I'm preparing to do my own Desmo service on my 2014 Multistrada and I'm interested to hear of the experiences of anyone else on here who does their own. There's about 3000 miles to go until I need to do it, so I've got a while to go, but I expect to be doing it by the late summer/autumn. I've already ordered my shim kit from Desmo Times, I've got the OBDStar coming from BMDiag, and I've got many other things to get too. I've been watching some youtube tutorials (Practical Enthusiast), reading the Red Baron's book and just trying to learn as much as I can about it. One of the reasons I started riding was to do my own maintenence. When I was younger I used to tinker around with cars, and I'd like to have the satisfaction of being able to do this important service (and costly at the main dealer), myself. In the short term, i'm sure this is going to cost more than just taking it to Ducati, but I hope to be able to do two on my Multi over the time that I own it, and I also have a 2015 Monster 821 that's probably going to need it doing next year or the year after. For those of you who do your own, do you find it worthwhile? Amongst the many youtube tutorials, is there anyone you particularly rate? Is there any advice you can give to someone attempting this for the first time? ANything to watch out for that the usual sources don't mention? Many thanks in advance for your comments!
This tool is a lot easier and more precise to set crank position than using the back wheel in gear. Also, as it has long arms, it's easy to do the 90-deg rotation between hor & ver cylinders for cam/TDC position. https://gbmotorcycleproducts.com/ducati-crankshaft-turning-tool-part-no-887130123/ I found it useful to have a camshaft pulleys locking tool too. Some may scoff at this but if it's your first time it's reassuring! When you have the crank at the correct position (90-degs different between hor & ver cyls), have a look at the camshaft pulleys and note their alignment as its a usful reference to show that - if you lose it all - it's not hard to set it all up from scratch. Most DIY folks on here recommend and use ExactFit belts: https://www.ducati.tech/california-cycleworks-distributor-uk-and-eu/ You'll need a method to check belt tension too (in the correct place). There are many ways - all of the 4V-heads options are based on off-load belt-resonance frequency. ExactFit belts come with the ideal frequency info for new & used belts. Anything I've omitted here is on purpose, as there are many opinions out there that you'll have to make your own judgement on!
going to try and do my own 749 belts soon and have the exact belts think i saw 99-110hz on the box,the bit i feel i need to send to someone who knows how to do it is the valve check tolerances,never done anything like that,how much for some one to check them in the UK? Although crank breather but could be fun to remove before the cover for the belts
@Keith_P thankyou for those links and the information, very useful. regarding belts, I’m happy to change them but DMC Stoke put new ones on for me when I bought it in November at 10k miles, and as it will only be at about 15-16k when I’m doing it I was wondering if I should keep using the existing belts for a little while longer?
Haha - I got a bit distracted with belt stuff! You'll need to check in the service details for yours, but my guess is 5years or ??miles (as per my 2018 939 Hyper) would be normal nowadays for belts, so your November ones can stay As for the desmo shims - I've only done 2valve heads myself. 4V heads are just more fiddly and may require thin fingers! Hopefully someone else will chip in soon with more help.
I love the Desmo Times long thin feeler gauges. I used to struggle to get accurate measurements while the motor was on the bike, especially the horizontal head. These made the job so much easier. I always start with vertical head and really take my time with lots of patients and that makes the horizontal head much easier. A small extendable magnet is also worthwhile. Document...document..document, organisation is next to Godliness. And +1 on all the other great comments. Good luck and I look forward to hear your thoughts afterward.
