These were the ones I was looking at on eBay, will have to do a mod to the exhaust by the sounds of it. Still a bit of a leap of faith though, could last 5000 miles or 5.
I think the exhaust still fits, the testa bassa has a one piece manifold and front pipe the other models have a two piece manifold and pipe.
Just in case you need it here's John's details. He will do as much or as little as you want. There's not much he doesn't know about the 748 - 998 series. Cellier BVT (Ducati John) Unit M, Pelican Works, Wakefield Road, Rothwell LS26 0RP Leeds 07746 175112
So I've taken advantage of lockdown, dropped the engine out and started to strip it down just out of curiosity/boredom. Got both cases off but not the heads yet. Everything turns by hand so I'm assuming problem is with the crank? If I'm correct how much of a problem is this? I plan on calling Ducati John tomorrow but is it worth taking the heads off anyway and splitting it?
@Robq, how did you get on with the engine? I'm facing a biggish bill with mine at the moment to sort an oil leak from the rear cylinder and interested to find out how it was to work on or who you worked with and how the costs stacked up?
To be honest I haven't pursued this other than having a chat with the guys at BSD Performance. I think the main concern was the sourcing and cost of spares at the moment. The bikes are fairly easy to work on to a point but when you have to factor in the odd specialist tool here and there (task dependant obviously) I just decided its a job for the pros as I don't have the time for the learning curve at the moment. I do plan on getting it fully rebuilt but the scarcity of parts makes me not want to take shortcuts and I'm well aware I'm probably looking at a 5k bill. Looking quickly on auto trader though the current crop available are 5k+ and have 20k miles so engine wise its still a lottery. What's the story with yours?
RobQ, everyone will have their own recommendations, but I cannot recommend Carl Harrison in Norfolk highly enough. He will ONLY do what is necessary to restore the engine to better than factory tolerances (unless you specify you require additional work) and is very reasonably priced. Maybe a long haul for you but worth the effort. He could probably strip and rebuild your engine blindfolded or in his sleep, as he knows his way around them like the back of his hand, which is no surprise after 25 years working on Ducatis and other Italian marques. He rebuilt my wife's 620 Monster engine some years ago and it has been perfect ever since. Here is his website: www.carlharrisonmotorcycles.co.uk
I put a 748R engine in a 748S frame, easy enough swap but you lose the big injectors and airbox. I then had it mapped by CJS and it put out 104.5 BHP which, in theory at least, is 1/2 BHP down on the 748R. Top speed was rated at 148MPH as opposed to the supposed 150MPH of the 748R. After a bit of use, the main bearing went and I had the engine rebuilt by Ducati John. He stripped the engine in front of me and showed me exactly what needed doing. Although a while ago it was £1600 for the whole job of which £900 was Ducati parts alone. He also supplied an oil filter and removal tool as part of the price. Well worth the cost and there were a lot of worn parts in the engine including a few rockers, and main and rod bearings. From that experience, i would say get an engine rebuild or get a very cheap engine and have that rebuilt. I bought a stock 748 engine for £200 a while back, that was from a running bike with no reported problems. It was sold as the person was upgrading to a 748SP engine. I would happily have that rebuilt should\when the time comes. Another option, as mentioned, is to go for an 853 conversion.
Thanks Rob, appreciate the feedback. Think I've found a happy medium with mine for now, send the heads off for valve clearances but do the rest of the top end work myself. Operating on the basis that all of the bottom end stuff 'should' be fine at this stage. Some good advice here about spare engines, I may keep my eyes peeled...
