Engine cover puller and tires

Today I made a tool for polling off the alternator engine cover. It’s simply a 10mm aluminium bar with two holes for M6 screws on each side of a threaded hole. The C-C distance between the outer holes is 56mm, and I used a M10 bolt in the middle. I made the end of the bolt pointy to fit into the end of the crankshaft.

Josè, from who I bought the DB2, occasionally orders tires from Spain. He made an order some week ago and tonight I went to I pick the set of Pirelli Diablo Corsa I ordered. It seems crazy to buy tires from Spain, but for some reason tires are very expensive in Sweden. By ordering from Spain I get a complete set for the same price as a rear would have cost me in Sweden, even including shipping!

Removing engine

Today I pulled the engine out of the frame, or more correctly removed the frame from the engine. I used a hydraulic jack to support the engine when I removed all the bolts, and then I could lower the engine using the jack. It was then an easy task to just lift the frame up in the rear end and roll it free from the engine forward on the front wheel.

I brought the engine home from the garage and now it rests in the basement until I start to pull it apart.

Engine Stand

Inspired by some pictures I got from a fellow Ducatisti (Zoman) i blew the dust of my welder and made an engine stand. A very simple design, but I think it will help a lot while working on the engine later on.

Keihin aligning

Today I did some work on the Keihins. I have bought new bearings so I cleaned the new ones in the ultrasonic washer with acetone and filled them with silicon grease, that I believe will have some resistance to petrol.

I also worked some more on the spacers to do the final tuning to get the throttle shaft seats properly aligned. Since the bearing was removed I could use the pairs of 9mm holes in each carb. I had some trouble finding a 9mm shaft, but finally I got the idea to use a long drill! I did some adjustments on the lengths of the spacers and also decreased the diameter about 0,1mm. The Keihins have quite a lot of burrs from the casting so I did some burring where needed.

Bible and rear end support

Today I visited a supplier downtown Stockholm, so after the visit I went over to MarGie Bookshop and picked up the book I ordered some weeks ago. You can´t be a believer without a bible! (still wrapped in plastics)




I spent the evening in the garage. First I removed the back wheel and cleaned the threads for the excenter clamps. I changed the rusty bolts for A4 stainless and lubricated everything with lithium grease. It's my intention to change as many bolts as possible to stainless.
I also loosened the rear wheel axle to be able to dismount it with the wheel removed. Earlier I have felt a slight play in the rear wheel bearings and when I removed the wheel I could hear that they didn’t sound or felt well. Replacing them definitely goes on the list!



I also built a stand to support the rear end of the bike in order to remove the swing arm and the engine. Not the most rigid thing in the world, but it does the job. With the bike on the stand I could remove the rear shock and lower the swing arm to get access to the right clamping bolt for the swing arm shaft. I tried the shaft and it moves without excessive force.



Finally I loosened all the cylinder nuts. Since I plan to remove the cylinders to change gaskets to fix some oil leakage, I thought it would be wise to loosen the nuts with the engine still in the frame if they where stuck. I used a home made copy of Ducatis special tool for this.

Sprockets and chain

Today i recieved an email with prices from a German company Wieres. They sell chain kits for the DB2, with both rear sprockets with 5 and 6 mounting holes.

Prices are reasonable I think. You can choose front sprocket 14 or 15 teeth, and rear 36-49 teeth. With a standard DID VM X-ring chain and front and rear sprocket (aluminium) of any size the kit is €144,70 ($170). Shipping to Sweden is €23. You can also upgrade to ZMV or ERV chains.

More info at their web site: http://www.wieres.de or by email depa@wieres.de

Working weekend

This weekend I spent some hours in the garage. First I did some more experiments to try to understand why the starter hardly moves. I tried with a newly charged battery from my 750SS that works perfect on that bike: Not a turn on the starter!
Then I tried to connect that battery directly to the starter with a couple of jump starting cables: No difference! So my conclusion is that it’s the starter that is faulty. I’ll tear it apart when I can remove it from the engine.

