Hello all,
I'm back in the Ducati fold again after writing off my 888 last year. Based in Nottingham UK and joined this forum as there seems to be a lot of excellent ST knowledge here! A few months back I bought a recently neglected (and so cheap) 2002 BBG. So far its been pretty much an exercise in frustration getting it running right! Jobs done so far;
Broken mirror spring mount. Several fairing tabs repaired. Leaking fuel tank traced to a failed seam which is now fixed with tank sealant. Oil, belts, fuel and oil filters changed as bike not serviced properly for 5 years (though only 3000 miles previously). New rear pads (one had no material left). Intermittent weird dash coupled with starting failure traced to failing ignition relay. Wobbly dash traced to failed anti-vibration mount. Rear suspension ride height adjuster was in its original position so was taken off, loosened off and rear raised so the tyre is just off the ground on centre stands. I am aiming to strip and rebuild the suspension over the winter at the same time as I do a valve etc service.
I love the riding position and seems just on the right side of sporty to me. Even better is a steering lock that actually allows you to turn sharp corners. Handling wise it feels great though the front feels a little light after the 888. The extra power of the 996 engine does not seem too obvious after the 888 though picks the front end up easily pulling away in first. It generally feels a little bit too civilised to me after the 888 (which is maybe why it doesn’t feel much faster) so I think I need to liberate some intake and exhaust noise I am still left with 3 concerns that are proving harder to sort;
1. Brakes. I have the pulsing brake lever at low speed and brake shudder at medium and faster speeds. I checked the nearly new Brembo discs for run-out on my lathe and they both seem OK though obviously difficult to check accurately with semi-floating carriers. Disc thickness checked with micrometer at 3.90-3.95mm for both discs over the whole surface. Freeing the bobbins didn't help. Cleaning discs with angle grinder (wire attachment) didn't help. Converting discs to fully floating (by cutting out the star washers) didn't help either. Brake pistons all free and cleaned. Head bearings, wheel bearings etc all OK. I've seen all the threads on this but don't understand how I can have a pulsing front lever if the thickness is constant and the discs are floating. I’m tempted to try a pair of the cheap Chinese discs just to see but am open to suggestions of what else to try.
2. Tachometer. Initially OK but went loopy after the last run (probably not helped by the failed dash mount). Currently reading 4000 rpm at tickover and barely moves when revved. Tightening the 3 brass screws at the back made no difference so I cut it open. There were no obvious problems with the circuit board so I remade all the solder connections in case of a dry joint and put it back together to find no difference. I have checked the voltage feed and earth as OK. Before I try and track down another tachometer can someone confirm what voltage I should get at the feed from the ECU just in case I have an ECU problem? Currently 11.5V DC with ignition on (ie about 1 V less that the 12V feed) and drops to ~2.5V (both AC and DC) when running. The voltage doesn’t appear to change when the engine is revved. I don’t have an oscilloscope to check the wave form but may be able to borrow one.
3. Vibration. The engine feels slightly smoother pottering around town below 4k rpm than the 888 which is nice. However, at higher rpm it shakes/vibrates when the throttle is opened wide which the 888 didn't do to (except at really high rpm). Cruising on a low to moderate throttle is fine but giving it a handfull eg at ~6k range brings on the vibes. Mirrors, dash and rev counter all vibrate and the last ride was causing me really bad white finger (I do suffer some times). Thus, I am wondering if the 996 engine is just generally more viby or if something is loose/not right somewhere (I've already checked pretty much all bolts including the main engine mounts). The engine sounds super smooth with no abnormal noises and the oil and screen were clear of anything nasty.
Any suggestions much appreciated!! Thanks, Keith
I'm back in the Ducati fold again after writing off my 888 last year. Based in Nottingham UK and joined this forum as there seems to be a lot of excellent ST knowledge here! A few months back I bought a recently neglected (and so cheap) 2002 BBG. So far its been pretty much an exercise in frustration getting it running right! Jobs done so far;
Broken mirror spring mount. Several fairing tabs repaired. Leaking fuel tank traced to a failed seam which is now fixed with tank sealant. Oil, belts, fuel and oil filters changed as bike not serviced properly for 5 years (though only 3000 miles previously). New rear pads (one had no material left). Intermittent weird dash coupled with starting failure traced to failing ignition relay. Wobbly dash traced to failed anti-vibration mount. Rear suspension ride height adjuster was in its original position so was taken off, loosened off and rear raised so the tyre is just off the ground on centre stands. I am aiming to strip and rebuild the suspension over the winter at the same time as I do a valve etc service.
I love the riding position and seems just on the right side of sporty to me. Even better is a steering lock that actually allows you to turn sharp corners. Handling wise it feels great though the front feels a little light after the 888. The extra power of the 996 engine does not seem too obvious after the 888 though picks the front end up easily pulling away in first. It generally feels a little bit too civilised to me after the 888 (which is maybe why it doesn’t feel much faster) so I think I need to liberate some intake and exhaust noise I am still left with 3 concerns that are proving harder to sort;
1. Brakes. I have the pulsing brake lever at low speed and brake shudder at medium and faster speeds. I checked the nearly new Brembo discs for run-out on my lathe and they both seem OK though obviously difficult to check accurately with semi-floating carriers. Disc thickness checked with micrometer at 3.90-3.95mm for both discs over the whole surface. Freeing the bobbins didn't help. Cleaning discs with angle grinder (wire attachment) didn't help. Converting discs to fully floating (by cutting out the star washers) didn't help either. Brake pistons all free and cleaned. Head bearings, wheel bearings etc all OK. I've seen all the threads on this but don't understand how I can have a pulsing front lever if the thickness is constant and the discs are floating. I’m tempted to try a pair of the cheap Chinese discs just to see but am open to suggestions of what else to try.
2. Tachometer. Initially OK but went loopy after the last run (probably not helped by the failed dash mount). Currently reading 4000 rpm at tickover and barely moves when revved. Tightening the 3 brass screws at the back made no difference so I cut it open. There were no obvious problems with the circuit board so I remade all the solder connections in case of a dry joint and put it back together to find no difference. I have checked the voltage feed and earth as OK. Before I try and track down another tachometer can someone confirm what voltage I should get at the feed from the ECU just in case I have an ECU problem? Currently 11.5V DC with ignition on (ie about 1 V less that the 12V feed) and drops to ~2.5V (both AC and DC) when running. The voltage doesn’t appear to change when the engine is revved. I don’t have an oscilloscope to check the wave form but may be able to borrow one.
3. Vibration. The engine feels slightly smoother pottering around town below 4k rpm than the 888 which is nice. However, at higher rpm it shakes/vibrates when the throttle is opened wide which the 888 didn't do to (except at really high rpm). Cruising on a low to moderate throttle is fine but giving it a handfull eg at ~6k range brings on the vibes. Mirrors, dash and rev counter all vibrate and the last ride was causing me really bad white finger (I do suffer some times). Thus, I am wondering if the 996 engine is just generally more viby or if something is loose/not right somewhere (I've already checked pretty much all bolts including the main engine mounts). The engine sounds super smooth with no abnormal noises and the oil and screen were clear of anything nasty.
Any suggestions much appreciated!! Thanks, Keith