Dean Cutler, you are perfect, respect, but maybe this is useful https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10172040-0001.pdf
Thanks yeah the bike has worn well over all! I’ve already given it a shakedown at Cadwell park and it ran well! It didn’t help there were 9 red flags that day in just the fast group as the temps were only 5 degrees! The tooling is quite expensive tbh. The superquadro motor seems to require more specialist ducati tools than any other ducati motor I’ve seen. Realistically you’re looking at least a grand in the special tools you need to pull it apart as the way the cases are designed the liners need a special puller tool to be able to split them. I’ve always refreshed my trackbike motors in the past but they were either Japanese or a bmw S1000rr motor. This is the first time I’ve done a ducati one and it’s pretty complex compared to those.
Ah thanks for that! That’s great I have heard a recommendation for refresh in the region of every 2500km!
Y es exactly its had a hard life up to that point. Everything was in spec except the exhaust valve guides and top con rod shells which were showing signs of a fair bit of wear. But that’s to be expected as you say!
yeah true! I suppose as you say time will tell when these engines have had more exposure in oil to see how reliable those gears are. I believe in the smaller bikes the oil pump drive gears are plastic aswell. At least those are metal in this motor!
a fair ole wedge then, plus parts cost of the rebuild... it certainly looks very complicated - it is top work to pull that apart and then back together again! it does however look stunning in a tear down too.
yes it’s pretty big investment and would probably be cheaper having it sent to somewhere like moto rapido to do. I just enjoy doing it myself. I’ve always liked to know exactly what’s been done to the motor and have an intimate understanding of how it works. The tools will always hold a value aswell when the bike ages as they will be harder to source!
Nice work Dean.... Hate to think what you have planned for your retirement if this is just a little COVID free time! Nice to see the inner workings and someone that’s obviously very competent in mechanical knowledge
I’m amazed anyone outside of the specialist Ducati shops would tackle this. You have some mad skills there Dean - what’s your background? I’m happy to tackle most things myself given the time, but this blows my mind - the tolerances are all so tight and the consequences of getting something wrong would scare me away.
yeah it’s just engineering tbh and once you have general understanding of the system as whole it’s straightforward if you have the manual. You have to make a fairly sizeable investment in specialist ducati tools but it goes fairly well with them. I work in aviation as a pilot at the moment hence why I have so Much time with this covid thing at the min, but studied Mechanical engineering at uni so have a fairly good understanding of general engineering concepts. I’ve also always tinkered with engines before but this is the first time tearing into a Desmo motor.
Sounds like that degree has paid for itself in engine rebuilds! I wish I could go back in time and speak to my younger self and tell him - “look you will find all of this engineering stuff far more useful and interesting in the future than any of the rubbish you doing now!” The conversation would also include tips to invest in certain shares and stay away from certain women as well but I doubt the idiot would listen! Hope things pick back up on the piloting front for you soon - I have a mate who was flying for Emirates before all this kicked off and is now going slowly crazy in Budapest waiting for the world to start up again.
Haha yes it is useful to see some of things done in modern Sportsbike engines and remember back to the theory of it and appreciate the engineering elements and decisions taken in the finished product as I never really went into a career with it. Just had it as a backup for the pilot stuff as you can imagine it’s not the most stable career. But I’m lucky that I work for one of the more stable companies in Europe being one of the major low-cost operators so they will be able to stick around for a bit before anyone else. Hopefully it will pick up a bit more later on this year or I’ll have to consider doing the engine thing more professionally
It's a nice micrometer that. Imperial screw barrel with a metric/digital converter. Everything I get my hands on out here has been used a fekin G-clamp..... Great thread btw....
