Was on the Airbus H175 for a couple of years now back to flying the AW139. Pretty sure my footrests fold up, at least the last time I checked. Or did you mean the actual brake and gear change pegs, which are fixed on mine.
AW139. Know it well. @nelly fitted the rearsets amongst a ton of other stuff. They’re definitely fixed.
A few little additions today. Starting with the reservoir bracket bolts. Pro Bolt M6 x 10mm and ACCU stainless steel M6 washers, torqued to 8.5Nm As you may have already spied, I also fitted the new Tygon tubing along with zinc plated clips, on both clutch and brake master cylinders Last up were the Desmoworld billet reservoir bolts.
Didn't know you fly heli, pretty cool. I got my CPL(H) about a decade ago, but nothing came out of it. It's a weird industry to get into.
So tonight I have been working on the pigtails for the bar end indicators and also the front subframe. Managed to connect the pigtails to the indicator wiring, which is no mean feat as the gauge of the wiring is soooo small and once soldered, I heat shrank the connections and wrapped the whole lot in Tesla tape for extra security. Next job was to replace all the harware holding the Bosch IMU to the front subframe using a combination of M5 stainless steel flanged and plain nuts from ACCU as well as M5 flanged head bolts from Pro Bolt. Torques range from 1-3Nm The instrument panel was next, using ACCU stainless steel M5 flanged nuts and serrated washers. Wih that secured, I moved on to the Ilmberger carbon instrument cover. The centre section is the only carbon element, the side sections are OEM (cut away from the original plastic one piece part) as I have found in the past that the carbon side pieces feature a captive nut that has a tendency to break. I'll upload some pictures of the parts fitted tomorrow. I also have to prepare the subframe to fit these carbon front subframe panels from Lieb Speed As I had anticipated I also swapped out the white spiral wrap on the rear DES wiring for black, as it is much less intrusive on the eye.
Fitted the central carbon fibre Ilmberger instrument cover to the front subframe. As mentioned previously, the two carbon side pieces they supply, come with a captive nut for the inner fairing covers (you can see where they are located in the picture below on the OEM part), however these have a habit of breaking, so I tend to use the OEM plastic ones which means cutting them off the central section of the stock part with a dremel, then shaping them to suit. Here's the left hand one, cut and sanded ready to fit. The central part will get tossed in the bin. And here are the three pieces fitted to the front subframe. OEM bolts torqued to 3Nm and a dab of Loctite 243 Having looked at the amount of slack available in the pigtail leads for the indicators, I decided I could still mount the front subframe and be certain of enough free play in them, when I eventually come to move the steering from lock to lock (after the new hardware for the front wheel arrives next week). Here it is fitted using 4 x Pro Bolt M6 x 20mm flanged hex nuts and ACCU M6 stainless washers, torqued to 10Nm Next job is to fit the headlight, sort out the last of the wiring on the bike and fit the new later version bluetooth DMS module, since the previous one is not compatible with 2022MY bikes onwards. (Speaking of which, if anyone is interested I have the "old" bluetooth module for sale. See here for further details: https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/dms-multimedia-bluetooth-module.101155/) Also on the to-do list are the last of the carbon bonded pieces to go on the bike. I wil hopefully get these done tomorrow or over the weekend at some point. After that I'll fit the steering damper back on and the associated wiring to it. Aside from re-connecting the tail tidy, that should conclude all the electrical work on the bike.
Maybe you should show this thread to some of your customers Paul, see if you can change their attitude to their maintenance schedule
Made some great strides today by finally finishing off all the wiring on the bike. First off was to refit the headlight. A little tricky this, as I had to accommodate a few extra items such as the new bluetooth module and work out the best way to route the pigtails to the bar end indicators, such that they have no way of snagging on anything behind the headlight, once the steering is turned lock to lock. Several dry runs organising the loom/branches where they best fitted, before finally settling on the ideal and neatest arrangement Fitted the initial two retention bolts Pro Bolt M5 x 20mm, torqued to 10Nm. Next up the steering damper, secured with the Desmoworld billet bolt kit, torqued to 10Nm and Loctite 243. The electrical connector plugs straight in, secured with a tie wrap around the body of the damper (as per the workshop manual). You will have perhaps noticed the masking tape around the fork legs. This was to mark the position of the underside of the top yoke and to orientate the clip ons at the correct angle in it's absence. It will be removed once the top yoke is ready to go back on. With the battery back on the bike, I could fit the Lieb Speed carbon ignition switch cover, using the Desmoworld billet bolt kit. I will have to remove this part in order to fit the top yoke. The OEM steering stem nut is also being replaced, hence why the top yoke has not been fitted yet (one of the many parts still en-route). Last job this afternoon was to fit the DP carbon frame protectors which have been clear coated, to match the rest of the carbon on the bike. Not a lot more to do to the bike now. I am still waiting on parts (hopefully due next week). These include some of the last of the Moto Corse parts (one or two more pieces are due later on down the road), and some wheel hardware. I have still got to refill the cooling system, top up the oil and fill then bleed the hydraulic system. Yet to fit a new chain, refit the wheels, tail tidy (once it has been modified) and finish assembly of the rear section of the exhaust, after which I can run the engine to check for any leaks/issues etc and load the Termi UpMap as well as activate the bluetooth module with my OBD-STAR unit. The bodywork can then go back on, save the tail which is being replaced with an all new very trick style cowl in carbon, that is being custom painted to match the existing livery of the bike. It's unlikely I will finish the bike this side of Christmas but the project should be wrapped up by late January / early February, all being well and good.