I jump started the bike with a car battery (the starter cranks really slow even with a car battery) and warmed it up to drain the oil. I found nothing extraordinary on the oil plug magnet, but the wirenet filter held some not so nice particles. In the picture you can se a steel splinter pointing out from the filter. I found two more similar pieces in the filter.
When I spoke to my friend Tom about it he showed me this webpage: http://www.moto-one.com.au/performance/888part4.html
I’ll better keep an eye on that plug when I remove the cylinders later on.



Now everything is set for removing the engine. What was a running bike less than a month ago is now more a frame with wheels and a pile of parts. I hope I get everything back together…

Rescuing the original carbs

The original carbs have been put aside by a previous owner since the idling mixture screw was stuck and the screwdriver grove has been damaged by excessive force.
On the bike right now are carbs from a Monster 900.

In an attempt to rescue the original carb I put it up in the milling machine and removed the damaged part of the screw and drilled a hole in the middle. By using a Torx-screwdriver forced down the hole I could move the screw just a little back and forth. Aided by oil and a hot air gun I finally managed to remove the screw. Success!!

I will now put the original carbs away and continue to work on the Keihins, as I hope to be able to use them on the bike for next season.

Examining carbs

Tonight I went over to Torbjörn Sjöberg, a friend from the Swedish Ducati Club. His Ducati Monster is really one of a kind! Since he has fitted a par of Keihin FCR41 carbs on the Monster, I asked him if I could pop by and have a look at the carb setup. It’s always easier to get a grip of things when you see them IRL !

Torbjörn gave me some really useful advice, and I will continue the work of getting the FCRs together.

Read the story of Torbjörns remarkable Monster at: http://www.ebbot.net/ducati/m900crsp/

Electric trouble shooting

Today was the first day working on the DB2 since I got it home. First thing was to mount the plastic feet on the paddock stand. The idea was to make it easy to slide the bike when on the stand, and it worked as intended.

Second I tried to find out why the starter hardly manages to crank the engine over. I changed all the battery leads and tried with a new charged battery, but still no improvement. I also by-passed the starter relay without any change. When connecting another battery in parallel the engine cranks but slow.

When engaging the starter I measured about 6V and 35A at the starter terminal to engine ground. According to the workshop manual the starter has a power of 700W. 6*35 makes 210W so obviously we’re missing some power.

As I see it there are three possibile faults:
1) Grounding of the starter is insufficient (seems unlikely)
2) The starter itself is faulty
3) The battery is faulty

I will recharge the battery and try to connect a jump starting cable from the battery directly to the starter to see if that helps. I’ll also try with one of the Yuasa batteries for our Ducatis to see if that helps. The battery in the DB2 is a low quality brand, so maybe it just can’t give enough current.

Unexpected Keihin problems and paddock stand feet

Today I learned something about the Keihin FCRs. The carbs I got with the bike are half of a kit for a in-line-four Kawasaki. Gert, who got the other half and converted it for his Monster 900, told me that there’s two different kind of throttles for the FCR41 marked 1,5 and 2,5. The Ducatis should have the 1,5 throttles and unfortunately the ones from the Kwak are 2,5.
This results in difficulties in getting a low and stable idling. Since new throttles are €200 each, Gert choose to try to machine the ones he got to fix the problem. It worked but the idle is a bit sensitive. This was an unexpected problem. I’ll have to look closer at the FCRs to se what I can do about it.

After work I made a short stop at the lathe to make four ”feet” for the original Bimota paddock stand. As it’s very crownded in my garage I need to slide the paddock stand sideways to get the bike into place, so I made some plastic sliding feet to make it easier.
(sorry for the poor picture. I used my cellphone to take it.)

Computer problems and measuring parts

Today I stayed two hours after work doing some Bimota stuff. First I measured what's left of the rear brake caliper bracket using my companys Mitutoyo coordinate measure machine. I'll to try to make a drawing and have someone make me a new bracket (Bimota part no. 502281010 Supporto Pinza).
I also scanned the Paioli RSU41 users manual to a PDF. If you need it, send me an email!

