Back with a M900 series I

[Albie]

Gear lever assembly arrived today at Argos depot. Opened said box and very pleased with secondhand purchase.
Got it home and good look over it and the bearings were/are good but I have brand new ones going back on. The lever was slightly bent but would have been usable as was but straight in the vice with soft jaws and a gentle tweak and straight again with no scars.
I used the slightly later adjuster rod because not only was it straight it also had the handy spanner flats and a nicer condition all over.
Now all back on the hanger ready to be fitted soon.
£27 all in wasn't so bad really.







Now what's the next bit that not correct then except for the tank and cans.

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Flip

You'll be needing here then:

http://www.motostars.co.uk/products.php?cat=102&pg=3

The Cagiva font is not so easy to get hold of from dealers now as I believe Cagiva own the copyright to it which is why you hardly ever see genuine Ducati merchandise using it these days.

Just want to say these decals are pretty poor and basic . I put one on a cowl and looks well erm sh1te tbh. I am ordering from Ducati for four times the price for 1 but will be better. If I had the font which was not correct totally I could have made them as well as no metallic element in it.

[Albie]

So after a chat with Moto Rapido about parts and stickers they inform me that no longer available BUT they use Image Works who I have used before. Moto Rapido sending me some parts this week to finish off all the detail stuff I need replacing still and will be sorting me out some exhaust half rings to replace the old ones and that odd one.




The phone call to Image Works has resulted in 2 seat cowl ones and a spare front fairing if I decide to get a carbon one later and a missing AGIP decal and hopefully the Shell Helix oil decal fro the clutch side casing. They really know their stuff regarding sizes and versions of Ducati Models and not all are the same.
I got some heat shrink sleeving through the post to repair the breather hoses I have and repair the one Utopia kindly sent me. It worked a treat and now ready to fit. I still have to shorten another spring and replate it for the top breather pipe on the carb.



The exhaust clamps are now cleaned up and had some BBQ paint applied just for now. It no doubt will burn off later but makes them decent for now and this stuff is pretty hardy.



I am now ready to give BigOz the exhaust header for him to try and cosmetically repair the ends of the shields where they were welded on to some exhausts. I got given some 42mm copper tube and it was split and slipped in between the joint. This will give BigOz a barrier to not allow the stainless weld to go further. I slightly peined the edge over as was a loose fit over the exhaust where they can flare. The worst case scenario is I could dremel cut off the first 4mm off the front and have a shorter overlap but I thought it would be interesting to see if they can be repaired with BigOz's skill.







I nearly made an error but a good error until I checked the Monster Bible by thinking my oil cooler hose was missing the plastic/rubber cover where it goes across the belt cover. I was intending to use the heat shrink I got through the post today for the breather pipe repair. BTW if you need any I bought 1m and used about 60mm and its 20mm to shrink down 50% if needed. My breather pipes were 12-13mm.
The worry I had about the oil cooler hose was the colour the braiding went when I plated the elbows coloured zinc as they were from new. I used a scotch pad on the braid and its toned down much nicer now. It was a tad too gold bling for my liking as I was hoping only the elbows would have taken the colour.

[Albie]

I have to take all three pieces of my yokes top and bottom ( plus a spare I have and will sell ) to vapour blasting in Sevenoaks as soon as I pick up from BigOz as he repaired the lock stop hole thread where it was a baggy fit. Then I can actually build up the bike for real with loctited nuts and bolts for real.
I am due to pick up a bike lift in the next week too which will assist me for real in life and make life that little easier and safer for my back too. Its secondhand but pretty much as new and has really only been used as a table to build on and not for maintenance. Its part of my xmas present so happy with that.
I still don't have any news regarding the engines progress but I am not too worried. Once I do have it back I need all the bolts out of it to be plated and I now have a small pile of other since acquired and had to make a second cable bracket for the left hand side and some more fittings found. I also want to replate the seat brackets as I have some letter stamps and have done them with stamps as original look.
I bought the stamps to make a frame number plate as much as I tried to mask off the number. You can still see it but I could not match the colour in the missing area so made a couple of plates and stamped the numbers on and will either be stuck or riveted on so if plod wish to remove they can and have photographic evidence. It will also stop frame frame rubbing off from the cables. I may get one podercoated at Redditch again the correct match to make it blend or use the alloy finish.

I got another secondhand seat cowl from Ducati Wolverhampton last week too. Not perfect but I wont need to repaint it for now. It has a few chips and was missing one mounting insert ( didn't describe it at well as in fact didn't describe any damage POOR POOR seller ) so I made one from half a spoke wheel nipple re-threaded M5 and used some large diameter silicone tube as a mould and filled the hole with resin glue around the nipple. I then just had to trim the top off and touch up with red paint. Its not as severe modification I had to do on the last one. It works and is just waiting for a new decal.


I have 3m of 8mm pipe coming for carb breathers and need to figure out the wrong fuel tank breather pipes as to where I route them pipes to as they have fuel pipe fitted to them and far too thick and overkill.




That's pretty much all for now.

[Davy]

The detail in this is amazing I love reading it.

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Davy

The detail in this is amazing I love reading it.