So a few more pieces (as well as almost the last of the MotoCorse parts) arrived today, and before anyone says it, yes this does mean dispensing with (well storing carefully at least) the numbered top yoke. I am not that fussed about that and in any case the dash displays the serial number at key on, so it is not as if the bike's identity has disappeared forever. I'll have to be careful fitting the top yoke, as the forks tend to "spread" a little whenever any bracing is removed. Some judicious heat applied to the new yoke will also make life a little easier. First job will be to fit the centre steering nut. I finished work quite late tonight, so hopefully I will have some free time tomorrow evening to fit them all. I also dug out my old "Desmoworld" steering stem nut tool, which has a way more precise fit than many I have tried and won't marr the anodising when I torque the nut to spec. New Moto Corse top yoke, which, as with all their products, is beautifully machined. New CNC Racing steering stem nut Desmoworld steering stem nut tool Machined pins are an exact fit, which ensures little to no chance of damaging the anodised surface of the stem nut Hopefully these will go on without any complications
So with a little persuasion and some heat, I managed to fit the top yoke and stem nut tonight. Took a little time but patience is worth it's weight in gold to avoid any risk of damaging the parts or the bike in doing so. Stainless steel fasteners: Pro Bolt M8 x 20mm clip-on bolts torqued to 22Nm Moto Corse M8 x 25mm top yoke to fork bolts torqued to 22Nm Moto Corse M8 x 20mm top yoke to steering stem nut torqued to 22Nm Billet parts: CNC Racing steering stem nut torqued to 35Nm Next up was fitting the billet alloy Bonamici generator casing protector kit. ACCU torx head stainless steel bolts torqued initially to 3.5Nm then 90° turn, followed by further torque to 5.5Nm. Critical you don't overtighten these, else you are in a world of pain, if you strip the threads in the crankcase. Heres an overview of the bike as of this evening. As mentioned previously not a lot left to do. Still waiting on a few parts to progress the build much further, so hopefully some of them will turn up by the weekend.
Just exactly how has this cost? It looks amazing, but seems to be an exercise in spending money, I'm not having a pop, and I'm in awe of your skills, just wondered how much?
Tomorrow I will post up some pictures of the wheels, having now collected them. They have spent the last 2 months set aside in a dust free environment, to gas out after being clear coated. No hardware as yet on them but they are going to look the dogs when they are done (IMHO). It's taken a lot longer than normal to allow them time to cure as they were specifically not baked because of thermal expansion issues that would have caused between the aluminium hubs and the carbon structure of the wheels, so therefore allowed to cure naturally. The wheels themselves have a temperature limit of 80°C (for tyre warmer use).
Thanks Mark, however I don't feel I warrant such high praise. To be perfectly frank, it's not that difficult to build a Panigale, and providing you are methodical in your approach, it's achievable by almost anyone. Though on the face of it, many might beg to differ with me. In terms of the cost, let's just say a fair chunk of change. It will still work out cheaper than a 2025 V4S Tricolore, so I'll let you do the maths. I've actually done a lot less to this bike than the previous project in terms of modifications. Despite the shopping list you've already seen, many of the parts were transferred across from the former bike, so some cost savings were made here and there. I might get around to adding it all up, though I have a fairly accurate idea of the tally so far, but I just don't think it's something I would want to broadcast on a public forum, as then you are into justifying the outlay and it's never been about that for me. "You do you" and all that.
Moto Corse do make some beautiful parts and in their case you certainly get what you pay for. Not to everyone's taste perhaps and there are some equally well made products available on the market but it's ultimately down to personal preference.
Just wanted to say a big thank you to Steve @Conquest Racing Ltd, who has tirelessly dealt with all my emails and queries throughout the build and in acquiring many of the various parts you see featured. I've a handful of pieces left to order from him but the bulk of my shopping list is already on the bike or in my possession waiting to be fitted. A few more trick bits to come but these are likely to be in the New Year now, with Xmas fast approaching.
Finally got around to fitting the Moto Corse front frame plugs. On the Panigale V4, these are asymmetrical as the front right hand frame bolt is deeply recessed and requires a spacer. The left does not. This kit is actually for the Steetfighter V4 where both sides are recessed. For the Panigale, this simply entails removing the spacer on the left hand side and using a 10mm bolt, instead of the one provided to secure the frame cap. Job done. Frame bolts torqued to 90Nm.