When I got home I was copying some files to my computer at home from a USB memory stick, when I accidentaly erased the whole folder with Bimota related files. I spent the rest of the evening trying to recover the files and managed to salvage about half.

But my introduction to the Bimota Mailing list that took me 45 minutes to write yesterday is gone...

German fairing manufacturer

Today I found an ad at German Ebay from a company selling a new Monocock for the DB2. In the ad they claimed that they produced all fairing parts for the DB2: Full- and half fairings, monocock and bellypan, so I dropped them an email in my best school German asking about prices, material and how they fit compared to original. I got an answer just a couple of hours later with some nice pictures included.

Here's both my email and the answer translated to English by me. My German isn't the best so I also enclose the original emails. If someone finds any error in my translation I'll be happy to know.


My email:
Hallo!
I own a Bimota DB2 and I am interested in your parts for the bike. Please send me prices for all available parts (Monocock, falf and full fairing, bellypan).
I also would like to know how the parts are built up: gelcoat? What is the weight of the fiber glass per m2? How many layers? etc. etc.Can you guarantee that the fit is the same as original?
Best regards,
Lars Söderman
Stockholm Sweden

Hallo!
Ich habe eine Bimota DB2 und bin intressiert von Ihre Teile dafür. Können Sie mir bitte preise für alle teilen melden? (Monocock, Halb- und Fullverkleidung, Motorspolier) Ich möchte auch gern wissen wie die Teilen aufgebaut ist: gelcoat? Wie schwer ist die GFK/m2? Wieviele Schichten? etc. etc. Können Sie Passform wie Originalteilen garantieren?
Gruss
Lars Söderman
Stockholm, Schweden

The answer:
Hallo Lars,
Thank you for your inquire. Here are the prices as questioned - Prices include VAT. If you buy many parts you will be quoted new prices.
Price as of one part:
Monoc. Original design or as racing of your choice 790 EUR
Half fairing with cut out for headlight or racing 415 EUR
Bellypan 157 EUR
Mounting kit for bellypan 79 EUR (Can also be made by yourself)
Full fairing 550 EUR made as one piece or three pieces. The three piece fairing needs an additional mounting e.g. a rivet nut in the upper frame structure.

The fibre glass parts are made from Polyester resin and woven glass fibre. They meet the German vehicle regulations and comes with a certificate. Special designs can be made on request, e.g. thickness or racing versions. The weight is depending on the version: racing or street use.
Our parts for street use are not heavier, but lighter and more rigid than the original parts. The number of layers depends on the function of the area; e.g in the seat area the fibre glass is thicker than in less important areas.
As the original parts don't fit very well in some areas I can say that our parts fit well. Can you guarantee that your frame is exactly the same as all other DB2 frames? Experience has shown that no frames, Bimota, Yamaha or other, is exactly alike. Tolerances up to 15mm (1/2”) are normal. Nevertheless, our parts fit. If you are not satisfied with the fit you can return the parts after agreement within 14 days.

Firma:Michael Gregori

Metallbautechnik

Motorradkunststofftechnik

Sandförth 59 - 29336 Nienhagen

Tel:05144-92299 Fax: 05144-490968

Mobil:0179-5904092

m.gregori@t-online.de

Hallo Lars,
Danke der Nachfrage. Hier die Preise als VK - Preise incl. Steuer !Bei einer Abnahme von mehreren Teilen werden die Preise neu berechnet !
EinzelpreiseMonoc. Original Design oder Racing möglich 790 EURO
Verkleidungs Halbschale mit Lampenausschnitt oder Racing 415 EURO
Motorwanne Keil 157 EURO
Haltesatz Motorkeil 79 EURO ( Kann aber auch selbst gefertigt werden ! )
Vollverkleidung 550 EURO einteilig oder Dreiteilig. Bei der Dreiteiligen wird ein zusätzlicher Haltepunkt benötigt bzw einr Einnietmutter in den oberen Rahmenzug genietet !

