motorcycle) :-0 and How to become a Cleaning Freak... :biggrin:
Reason I ask is that while many cleaners shout about being "acid free", many are in reality very Alkaline. I've been thinkin this thru for a few years now and I can tell bikes that have been washed with "Muc-Off" for instance, when I'm working on them....corrosion in threads, milky staining in the anodising and it kills the plating on fasteners for instance. They give very specific figures on dwell times and you only have to overstep these by a small margin and the chemicals start to work on the base metals rather than the dirt.. The active ingredient in muc off is around pH 11..... caustic is 14, sea water is 8. Whilst in solution, muc off is about pH 7-8 but as the solution dries, ie the water evaporates, what's left behind is the residue of it's raw ingredients. These sit in all the nooks and crannies, threads (capilliary action plays a key part here), on the alloy parts etc. add moisture or get caught in a shower and there starts your corrosion... Just done a quick search and the active ingredient, or one of them SODIUM ALKYL ETHER SULPHATE in the Auto Glym is pH 7.5-9.. AG don't give a solution pH in their data sheets, so can't comment further... This isn't a hard and fast rule....but my theory. In four years of owning my 1098, despite getting filthy on more than a few occasions, it remained mint. I used Meguiars car shampoo, and SDOC 100 on it, hosed with clean water and dried. I did maintenance cleans with Plexus or Motul wash n wax. I had no corrosion issues and all the fasteners and alloy parts remained factory fresh. I've got into detailing the car to some degree of late and use a few products I've picked up on thru that. Applying many with a snow foam gun now and washing down. The key factors are though the pH levels....not so much when diluted, but in their neat form.
Nelly, just a little note on my side, I bought some SDOC 100 and tried it out on the wheels of my 1198s as you know they are a satin black, now being very OCD i notice that even this product had slightly marked the finish all most like a water mark, you had to look very closely but despite a very short dwell time and no chance of the product having dried I had to polish out these marks with a very fine compound so I guess you have to watch all these "super" cleaning products
Yep. I noticed SDOC dries very quicky with it being a gel type fluid. It's supposed to leave a protective coating and I found agitation before rinse worked best. Maybe the residues were lifted back into solution???? dunno. I now use product aimed at the detailing scene and mix up different concoctions in the foam lance or bucket...or simply dry clean with Motul wash n wax.
Good points and advice/tips Nelly.....especially the warning re the likes of "Muc-Off" - I stick to quality products, recommended in the trade and that have years of excellent reputation e.g. AutoGlym with technical approvals by Jaguar Cars, Aston Martin, Morgan Cars and others :-0
well....... had a go today at removing the troublesome bolts 5 out, 4 cant shift and 1 fooked the head, so again my DIY bike maintenance is going to cost me more than I hoped
