Changing the belts on a Tesi 3D

[froryde]

Anybody has any experience / knowledge on changing the belts on a Tesi 3D? The way it looks I have to remove the chassis plate in order to access the belts? Just want to check before I do anything stupid...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Phil

[Bruce_Allison]

On the Tesi 1D you must remove that plate...and to get that off, remove the swing arms, subframes, etc, etc, etc.....a fairly comprehensive job in other words.

BA

[daotoys1]

Originally Posted by froryde

Anybody has any experience / knowledge on changing the belts on a Tesi 3D? The way it looks I have to remove the chassis plate in order to access the belts? Just want to check before I do anything stupid...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Phil

This is true.....Ive been looking into this myself and Ive also talked to a few different owners and dealers and there seems to be no easy way to do this without a very extensive take down of the bike. The cheapest price I was quoted by a dealer to do this was well over $2000 USD.

If anyone figures out a trick to doing this easier, Id love to hear about it.

The only good news is that this does not need to be done as often as the older Ducati engines. Ive also heard that you should find Ducati "Corse" grade belts rather than the stock OEM replacement items as they are much stronger and last longer with less "stretch" over time. Im not a Ducati mechanic but this is what Ive heard from a few different sources.

BIMOTA has available both Parts Manual and Service Manuals on CD that can be ordered through any dealer ( I bought 2 of each when I got my bike). But the R&R needed to change the belts seems pretty straight forward .

This is about the only down side to the Tesi design is the labor intense service and maintanence that the unique design requires. But my understanding is that the Tesi 3D is actually a big improvement over the earlier Tesi 2D and especially the first Tesi 1D design that required even more work and time for repairs.

Happy Holidays to you.....



Good luck.....and Happy Holidays

[JSR29]

As Bruce said.
On my Tesi I found it easiest to lift the entire frame off the motore. I think you actually have to disassemble less that way as opposed to just trying to take off one side plate. And if you're doing a valve adjust as well it makes that a lot easier. At least on a 4v Tesi. Good opportunity to clean everything as well. Good luck.
Ciao,
Scott

[daotoys1]

If you were to support the bike correctly you might be able to lift off the right side plate along with a number of other bits to access the belts without completely removing both swinging arms, but this would be very difficult and if not well you could easily bend, crack, break something in attempting this short cut.

I agree that R&R of the engine is the way to go. Doing all of the services needed at the same time is also a great idea.

In my experience BIMOTAs have never been made with ease of service in the equation. Everything about them is labor intensive, however its not quite as bad as it use to be.

Reminds be of the first 450cc Husqvarna that came out in the 1970s; Husqvarna took their 400 MX bike and punched it out and stroked it to a full 450cc but did not plan well for regular service needs because you had to actually remove the engine from the frame to change/check the spark plug.....on a early 2 stroke racing engine ( they tend to foul plugs easily if not kept in the correct air/fuel ratio....)......so someone came up with a fix for this.....they added a second spark plug hole into the head so you could run 2 plugs. If you fouled one you just attach the coil lead to the spare plug and your good until it fouls.....

I think with alittle time and effort BIMOTA could have come up with a design to make the belt changing easier.......but I guess this is another price you pay to own such a rare exotic...

[froryde]

Actually my mechanic found out that he can JUST slip the belt out if he removed one of the bolts and the spacer, so it's not too bad.

The front tire change still took him 3 hours though!

[daotoys1]

Originally Posted by froryde

Actually my mechanic found out that he can JUST slip the belt out if he removed one of the bolts and the spacer, so it's not too bad.

The front tire change still took him 3 hours though!

Excellent information to share....this is great news to anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a Tesi 3D which they ride and put miles on. Thanks for the update.

Now if only someone can figure out an easier front tire change....3 hours is a bit on the long side.....

Happy New Year

[polyesterpig]

The question I have is - Can you get to the bolt/idler bearing that locks down the tension of the belt? It looks like it is located behind the sideplate. If you can, I would probably just run without the belt covers after the first belt change to make it easier in the future.

[daotoys1]

Originally Posted by polyesterpig

The question I have is - Can you get to the bolt/idler bearing that locks down the tension of the belt? It looks like it is located behind the sideplate. If you can, I would probably just run without the belt covers after the first belt change to make it easier in the future.

Dont you run the risk of getting some road junk thrown into the moving belts if you run the engine/bike without belt covers, or even more dangerous would be getting a pant leg and/or item of clothing caught in the moving machinery?????

Personally I would keep the carbon fiber covers, but if needed modify them to make it easier to get them on/off the bike.

I think that open/exposed belts in a common Ducati topic of mixed opinion just like having open/exposed dry clutch components.......Im all for using a light weight saving modification to the engine, and having partially exposed moving parts does add to the mechanical look of the engine, but not if it means sacrificing safety and/or reliability.

You could of course go the middle ground path and use abreviated partial belt covers that expose the belts to some degree but still provide some safety at the same time. There are a number of aftermarket manufacturers who have made accessories like this for both the belts and the dry clutch.

Just my thoughts on the issue......Im sure that we will get feedback on this with members pointing out the pros and cons of each 3 options ( option 1....complete belt/dry clutch cover, option 2....no belt/clutch covers, or option 3...partial belt/clutch covers that only expose part of the moving components yet still provide some degree of protection to both the engine and the rider/passenger, and/or spectator....like a child sticking a finger into the moving mechanism....this kind of behavior happens alot more often than people realize...).

[polyesterpig]

Originally Posted by daotoys1

Dont you run the risk of getting some road junk thrown into the moving belts if you run the engine/bike without belt covers, or even more dangerous would be getting a pant leg and/or item of clothing caught in the moving machinery?????

Personally I would keep the carbon fiber covers, but if needed modify them to make it easier to get them on/off the bike.

I think that open/exposed belts in a common Ducati topic of mixed opinion just like having open/exposed dry clutch components.......Im all for using a light weight saving modification to the engine, and having partially exposed moving parts does add to the mechanical look of the engine, but not if it means sacrificing safety and/or reliability.

You could of course go the middle ground path and use abreviated partial belt covers that expose the belts to some degree but still provide some safety at the same time. There are a number of aftermarket manufacturers who have made accessories like this for both the belts and the dry clutch.

Just my thoughts on the issue......Im sure that we will get feedback on this with members pointing out the pros and cons of each 3 options ( option 1....complete belt/dry clutch cover, option 2....no belt/clutch covers, or option 3...partial belt/clutch covers that only expose part of the moving components yet still provide some degree of protection to both the engine and the rider/passenger, and/or spectator....like a child sticking a finger into the moving mechanism....this kind of behavior happens alot more often than people realize...).

I agree, but the real question was, can you get to the belt tensioner pully bolt (and torque it correctly) without taking off the main frame plate?