Saturday, May 23, 2009

Pictures

Dad had requested some more detailed pics of the oil tank. Come to think of it, the one I did post was poor, in that it only showed one angle, and the hose routing was described but not shown. So, the pic at the left shows the bottom of the tank, with inlet and outlet hoses, and the drain bolt. While the hoses do look like they come close to the exhaust pipe, there looks to be sufficient clearance.

This is the side view of the tank. Note how well it tucks into the contours of the frame, engine, and radiator. This extra time (and extra money) I think allowed the additional volume to be gained, rather than just using a flat rectangular box bolted to the side of the frame. As I stated before, all of the mounting tabs are inboard of the frame tube, and therefore hidden from view. Pretty neat.


The little valve you see in the pic cost me nearly 15 bucks from Dennis Kirk in the states, but my hope is that it holds up to the likely frequent removals and installations of the fuel tank that will come with the machine being sorted out over the coming months. As well, in order to prevent flooding while in storage, the valve can be shut off. Even with the 90 degree bend, an initial test showed the fuel flowed into the float bowl as it should. The vaccuum of the carb I think will help draw fuel from the tank as needed. I was also able to finally track down a proper sock air filter (UNI) that will work.
Because I have time, and the parts are already in primer, I began to spray the Rizla blue on the front fender and tail fairing. It's just Krylon from Canadian Tire, but it looks pretty darn close in my opinion. I doubt this bike will ever be placed side-to-side with the real MotoGP bikes, so I will say with some confidence that it is an EXACT match.




This is the tail -- but only 1 coat so far. Seems to cover quite well in 2 coats. Will give it lotsa time to cure, and then put a coat or two of clear on it when I have the time during an upcoming weekend... that might not happen until July!





Back to the Ducati -- I had aquired a retro-style cafe fairing that needed work on eBay for a good price. However it was for a 7" headlight, and what I had were 5.5" headlights. As well, it was much larger all around. Over the course of a few months, I've cut it, sanded it, fibreglassed it, and modified it to work with the smaller headlight. I also painted with my favourite cheap paint, "Hammer finish". Switching over from the streetfighter fairing was pretty straightforward, so I'll see how I like this. The windscreed does offer somewhat better protection, and I think the light spread will be better as well. Also seems to match the cafe-style of the reverse megaphone exhaust as well.


In running the bike at highway speed for longer than ~ 10 laps, I was surprised at how hot the cam belt covers got. Desmo times used to sell CNC vented covers, but no more. eBay is full of expensive vented covers as well, but I thought I'd break out the ruler, a sharpie marker, and give it a try myself. A combInation of 1/4" and 3/16" holes were drilled. Hopefully big enough to allow some hot air to escape, but not so big that a stone or a lot of moisture would be able to enter. Vertical cylinder has the same pattern.

This is the condition of the headers almost immediately after starting the bike up. Followed the POR-15 directions to a "T", I thought, but like anything, curved sections of exhaust tend to trap more heat, and I think exceed the 1200 F limit. Damn! Header wrap is on the way via eBay. It's stainless, so it won't rust -- will just drive me crazy from an asthetic or "finished" point of view until I can fix it. Not like I can see it while I am riding anyway!

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