I was on that site yesterday and was going to post something about it then I noticed that others had mentioned it earlier in this thread , but anyway .... They have an impressive selection of Ducati valve related tools ... well worth a look . https://emsduc.com/product-category/tools/ The "selection boxes " of shims seem like pretty good value , for example this at $225 - https://emsduc.com/product/later-4v-7mm-shim-kit/ As someone has said .... the killer is the mailing charges , even by the cheapest option that they offer ..... $34 charge for anywhere outside USA ..... $7 within USA Does anybody know a UK seller that has similar stuff ? If not , I wonder if any of the forum traders might want to take it on as a UK concession from emsduc ?
I've got a Ducati 900ss ie 2001, i do all the servicing on it but usually get a dealer to do the shims, i want to do them myself but i can't decide if buying the kits, 8mm i'm assuming?, is cheaper in the long run or getting the dealer to do it?
Having been through this now I would have bought the kit from EMS with all the shims and the measuring tool. It's been a pain in the arse doing this during lockdown, but I have totally got my head around valve clearances, how they are measured, lapping them in etc. Even measuring things accurately doesn't mean that the clearances that you calculate will be bang-on when you put what you think is the correct shim in, which is where having a collection of sizes either side is a good thing. Some of the measuring tools are shit. Fact. There are some great free videos on youtube that help with this stuff, check out desmowerx and brad the bike boy. Doing this isn't as difficult as you might think and certainly cheaper get all the gear yourself than getting a dealer to do it. And a lot more satisfying.
Thanks for the advice, always a good thing to hear from experience, will take it on board. And yes the satisfaction of doing things yourself is always a good feeling. I recently done my belts new tension bearings and fixed bearings( peace of mind and all that ) and very satisfying indeed, next the clearances me thinks. And yes there is some real shit on Ebay!!
Yes, 8mm it is. I have the same model and year and did mine. I certainly wouldn’t buy the kit when you don’t even know if you are actually going to need any shims. Measure and replace if necessary the closing shims then remeasure the opening shims and replace if necessary. That’s all pretty straightforward isn’t it? But the rear cylinder rocker box cover is an absolute pig to get at. In order to get at it I removed seat, tank, battery and battery holder and rear suspension unit. Because of removing the suspension unit you then have to support the rear of the bike in order to rotate the wheel and thus engine to get the cams where you need them for measurement. I did this with my step ladder used as an A frame over the back of the bike and webbing straps down to the rear subframe. Finally, when purchasing any replacement shims to avoid any discrepancies between your measurement and your dealers measurement I took the shim to be replaced and said I need a shim that is X thicker than this one. Retain your old shims as you never know if they will be useful at a later stage. Oh, and whatever you do, remember to plug the oil way to stop you dropping the collets down into the crankcase. Happy spannering
Love the A frame!! I bought a abba skylift some years back and it is one of the best bit of kit i've bought, pricey but makes life so much easier, perfect for such a job!! Cheers for the advice
Yes I have an Eazy Rizer and took the option where it picks the bike up under the wheels. But then you can’t rotate them. So I have been saving the cardboard tubes from kitchen rolls and intend to slip those over the prongs of the two forks before offering the stand up to the bike. Hopefully they will allow me to rotate the wheels whist it’s off the ground.
Great bike the IE, just coming up to 50,000 miles on mine and climbing, rode it down to bologna and done the Ducati factory tour and Misano motogp 2015 with no issues, despite the Marmite looks a brilliant machine, bellissimo!!!! ( sorry couldn't help myself ) Good luck with the lift .
Of no use to you as 7mm valves but here’s a copy of the Ducati tool. Not cheap but cheaper than Ducati oem. Around £50.
I agree but need to remember that the tolerance on most verniers even quality 150mm versions for example is +/- 0.02mm hence why I prefer a micrometer which is more precise. So comparison with stamped figure on shim may show a difference. I always calibrate my verniers or micrometer against a precision slip one digit at least better than my measuring device. Personally it’s all relative as long as you’re consistent as the error introduced will be a constant but may differ with what you get from Ducati and the stamp on the side.
I agree. The problem I was having was I tried 3 different tools available on t'internet and they all give different measurements, none of which I would describe as being close to the measurements that were taken with the proper ducati tool and they were also inconsistent. I don't think the cheap tools take into account the radius where the half ring collets sit. I'm tempted to buy an EMS kit with the tool as I know I'll more than likely be tinkering about with these things in the future and it would save a lot of faffing about.
Bloody hell. Mine hasn’t reached 15k let alone 50k. Not so sure about Marmite looks. Someone said very recently that the design has stood the test of time very well. You only have to park it where there are plenty of people to see the interest it attracts. I assume yours is one of the faster ones? RED
Red indeed and had the ICU remapped with K&N air filter, the rubber trumpets on the air box removed and 4 20mm holes drilled into the top of the airbox cover with termis, it goes OK , yes it does get attention and comments from people and i love the design, supermono!! Keep them serviced regularly and it's common sense really 50k miles and she loves it!!!!!
if you think about it you are not interested in accuracy. The two measurements you are after are relative not absolute eg you have measured your clearances and decided a shim needs to be x thou (apologies for the old money) thicker than the one that is already in the machine. Now imagine that you have accidentally zeroed your micrometer when it is actually open say 1.5mm. You measure your original shim and then measure the replacement shim and as long as the replacement measures x thou thicker than the original you are good to go but the quantitive reading on the micrometer will be rubbish. Finally, all you need to measure your shims is a micrometer used with care so you can forget all of these special tools and if you insist on a placebo then a roller out of a roller bearing will serve you just as well.
When I bought mine it came with a set of Ducati Performance carbon cans as a freebie and also in the box was a replacement ECU. Yes, the trumpets have gone and I even made a frame just to hold the air filter in place but whilst the induction noise was superb you could see the front of the filter protruding out from the tank when you looked down. Geoff Baines at Baines Racing, Silverstone told me that a clean fuel filter can make a big difference. One of the other mods I have made which is really worthwhile is to remove two of the clutch pressure plate springs. If you think that’s a bit drastic it is the same clutch that the super bikes use pumping out twice the bhp and it happily took me and one of my sons to Luxembourg and back for a long weekend. So no need for these fancy aftermarket clutch slave cylinders.
