The 1198spr Build

I just rev it. It's loud, so make me happy ;-)

 

No too much progress over the weekend. Took the throttle bodies off the airbox and cleaned both. They're weren't all that dirty, but every little helps.



Discs don't look all the bad, mostly just a little surface glazing. I'll rub them down and they should clean up nicely I think.

Should get a good bit more done this week, hopefully with the rebuild starting within the next couple of weeks.

Parts still to be removed are the rear wheel, chain/sprockets and carrier, forks, triple clamp, left clip-on/clutch lever/reservoir, ride height adjuster, clutch slave cylinder, coolant tubes and vertical belt cover. After that, it's a cleanup and detail of whatever I can get access to.

 

So, progress is slow on the bike. Work is in the way. I have a few days off, but I think I'll get little done as it's that time of year where other things take over.

Anyways, on a more positive note, some goodies arrived.

The oem quickshifter on the SP is a tacky looking thing. Looks flimsy and very lightweight. So, I searched about on the interweb and found this lot - S.P. Electronics. Spoke with Simmone, who was super helpful and helped me pick the correct reverse quickshifter for the bike. I didn't want to go changing the software on the bike as the oem settings I'm sure are more than up to the job for me. SP do a direct replacement for the 1098R, 1198SP and 848 EVO which bolts directly to the gearbox selector shaft, uses the oem electronics and connects directly to the wiring harness. Looks great too.




I've always looked as motorcycle switch gear as a bit of a mess. Very large, clunky and harsh on the eye. I'm sure an element of that is to do with their operation in all weather and ergonomics, but I think those on the 1198 are no different to those on my 2002 748s. Old... (nice to see the Panigale switch gear is very different). As ever, a trip to the interweb and the company Bike Sport Developments is found. They have a huge range of products and Mick there is extremely helpful. I really wanted to do away with both sets and have a custom setup for the road and track using their switches, but it just isn't practical.

I had a long thought about what I'll be using the bike for and as it's mostly track use things such as lights, indicators and a horn aren't of much use to me. I'll only need these a few times a year. BSD offer a mode selector switch which allows me to retain the use of all of the features I need (excluding the lap timer, but they do offer a switch for that). As you can see, it's all plug and play - perfect for my experience in these things...

When I put the left clip-on together, I'll just leave enough space for the oem control to fit on. Should work ok to swap them as and when needed if I route the wiring in a sensible way.


As one of the goals of the project is weight loss, my addiction for Carbon Fibre has becoming rather worrying... All of the body fairings are being replaced, as well as many other items and I've had some custom parts made too. Not easy, but they have come out far better than I had hoped. A quick mock up of some the parts and it looks great and fits perfect for the most. Having a bit of an issue with the rear seat unit, but I think MR have the solution for me. I still have a few more parts to come, but the pictures will give you an idea of the kind of rehab I need... The guys at Moto Rapido and Steve at C-Tech are great.

 

The carbon is great, from both in different ways.

Two companies, Fullsix and C Tech Composites.

The Fullsix stuff quite simply is excellent. All pre-preg, multi-layered and lacquered. Also fitted with vents where they meant to be. Having said that, I'm having issues with the rear seat/under tray but I think I need to get all installed so it pulls it's self together. Down side is that they wont do any specials and you can't buy direct.

The bits from C-Tech are excellent too. It's proper pre-preg racing stuff. The fairings are taken from molds of the Ducati Corse racing fairings from a team that raced the 1098RS. I best not mention names. It's not finished to the same standard as the Fullsix carbon, but it is exceptionally light and strong. After a rub down and prep, the paint work will be stunning. I'm most impressed that I could have some special made and Steve is a great guy. Worth noting that he has done fairings for PBR, Honda and Ducati Teams for years.

If you want more detailed pictures, let me know and I'll take some for you.

 

You mean, like this?

 

I'll get some more taken for you over the next few days.

Call Steve. He has a racing one already made with your name on it ;-)

 

Very much my inspiration too. I had the chance to buy one, but something else came along..

Some more for you.

 

Imagine this, with gold wheels and a couple of number boards.

 

The rear wheel finally gave in and came off. I'm convinced that the work shop put it with assistance of Governor Schwarzenegger. Offt.....



So, this is the list of the items still to be removed, and it's not that much.

