Ducati custom build thread

[Kawasicki]

Happy birthday.

[Alimarsh]

Really enjoyed reading through this and I'm in absolute awe of not only your skill but your patience! Happy birthday for tomorrow

[buzzer]

thanks for the birthday wishes... bit of a strange one... zoom meetings with family and friends!

first time out in the daylight for a while… its running OK, just need to change the carb needles which are on order, then a road test...

[buzzer]

well its finished... here it is running (at the end of the video ) and the story start to finish...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3roCdM7QU

Edited by buzzer on Friday 13th November 16:08

[Kawasicki]

Congratulations. Excellent work. Myself and my two sons (8 and 11 years old) really enjoyed the video too.

[buzzer]

this bike has been in the back of the garage, waiting for the better weather... I dug it out the other day and did a few jobs in anticipation of riding it soon. One of the things I hated was taking the tank off as it was so difficult to remove the two front nuts... so I decided to make some Allen headed nuts so I could use a long Allen key to easily get to them...

I pondered how to make the hexagon, and came on the idea of a stepped broach method. So I made the nuts in brass, and used an old Allen key to make the stepped broach which cuts the hexagon in steps as its forced through (2lb hammer!)

it worked rather well!

[Benni]

Exellent idea, where did the excess material go, to the inside of the brass nut or in the grooves of the tool ?

[buzzer]

Well I have done a fair few miles on it the other day... I have to say I love this bike! the carburation feels spot on and it runs like a dream! It goes far better than I thought it would, and fells a LOT more powerful than my 900 monster... I guess that's the 100 extra CC's and the flat slide carbs. I think this will be a keeper, its surprisingly comfortable as well!

[Red9zero]

Gorgeous bike ! The work put into it is amazing.

[buzzer]

I have been doing quite a few miles, and thoroughly enjoying the bike! In fact its my go to bike when I go for a ride, and others have remained unused! But they say a special is never finished… and they are probably right! one thing I have never been entirely comfortable with is flat slide carbs with no positive means of closing… So I decided to put some closing cables on the carbs. The junction boxes were fitted to many old British bikes. This meant I could lighten the closing springs a little and have a lighter throttle action, and use a faster action, which we all know adds at least 20 BHP! well it feels like it!

At first I tried a 38mm drum, but this was less than a 1/4 closed to open… too fast, and too heavy! I calculated that 33mm was about right, so off I went to my local bike breakers to hunt for a replacement. He has a very old storage unit with hundreds of boxes on shelves which I systematically went through… last few boxes, and I found the ideal, out of a Honda CFR250. Must say it was rather spooky in there on my own… lots of funny noises which had me constantly looking behind me!!!

[StuB]

buzzer said:

Looks lean, what does it weigh?

[buzzer]

StuB said:

Looks lean, what does it weigh?

I don't know to be honest.... must get it on the weighbridge.... it feels very light, and there was a big pile of parts gone off the old Multistrada. That silencer alone weighs a hell of a lot!