Should projects be - 1. Cost no object - new parts through out? 2. Cost as much as it has to but no more? 3. As cheap as possible?
it's easy to throw money at things... it more of a challenge to maximise within budget.. hence my never ending respect for people who can open engines and do the work themselves... this clutz has to have everything done... grtz Koen
Once done once with supervision stripping an engine is not difficult. The correct tools are a must though. I guess you raise an important point in that some jobs have to be given to others and that invariably costs money. In the context of this poll though I think the three options are available so - 1. Do you take the bike and have the engine removed then get the engine stripped, repainted, replace all bearings, upgrade every thing. 2. Do you take the bike and have the engine removed then get the engine stripped and repaired as required but stop at that. 3. Do you remove the engine your self, and do everything you can untill at the point where assistance required. Regards,
on a Corse bike, there's not much to do, so option 1 would not be applicable I guess. TBH, time and space restrictions here limit me to option 2, although I would be happy to tackle 3 with appropriate resources.
If your going to do a project make sure you have the funds to complete before you begin. Then do everything right first time. Never go at it half arsed your only cheating yourself. Oh and the key is planning. Not only financially but time wise too. There is a lot of people out there with half finished projects gathering dust. A few years back I imported a 66 mustang convertible from the states knowing it needed restoration. I followed the aforementioned and completed on time and within budget.
Troy - Agree with the sentiment. But if funds are tight (as some people will know - even Ducati owners) then cheapest is the only option. Does not prevent a job being done right - just means some ingenuity, consideration and thought may be required. Planning is good also (I'm an aircraft maintenance engineer by trade so understand the need for planning) but part of good planning is to know the options when you find the problems! Which brings us back to the original point - throw money at it or keep the costs to a minimum.
All of the above are true, just depends who you are and what your project is. Some of the best looking bikes I've come across cost relative peanuts to build. But I wouldn't have the patience no matter what option I picked, so I'll wait until you're 95% finished and buy it off you for peanuts...
Nice - could be the topic of another poll! what is the value of peanuts 1. >£10k 2. £3k - £10k 3. <£3k - or perhapse you had another number in mind? :wink:
i ve been roaming all sites worldwide for over 3 years before i finished my 999R... you either lay the dosh down for good stuff or buy less then A grade material... not even counting the stuff that won't fit ( got myself some RS parts on the shelf now) ... There is no magic: major projects do cost serious money... but his kind of money can vary between 75% to 200% of what it should cost... especially if you want to combine performance and looks... grtz Koen
I agree for serious projects - but concider that some people think changing clutch plates as a project (especially on wet clutch bikes). Now there is a thread in the SS part of this forum telling of the use of Suzuki clutch plated in place of Ducati items. Cost £30 for parts in place of ~£100. My guess is that the Suzuki items are up to standard if not better than standard as they are alloy so reduce noise, inertia etc. Another example - why pay for a lightweight gear in the engine when some of them are the standard item with extra holes - I can do holes myself without paying someone for the privilage. All part of the fun in my book.
Do not know if you ask me it depends what project are you embarking on. No matter what you do building a wsbk spec replica bike or restoring a classic vintage bike to original state will not be cheap. It will also be very much not on budget no matter how well you plan as parts for both are very specific and rather rear. If someone has them they most likely know what they are. Cheap as possible is an option as well depending what you are building. For me it is the middle choice as it involves expensive if has to, cheap if possible, good planning and as much do it your self as possible. Finally most of the projects are built with heart so planning might go down the drain.
Also many cheaper aftermarket parts for Ducati are actually better then original Ducati part. Head stock ball bearings in older bikes vs replacement with roller bearings.
An interesting result - the options were limited as was the description but it seems to suggest that we as Ducati owners will spend but not extravagantly. I originally expected a much more balanced answer between option 1 and 2. Thanks.
I think trying to do a project within a budget can be 1/2 the fun and certainly a greater learning experience. Buying all the right/top parts is great, but dare I say easy, assuming you have the loot of course. When I built/converted my bike, I knew it wasn't going to be super cheap, but I wanted something usable, not too bling and not bank busting. If it ended up costing £10k then to my mind I may as well have bought a new bike! So it was 848 forks non mono block rather than Ohlin and mono, modified 848 exhaust rather than Corse and so on. Sourcing alternative parts, again, an education, his weekend my oil pressure sender failed, Ducati part ~£30.00. Little bit of research revealed an early Audi part will work..£3.30..
Depends on the project. If its a restoration, preserving the highest amount of originality should be the prime concern. All too often resto jobs end up as either a combination of many bikes, or a largely repro bike with just a few original components on it.
In the main I agree - though in my workshop I have a H reg 900ss needing restoration. The owner wants the fairing fitted to it kept - NSR250 and it looks quite good to be honest. OK tin hat is on - ready for comments !!
I voted option 2 but my current Monster project has got somewhat out of hand and so would probably fall into category 1. Still have some way to go too...
I honestly don't know what to vote for here - for me the choices have gaps. For example when I strip an engine I take the opportunity to replace all seals, gaskets, and bearings, all of which I do myself even on an engine I haven't worked on before (eg. 999 I'm currently into). Other work I cannot do like lightening and balancing a crank so that ships out. Even though I do most of the work myself it's never cheap because I build my projects to the way I want not to a cost figure. If it is going to cost more, it takes longer as finances are not unlimited they have to stretch over longer timeframes but I don't artifically set a cost that will then constrain my vision, it's the time prt of the equation that gets stretched. The 999 project will work out for about £10k with loads of non OEM parts and my intention is to refine over the coming years a little bit at a time to lighten and lighten the whole bike. Maybe all of my projects remain unfinished as a result
