I have been playing around with air filtering options. 1/ The grilled bellmouths. They look awesome, like vintage 70’s Supersport, especially with those green fuel hoses. But they don’t protect the engine from road dust and may be a bit anachronistic on a Darmah SSD. 2/ Go the OEM route, with the two black air boxes. I got a couple of these for an excellent price, in great shape, but I found out they they are not good for Darmah. Probably some other model. Still looking. 3/ I did get the rubber hoses, though, and that allowed me to install a pair of K&N pod filters (not oiled yet on the pics). Not really found of the HD looks, but these will allow me to ride safely to the west coast and back this spring (Lyon-Bordeaux).
Yeah the LHS side panel doesn't fit when a K&N filter is mounted directly to the carb. I resolved this by using a different straighter inlet manifold, from an SS I think. This, however, moved the carb inboard and restricted the size of the battery I could use. I still have the OEM black boxes from my Darmah that you could have if you want, see https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/1980-darmah-900-ssd-in-france.101780/page-6#post-2222642 I also noticed that both of your fuel lines go up & over the carb & as mentioned on another thread I was wondering how this routing would work if there is air/space in the line as seen on mine. It'd be good to know how you get on. https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/1980-darmah-900-ssd-in-france.101780/page-6#post-2222642
@Andy Bee 100% interested in your boxes. Happy to exchange more pics via pm. The two I have show the right p/n (0960.91.715 & 0960.91.815), but the mounting holes are not matching the frame brackets… Re fuel hose routing, there seem to be to versions for this, as seen here: https://forum.bevelheaven.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1635 To be completely honest, I feel quite agnostic to the question…
Hmmm... mine also show (just about legible) the same p/ns so before we go any further it might be best to check the mounting hole positions on mine line up with the brackets on your frame. The rear airbox has two mounting holes one directly above the other and they are 85 mm apart. The front airbox has two mounting holes with the LHS one more forward than the one on the RHS. The distance between them, in a direct line, is 140 mm. Yeah, I wasn't that bothered from an aesthetic perspective but rather was wondering/interested if the routing makes a difference in supplying fuel, especially at idle, with such a large loop above & over the carb (that goes higher than the tap level). The SS models have their fuel taps noticeably higher wrt to the carb position than the Darmah.
Hey @Andy Bee Sorry for a delayed answer. I finally got time to measure today and it looks like your boxes would be a perfect fit. May be we could discuss the rest via PM?
Funnily enough whilst looking at the process for sending packages to France I notice you have to fill in a customs declaration form within which is a mandatory "value" column... hmmm... close to priceless
So as I am getting smarter on Dell’orto carbs, reading as much documentation as possible before starting this bike, here’s a picture I found in the workshop manual, that very clearly shows the front carb fuel hose routing going below the carb. All hail Andy Bee! I changed my fuel hoses routings…
Ha! pretty much all photos I've seen online show them routed underneath... apart from bikes that have been modified. And pretty much all photos of SSs have it routed over the top.
I am done with the rear, save a snapped shock bolt, which needs replacing. Sliding the swing arm pivot back in through the two eccentrics and bushings requires some finesse (and a bit of grease). I had to resist the urge to whack it with a big hammer. Good I didn’t as when everything is properly lined up, it pushes in nicely. Handling the rear wheel while sliding the pivot through the rear brake plate and sprocket, with all the spacers correctly positioned is also a bit of a challenge when doing it alone for the first time… This definitely helps realize how fantastic the 916 bikes family single sided swing arm design is, in comparison… I read a bunch about the front (countershaft) sprocket. It needs to be properly tightened and secured in place. So I opted for a nylstop type nut in addition to the stop washer. Also, after reading about it, I inserted a small gasket at the end of the assembly, to prevent dust to get in between the two rotating shafts. It looks pretty slick, doesn’t it? And finally, I filled the tank, opened the fuel taps and fuel instantly flowed down through the transparent hoses, towards the carbs, chasing all the air in there. No bubble trapped in there, a true gravitational miracle. Closed the taps overnight and this morning, no fuel smell in the garage, no leaks. Happy! With that done, I just need to check I have good sparks and then it will be start up time!
The nylon nut is different from the blue output shaft seal. @ducv2 I found it on eBay https://www.ebay.fr/itm/163901484252