Thanks. Make sure you look after yours. Its so easy to make a monster how you want. Its harder to make it back to how it was. No wonder many don't even want to try. And tbh why would they when its their way that they want.

[Davy]

I hear you Albie . I've no intention of doing anything to her ever, I just think the original monster is a classic looking bike. Out of all the bikes I've owned I get more "nice bike mate" when im on the monster than any other bike I've ever owned.

[Albie]

Today life was meant to be doing the Gentlman's ride out but sadly the Scrambler was a non starter for the second time since I fitted a power take off lead in May. Anyhow the situation turned out for the better as I went to pick up a bike lift table. Got it home ok in the estate car but very heavy to lift out on your own. I wont be needing the wheel stop and clamp for a while whilst building off some paddock stands but will at least eliminate back ache.




Yesterday saw a few jobs done as in cush drive bushes pressed in, some bolts fitted now with washers and spring washers, fitted the replacement spacer thing in the front brake switch, fitted the 2 missing O rings and washers in the gear shift and rear brake pedal pivots.





I removed the 2 bearings from the sprocket drive unit and decided its going also to be vapour blasted this week along with yokes. Its having a nice new Renthal sprocket fitted and new chain so best make use of the service to restore good as.




Then I made a repair to the long air box breather hose which had been split and gnawed back by someone in the past. Could not get another one the same so went about it to repair as best as I could without too much obvious signs.
I cut the pipe back a couple of inches and then inserted a piece of thin tube pretty much the same diameter as the bore about 50mm long and then wrapped some rubber around to same diameter. Then I used the 20mm diameter heat shrink over the top like a bandage and was a tight fit and slid over with soapy water. Then heated it with a hair dryer to a tight fit and dry the water out. Looks ok now.




Managed to get some correct carb breather pipes on ebay too and a pair of mirrors.

[Albie]

Big thumbs up for BigOz for his welding skills and being a top bloke. I picked my welded lower yoke up on Monday evening and dropped off my exhaust header system.
He had filled the damaged stripped thread with weld and as soon as I got home I measured and drilled and tapped again M8. That meant that yesterday all those parts went to vapour blasting in Sevenoaks at TSR vapour blasting.





I was shocked last night when BigOz posted pics of the header as I said no rush mate its fine. He has done I can only imagine it already or partly but has filled in the missing pieces where the welding had previously been torn from someone who tacked exhausts to the header.
I will polish it all up after but I reckon he has made a great job of it and saved me from possibly having to have accepted the look or cutting it back 4-5mm.









We have a plan for the making of a bracket for the ohlins remote as he has a plate roller like a mini mangle so we reckon that's not going to be hard to do. Its more the point of steel or aluminium.
I got a delivery from Moto Rapido of exhaust rings today and fresh manifold nuts. Price in case you need was £20.74 inc vat for 4 of each.



I just hope the vapour blasted stuff gets done before Friday afternoon for me to pick up. That would make my weekend happy.

[Albie]

Big Oz done his stuff and what a neat job.. Kent and London UKMOC are lucky to have his skills and enthusiasm.

[Albie]

Very little happening this week so far regards building sadly as not yet got my vapour blasted yokes and sprocket carrier back from TSR so here is hoping they are done this week.
In the meantime I have been selling and buying other parts and treated her to some new sprockets even though they were very decent. The chain is a D.I.D and has little side movement and although was grimey, it was also greasy too and I gave it a wipeover without any cleaning products and will be white greased before fitment. I intend to give it a better clean in between the link prior to grease though.
I went for a pair of Renthals because I like the colour and the heritage and got standard 39-15.





I had to order another cush drive bearing as never realised there were 2 in that part. That should arrive tomorrow.

I had a bit of a lucky find last night spotting a pair of gold chain adjuster back plates on Ebay under chain parts. And were buy now too. There is not so much wrong with mine other than the chain side one has a few scrapes on the top but these are so much better so mine will be sold on after.







I am about to order the tyres and looks likely now I will go for the Michelin PR2 as PR3 are £50 more and I am needing every penny saved. Its just a case of whether I order online or via somewhere like Watling tyres and get the fitting thrown in as been told they may charge £40 fitting for bought in ones.

I hope by this time next week some proper progress is made but I am slowly ticking stuff off the needed list and the garage is getting tidier as I sell on parts from Fsie,XT500 and Monster parts to bring some cash back in.

[Albie]

Big Oz your a very kind man.



And Lukas without you I wouldn't have had an exhaust to work with. It may have been scruffy but....

[Albie]

Forks and yokes are on so lets this thing started.







I have an issue with that rectifier and I must have positioned what I thought obvious wrong. It being placed there interferes with the steering lock stop.






Other than that I am very happy.

[Pedro]

The rectifier position doesn't look quite right to me but it is the later version. If memory serves, the fins should run either across the frame or front to back, not at an angle. I'll text you a pick in a bit

Ped

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Pedro

The rectifier position doesn't look quite right to me but it is the later version. If memory serves, the fins should run either across the frame or front to back, not at an angle. I'll text you a pick in a bit

Ped

Cheers. It almost runs front to back.