What'd you do to your Hyperstrada today?

jerdog53 said:

Oddly enough I picked my up from the stealer today after getting new fork seals installed...

9700 miles Zip

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But you do a lot of off-road, correct? Were they leaking?

gatdammit said:

But you do a lot of off-road, correct? Were they leaking?

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Yes I off road and yes they were leaking, didn't say I was surprised they failed...

While prepping the bike for the 5 year timing belt change, I decided to install a set of SP's Magnesium rocker covers. They provide a slight weight saving vs the aluminum HS/HM part. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the actual belt change, which so far is very easy to do.

zibbit u2 said:

While prepping the bike for the 2 year timing belt change, I decided to install a set of SP's Magnesium rocker covers. They provide a slight weight saving vs the aluminum HS/HM part. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the actual belt change, which so far is very easy to do.

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Could you keep us posted on the belt change. How are you going to gauge the tension?

Why would you change the belts at two years.
When it's a 5 year or 18000 miles service interval.

appliance821 said:

Could you keep us posted on the belt change. How are you going to gauge the tension?

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Will do, I'm tensioning it acoustically. I found I was getting very accurate results using the "Fine Tuner" app which is a guitar tuning software on my iPhone. I verified the app was reading the correct Hz when I played a 110 Hz tone on my computer and low and behold I was getting a +/- 5% reading continuously.

mentalist said:

Why would you change the belts at two years.
When it's a 5 year or 18000 miles service interval.

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Beginning of the season out of shear curiosity I pulled the horizontal cylinder belt cover to inspect for any hidden oil leaks (which there weren't any) and do a visual inspection of the exposed belt for cracks or wear (which there wasn't). One thing I noted was the belt felt loose when I flexed it looking for cracks/dry-rot.

So I downloaded the Fine Tuner app and strummed the belt. The tension read 74 Hz (Horizontal) and 73 Hz (Vertical), which according to the Ducati manual is still within spec, however it's on the low end of the scale (min value is 70 Hz).

So, technically you are correct, I would be changing them early. However if you think about it, the bike was manufactured in 2012, where it sat in a crate until I put it into service in 2015, and now it has 15000 glorious km 2 years later.

Could I re-tension the belts and call it a day.. Quite possibly.. However I haven't heard of anyone actually having to do that before on a Ducati.

That's a great tip about the acoustic tuning. I've still got one from my attempts at learning to play the guitar.

About ten years ago I was on one of our Velocette Club's Summer Rides, and a fellow on a Monster managed to have a belt skip a tooth. Bent the valves on that cylinder. I'm not sure how it happened, likely downshifted one gear too many and overrevved the engine.

It has taken me three years to get to 9K, so I have a while to consider doing this myself. The desmo system is a bit intimidating - just as many clearances to check as a four cylinder, and three pages of part numbers for the followers.

Once I got the rocker covers off I took a look at the desmo system first hand, and I'll tell ya.. it's really not that complicated. Sure, if you have to do a service or a shim adjustment it might be a PITA to change the closing shims but, it's really no more difficult than adjusting the valves on a Yamaha dirtbike. You just have to take your time and wrap your head around how the system works.

One thing that's a little different than a typical spring driven timing system is normally you take your measurements when the rocker arm is off the cam lobe.. Well, it would appear that the closing shim measurement is actually taken in its "loaded" or on the cam lobe positing. While the opener shim measurement is taken normally, with an off lobe position.

I wouldn't want to have to re-time the camshafts though (they're adjustable). That is just a whole host of annoyance that I don't want to be a part of.. haha

Got the throttle changed

Today I rode down to Newport Ducati and had the TSB on the throttle assembly done. I should have given them the VIN when I called them the first time, would not have taken two visits.

Wow, this new part actually has a spring in it. Feels almost normal. It makes takeoffs so much easier that I'm not thinking about changing the clutch any more.

While I waited I had a chat with the owner, Michael Guerin. Have you seen the thread on the main Ducati forum about touring the USA on a Panigale? That guy bought the bike at Newport, and they helped prep it for this trip. Michael mentioned how tough it is to keep a good Service Department running. Said his desmo shim inventory cost thousands of dollars...I can relate.

But I'm as unhappy as anyone about losing the Hyperstrada from the lineup...sat on a new Multi 950 and it felt like those extra 50 pounds were all up in the fairing. Not for me, I'm keeping mine.

OTOH they just added Aprilia, and the price for a new Tuono 1100 is no more than a new Hyper. That's what they call a smokin' deal.

Zibbit, how much were those magnesium rocker covers?

Evotech guards today. Radiator was a snap, the engine and oil guards were a nightmare. Lining them up with the sump guard to the two small holes in the engine case was extremely frustrating. Ducati rack and lithium battery tomorrow. An Euduristan Sandstorm 3s arrives next week and she will be done.

This!!!!!

Oh no , sorry to see that r3Monkey, hope you are ok
I thought i was having a bad day when I managed to clatter my oil filter coming down a high kerb , and spewed oil everywhere.

Mine has the same problem.oil filter smashed off,fuel tank holed,prety much all the fluids that are supposed to be in the bike are on the grass. Definate insurance write off.knocked off by the car on a roundabout on my first ride on the bike after the BIG belts and desmo service . Broken leg and lots of bruises ...very broken bike
.

oh that sucks.. heal up.

Bummer, speedy recovery. Hope your insurance sorts everything out.

r3monkey said:

Mine has the same problem.oil filter smashed off,fuel tank holed,prety much all the fluids that are supposed to be in the bike are on the grass. Definate insurance write off.knocked off by the car on a roundabout on my first ride on the bike after the BIG belts and desmo service . Broken leg and lots of bruises ...very broken bike
.

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Heal up soon. Sucks to have the bike taken away after the big service. Any more details you can give us on the roundabout interaction?

Sorry and heal up. Always another bike!

i was taking it really steady on a dual carriageway road . it is a 50mph road and i had been following the car in the picture. we went around the previous roundabout in the "slower" lane .There was a second roundabout a few hundred yards further along and as we were only doing about 40 mph . I went into the overtaking lane to pass the car i eventually hit, and another one in front of that,that was driving at around 35mph. The car driver that i hit decided to either overtake the slow one on the roundabout ,or turn right at the roundabout (not sure which yet,)without looking or indicating first .
We can not have been going fast ,as it did not even put a hole in my textile riding gear after sliding along the road .Pretty sure the broken leg came from it being under the bike as it hit the kerb.
I still managed to get up and walk around to take the pictures though. it was only in hospital that they found it to be broken.

MartyGarrison said:

Sorry and heal up. Always another bike!

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i have another 3 in my garage to ride once i get the cast off my leg mate.