Rear sprocket, chain and front sprocket.
Upper chain runner (for cleaning)
Ride height adjuster
Remainder of the front end. (Electronics switchgear, clutch lever/reservoir, clip-ons, triple clamps and forks).

When it's all stripped it's going to get a proper clean, not that it's that dirty, but there is chain lube all over the place and dust, yes, lots of dust....

After that, the rebuild can start - I just hope I know what I'm doing...!!

 

Some of you may have seen that I had an issue trying to fit the rear carbon upper tail piece and the lower under tray together. I posted about in the forum here. http://ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/fullsix-seat-unit-undertray-installation.38856/

Happy to report that the guys at MR were indeed correct, installing the under-tank panels did make the difference, so it's worth nothing for the future.

I also took the time to install the carbon body work and I was left speechless!! Wow!! The carbon is an excellent fit only needs a little trim here and there. Sorry, but you'll have to wait and see, but Steve - you are the best!

I spent the rest of today trying to clean up the front brake rotors, what a pain in the hoop that is. Mainly as I don't have a proper workbench or vice, but thanks to a sun scorched Ikea table, I mocked up the necessary. Please excuse the dust... too busy to clean it and it'd only be dirty within a day or so.



I think they've come up rather well, but there are some deep scores. I can't complain really - the bike has done circa 3500kms, almost exclusively on track. I'll see how the feel once bedded in again and if needed buy some new, better ones.

Got a week off work now, so some better progress should be made. I'm certainly getting the knack of how to load a trolley everyday, take it to the lift and go down the 10 floors to where the bike is... If only I had a proper garage! :-(

 

Aye, very lush and green....

 

Well folks, that's the strip down complete.

The front/rear sprockets are removed, as is the chain. I've never broken a chain before and thought it'd be a hard thing to do. It's very simple. Follow the instructions with the breaker, hammer it with a good thump a few times and it's done, chain off. Damn heavy thing!!

I've always been concerned at how the front end comes apart, and rightly so. I wrecked a couple of tool bits doing it. All my own fault of course!! If you're reading this and having the same concerns then here is my advice:

1. Remove all parts from clip-ons and measure the height of the fork tube above the upper t-clamp for future reference. Measure from a horizontal part of the upper clamp.
2. Loosen all the pinch bolts on the triple clamps (lower and upper) and also on clip-ons. With the pinch bolts loose, the upper triple clamp and clip-ons (there is a small alignment pin that keeps them in place with the upper) will simply slide off. You may need to use a flat head screwdriver to prise open the gap to allow those parts to slide off without straching the fork tubes. Be cautious taking the upper off, there are greased up bearings that are located in the stem and they may come out too.
3. Slide the forks out the bottom clamp. Again, prise the gap open if needed and go slowly - you'll be pissed off if you scratch those tubes. They're not cheap to replace!!
4. Loose off the T-clamp nut. This is not on tight and if you try do loosen it before hand, it will loosen and then tighten as you raise it again the upper clamp. I did this and sheared a couple of tools doing it - I call it learning..!! The nut will simply loosen and you can unscrew it by hand, holding the lower clamp too.
5. Slide out the lower and be careful for non-compliant bearings and excess grease.
6. Step back and admire you're work ;-)



In reflection, if I'd loosened off the bolts and found a good guide for removal, this would have taken 30/45mins. It's really not difficult to take the front end apart. Will putting it back together again be the same...?

Major milestone met: Strip down is now complete!

Took some time to clean the bike with some Autoglymn Engine and Machine Cleaner (brilliant stuff that you can use on all surfaces safely), a tooth brush and paint brush. Made sure I got in to all the nooks and crannies of the machine, cleaning as much as I could. I'll apply a coat of FS365 once I have installed a few of the new components. It's best to apply the product when the bike is wet as the water on the bike will roll down and around the areas that you or the spray cannot get too. It's a great product and I've been using it for years on my other bikes.

So here we are, the bike has lost everything it needs (other than the ride height adjuster) prior to the rebuild.

Next steps are increasing the gaps in the frame where the fairings are secured as the dzus pins are a larger diameter than the oem setup. I'll have to do the same with some of the fullsix carbon at some point too.

 

Yeah, was doing it wrong. I forgot to loosen the steering nut pinch bolt... live and learn.

Have the workshop manual but fine it really hard to read. Acutally much prefer to look at the engineering and figure it out... Not a clue how I missed the pinch bolt!! Manual is great for torque numbers.