So now it's on to the cooling system. Won't take a genius if you've read through the thread thus far to realise there is more Cerakoting involved here. As I said, the oil cooler was the subject of a recall, so the images shown are of the replacement version. Basically Ducati added some doubler plates at the outlet/inlet points, where previously there had been some fracturing on owners bikes with the original version. Here's the main radiator after coating. This had a ceramic based coating applied as opposed to straight Cerakote. The silicone bungs will remain in place until it's fitted on the bike, to prevent any ingress of dirt. Pays to mask off areas well. Oil cooler Here you can see the reinforcing doubler plate, to mitigate previous fracturing issues. Ordonez manufacture the new versions of the oil cooler Evotech radiator and oil cooler guards. Good a time as any to fit them and much easier with the whole assembly off the bike. Fan assembled on to newly coated bracket with stainless fasteners Here you can see one of the four rubber strips removed prior to coating and re-bonded using Loctite 480. These act as a cushion between the edge of the fan blade bracket and the radiator core and provide the necessary clearance, so there is no danger of a fan blade striking the radiator Fan assembly complete. The central rubber bung also acts a spacer to achieve the correct clearance Fan assembly mounted on to radiator shroud New fasteners once more and rubber dampers fitted One of the two expansion tanks in situ Complete assembly ready to fit onto the bike Evotech guards in place
With the indicators and mirrors being in the same location, is there a risk of when the indicators are being activated that they might dazzle/blur the mirrors view?
This is basically bike porn. You know - the premium stuff with the high quality images you can zoom in on........ Keep it up I’m almost there!
Fitting the radiator and oil cooler assembly to the bike is quite a fiddly job and on reflection it is best if two people do it as it's hard to support the structure by yourself while bolting it into position. I will come onto that procedure later as before I can fit it, next up is the exhaust system..... There are numerous threads and videos explaining how to fit the full Akrapovic exhaust online, so I am not going to dwell too much on it, save to point out anything unusual that perhaps the documentation they provide does not explain well. Ordinarily on a fully assembled bike, this is a BIG job for anyone, largely due to the amount of dis-assembly required just to be in a position to start fitting it. In my case that clearly doesn't apply so I will jump straight in. Front header pipes fitted using new copper manifold nuts and plenty of copper grease on the threads - 10Nm max. Rear heat shield is assembled first as it makes life easier. Next the front heat shield is fitted. You will note the second of the two camchain tensioner bolts I mentioned in an earlier post (the large black hexagonal bolt). Also visible is the starter motor wiring and heat shielding Front down pipes and retention springs in place. Rear headers were, as mentioned earlier, a pig to fit...until I invested in some swivel sockets Rear Lambda sensor fitted Rear manifold heat shield Ditched the bolts that came with the Akra kit for these instead Last of the metal heat shields to go on. Since the purge valve and bracket are tossed in the bin as part of the installation, it leaves a sizeable gap behind the front downpipes. The most important thing is ensuring the wiring remains clear of any exhaust runs. Re-routed wiring loom Front Lambda sensor fitted It's a pity to cover this up
That's the stock length as per OEM bolts, though granted they could be shorter. Hi Noobie, no not that I have experienced with a similar set up on my 1299, though I was using Oberon parts then.
I'll say this now, so I don't have to explain myself later. I am not a fan of matte carbon fibre. For me, clear coat brings out a depth to the weave that looks much nicer. It's a personal choice, I appreciate, but there you have it. The first of many carbon fibre parts that were treated to a clear coat finish. RH silencer fitted with gloss heat shield Rear manifold gloss heat shield
With the exhaust on, save for the LH silencer, it was time to fit the radiator/oil cooler assembly back on the bike and finish off all the plumbing. Where shown "Mikalor" jubilee clips were used. All of the black steel OEM pipe clips were replaced with bright zinc options. New expansion tank filler cap Loctite 480 used to bond a new rubber brake line guide block back onto the RH radiator fan bracket support Oil cooler lines and Cerakoted clamps re-fitted to the engine block
Hydraulics, possibly my least favourite job. I removed the entire system as one, lines, calipers, clips, reservoirs etc. Most would end up being swapped out or changed in some way, but it meant refitting the system was a much quicker process than splitting lines here and there and introducing more air than was necessary. I could just cherry pick the parts I wanted to replace one at a time at a later point in the build. Rear brake caliper line in place. Note the position of the rear speed sensor cable, that must be routed UNDER the lip of the chain slider as I mentioned earlier. I have some other hydraulic related parts to fit in the coming months so this is still very much work in progress. More stainless hardware, mounting bolts, pinch bolts, bleed nipple and banjo bolt Rear speed sensor in place Reservoir bracket bolt ABS unit mounting bolts Stainless master cylinder bleed nipple Perch bolts Rizoma front brake lever Stainless double banjo bolt and caliper bolts (both sides) and new clutch slave cylinder You might well be wondering...... .....Never did like the cheap tacky tape Ducati uses to colour code the ABS lines, so I decided to use some spiral wrap instead.
Rear sub-frame was next. I'd split this to remove the cross member that needed to be Cerakoted. The mounting bolts must be replaced after every removal/re-fitting of the frame (according to Ducati). Note that the upper mounting bolts have a different torque to the lower ones. Rear subframe in position. Wiring completely re-routed as per Akrapovic installation instructions. Also visible is the Cerakoted cross member and stainless steel nyloc nuts. Plastic modified exhaust heat guard comes as part of the Akra kit. Ilmberger LH & RH rear cylinder head covers New foam liner fitted Rear bolts replaced
Here's how the bike looked at this point in the build. Well almost.....the eagle eyed amongst you will notice that neither the indicators or silencers are fitted in this image and it appears to have gained a rear sprocket as well, that is because some photos are slightly out of sequence to give this thread some sense of coherence.
That's all for today folks, this last post takes us up to around May 2019. More posts to follow soon. Time for a break.
Did you weigh the bike before you started Topo? Interested in before & after fully fuelled weights. Cheers.
No, but I guess I will have saved some weight, owing to the number of heavier components I've dispensed with. It's never going to be in Superleggera territory, however I'm only 10 stone wringing wet, so I'm not too concerned.
Staying with the subframe for now, it was time to start fitting some of the ancilliary items. First up were some carbon fibre subframe covers from Lieb Speed. Most people will have heard of Peter Lieb. I've always been an advocate of his products as they are quite simply in a league of their own. Fit and finish are perfect and event the packaging some of his products come in, is sublime. Worth a look if you are in the market for decent stuff. This is one of many of his wares going on this bike. Adhesive and foil panels come supplied with the kit. The idea being that should you ever wish to remove the covers at a later date (why would you?) then you can peel off the foil panel and you are left with no traces of adhesive on the subframe. Pin sharp accuracy in terms of shape and fitment As per Peter's instructions, adhesive is applied to the foil panel then the cover needs to be lightly bolted into position. These are then tightened to the correct torque once the adhesive has fully cured. As an extra measure I used some microfibre cloth and some tie wraps around the frame to apply a light but constant pressure overnight. Kit comes with all the hardware you need, including these black stainless bolts and washers and the internal bolts and washers for the side rails of the subframe Here you can see the internal bolts and washers, that attach to the integral posts bonded to the subframe covers. On another note, it's also important to follow the guide lines Akrapovic recommend for routeing the wiring in this area, else you will have issues when you come to fit the fuel tank back on.