Die GFK teile werden aus GFK - Polyester Harz in Verbindung mit Glasgewebematten gefertigt. Sie entsprechen der Deutschen STVO mit Materialgutachten . Sonder wünsche können nach Absprache berücksichtigt werden . bezüglich der Dicke oder für Strasse oder Rennstrecke ! Das Gewicht richtet sich nach den jeweiligen Anvorderungen des Kunden Strasse oder Rennstrecke !Unsert Teile für die Strasse sind nicht schwerer ,ehr leichter aber stabiler als die Originalteile. Die schichten richten sich nach dem Bauteil zb. im Sitzbereich mehr lagen als an unwichtigen stellen ! Da die Originalteile teilweise shr schlecht passen kann ich sagen unsere Teile passen gut . Können sie mir garantieren das Ihr Rahmen gleich aller anderen Rahmen der DB2 sind ? Aus der praxis hat sich gezeigt, das kein Rahmen werde Bimota noch Yamaha oder... gleich ist . Toleranzen bis 1,5 cm sind Normal ! Dennoch unsere Teile passen . sollten sie nicht damit zufrieden sein , 14 Tage Rückgaberecht nach Vereinbarung ,kein problem

Gruss

micha

Firma: Michael Gregori
Metallbautechnik
Motorradkunststofftechnik
Sandförth 59 - 29336 Nienhagen
Tel:05144-92299 Fax: 05144-490968
Mobil:0179-5904092

m.gregori@t-online.de

Pick up!

Today was the big day to pick up the bike! I had agreed with Josè to show up by 11.00 (thats AM) and though it's just 15 minutes drive from here we managed to be half an hour late. Jose had prepaired a box with all the parts that came with the bike. We sorted out all paperwork and I was ready to go.When we where about to start the bike, José discovered that he had forgotten to charge the battery, so we couldn't get the engine started, however the problem was solved easily by jump starting the DB2 from Josès car.From José we drove straight to Jennys parents for a through cleaning of the bike. We had good help from the Kärscher power wash, but we still struggled for about three hours. Since there's a lot of work to do, I think it's well invested time. It's much nicer to work on a fairly cleen bike. After cleaning we went straight to our rented garage to put away the bike for the winter. That's the drawback of being a biker in a country like Sweden.

Brake parts

Earlier this week I picked up some brake parts I bought at ebay.de. They are from a Cagiva Mito but both the caliper and the brake pump is the same as on the DB2. I guess I can also use the brake fluid container.
I also got the Mito brake disc, wich is almost the same as on the DB2. Outside diameter (230mm) and active area is the same, but the inside diameter and bolt pattern diameter differs. Since the original brake disc hub is damaged, and the Mito disc wasn't expensive, I thought I'll buy it and make a new hub that fits, while trying to find the original parts.

The parts are not new and was wery dirty, but for the price of 412 SEK (€43 or $53) including shipping from Germany, I thought it was OK. I tore both the caliper and the brake pump apart for cleaning: first a rough celaning at home and then in the automatic ultrasonic cleaner at work. The result was quite OK i think! Everyone working with bikes should have an ultrasonic cleaner!
I also changed the bolts holding the caliper halfs together. It has become my speciality: Standard stainless steel bolts with the bolt heads lathed to a conical shape. Looks like titnaium bolts. On some viewing distance it can fool anyone!



Referencs facts:

Caliper: Brembo P32B- Brembo p/n 20.5185.20, also fitted on some Moto Guzzis e.g. Daytona, 1100 Sport, Centauro, V11.

Pump: Brembo P13B - Brembo p/n 10.4776.20, also fitted on many Ducatis e.g. 888, Supersport 91-94

Brake Disc: Cagiva Mito drawing

Caliper bolts: M8x30mm, tightening torque 33Nm (24 ft. lbs)

Blog set up

I'm setting up this blog to let people all over the world follow my whereabouts with my newly bought Bimota DB2. I'm hoping that I can help other people by writing down what I do and sharing my mistakes.

I also plan to make a web page where I will share drawings and other DB2 related documents. More on that when the page is up and running.

Hopefully you will find my writing interesting and come back to my diary! C U around!

The Deal

Time for another visit to Josè. Earlier this week I sent him an email suggesting a price. He wasn't quite pleased with the sum, so I suggested we meet again for some discussion. I also needed to straighten some qustions marks on the bike.

We started off by going through all the parts that comes with the bike and agreed that if I wanted the Keihin FCR41 carbs a would have to pay a little more for the bike.

Of course I wanted the Keihins! Hands where shaken and we decided that I will pick up the bike next weekend.

Second visit and test run

Today I visited Josè for the second time. He intend to keep the slippery cltuch for his 748R, so we mounted the original clutch and I went for a test ride for almost an hour. The bike wasn't really street lagal: No rear brake, no speedometer, no front turn indicators and no lights on since the there's a charging problem, probably because of the racing generator.

I took a ride on roads that i know well, and found the bike very smooth and following in the corners. The engine doesn't run well at low RPM (up to 3500) but then it comes very nicely. The gearbox makes some nasty noises while shifting down. I tried different ways to downshift but couldn't do it as smooth as on my Ducati 750SS.

I stopped and took som pictures. When I was finished the starter almost didn't manage to turn the engine over. I was really worried but finally I got the bike running.

Again, I need to do some thinking....

The first look

Today I visited José and took a first look at the bike. When I came back i wrote an email to my friend Martin, telling him about my impressions: (translation from swedish)

Hi Martin!
Today I was over at Josés place to have a look at the DB2. What should I say? It's an awsome bike but I would say it needs a decent restoration before I am ready to ride it. Have you ever heard of someone loosing the complete rear brake including one quarter of the disc while riding a bike? Neither had I until today...

The fairings are in quite bad shape after a couple of crashes, and there are holes for crash pads. José has also cut off a bit of the fairing to give space for a reveresed racing shift lever. Both the front and rear carbon fender has cracks and one fastening ear for the rear fender has cracked from the swingrarm probably from vibration fatigue. The right forpeg bracket is cracked from a crash.

The thing with the rear brake can case some trouble since the bracket for the rear caliper is smashed and the aluminium hub for the brake disc is bent. I guess they are hard (impossible?) to find as spares, so I'll have to try to find someone who can machine them for me. The caliber shouldn't be much trouble since it seems to be found on some Moto Guzzis and Cagivas.

Some positive things is that the engine has Carillo rods and some kind of big bore kit (944 or 960 cm3, José wasn't shure) . The Öhlin rear shock was newly rebuilt by Öhlins.

There's always a question if one should buy a bike that needs this much of restoration or not. Obvioulsy this is not the sensible bike to buy, but much more fun than a mainstream SSie. I need to do some thinking and also take a real test ride.

I shure am interested, but there's a lot of buts.....

/Lars

When and where does the story begin?

Where should I start this story? Maybe when I was four and got my first three wheeler? Or maybe when I was ten and started hanging around in the my neighbours garage while he was builting mopeds from scrap? Maybe April 22th in 1985 when I got my drivers licens? Or should I start the 23rd of May 2001 when I got on the train from Stockholm to Berlin with 7000 DM in my pants to buy my first Ducati and drive it 1000 km back to Stockholm?

No, I think I'll start telling this story by the 17th of August this year:
My friend José was sellebrating his birthday with his family when his wife told him that something wasn't allright in the garage. He went out to have a look and found a Ducati 748R in his garage right next to his Bimota DB2. He was a little confused untill he found a post on the bike saying "Happy birthday darling" It was a birthday present from his wife!

As you can see on the picture there's hardly room for both the 748R and the DB2 in Josés garage, so though he didn't like it he had to sell the DB2 and put out an ad on the webpage of the Swedish Ducati Club.

Since first came across the DB2 I've been madly in love with it, and always thought that maybe one day... So when José sent me an email asking about some parts i bought from http://www.ricambi-weiss.de I just had do ask him a little about the DB2 and tell him that I just might be interested!