Ducati Monster Forum

1st: The oil sight glass. I know you can remove these and replace them when powder coating but I heard many folks just leave them in and they survive the heat just fine. Any one have any first hand experience here?

2nd: I'm going to be PC'ing my Clutch Cover black and I want the Ducati Logo to remain silver. The PC shop told me if it's raised I could just take a sanding block to the letters but I worry about how it will look at the edges with this approach (sloppy?). I know they make a PC masking tape too. Any one try the sanding approach or the masking tape?

3rd: Can Powder coating mess up the seal when I remount the clutch cover or crank case cover? Do I need to sand off the PC paint on the engine facing edge or mask it before it gets PC'd or is this not a problem due to the sealant applied when mounting these pieces?

1. No idea
2. Make them mask it off or find someone who will, I powder coated a bunch of parts a couple years ago and the shop gave me no hassles about not getting powder on certain sections of the parts.
3. I'm not sure but I would say mask it to be safe.

I would definitely need to mask the Ducati logo myself as this would be pretty involved and I cant see the PC shop cutting tape out in the shape of each letter without charging me an extra $100. Looks like I'm probably gonna go the sanding block route.

I'd worry less about the sight window, and more about the seal that goes around the end of the crank, ensuring oil delivery to the rod bearings.

Don't forget to put the oil gallery O-ring (just below the clutch basket) back in when you put the sidecover back on.

1. I'd take the site glass out. You'll kick yourself if it goes pear shape and your back to square one.

2. Because its raised lettering, do what the shop say's. I used a smooth file to get the lettering flat 'before' I had mine PC'ed, then its easy to remove the PCing after its done. Tape off around the lettering to protect from accidental knocks.

3. mask up ALL area's inside the cover and plug threads.

oh yeah, and as Speeddog say's worry about the seal as well. I just bought a new one and fitted it after job was done.

The lettering should be simple. Spray the powder on then use some masking tape around your finger to remove it from the raised lettering. If they don't know how to do that maybe find a new shop.

1. What do I do about the seal that goes around the end of the crank (remove it?) Embarassingly enough I dont even know which seal we're talking about here. :-[
2. How do you get the slight glass out without breaking it?
3.What kind of file did you use on the lettering?

Thanks so much for this advice!!

One more question... whats the best way to clean these parts before PC? I got WD40, Brake Parts Cleaner and Simple Green. Will any of those suffice or do I need to run out and get something better?

Is your powdercoater going to sandblast prior to PC? I know a lot of shops won't PC unless they sandblast.

-just leave the seal in and replace when the jobs done

-when you've got the cover off, use something that fits the inside the hole behind the sight glass (a socket maybe) and gently tap it out.

-flat smooth (thats what its called) and when you have all the coating of wrap a bit of fine emery around the file for a better finish...

Still not sure which seal we're talking about here.

I'm really wondering if many of these inside bits (sight glass, seals etc) would withstand the PC temps considering engine oil temps can climb to close to 300°F and PC temps are 390°F. These bits gotta be rated beyond the operating temp in which they're used. Of course I'd hate to be the guinea pig and find out I'm wrong.  :'(

What about the endcap bearing cover with the Ducati Logo on it? That looks like it would be fairly easy to get off and PC'd too while I'm at it. True?

How do you get the little green "oil gallery oil ring" to stay in place when you're putting the side basket back on?

 A smear of grease?

Cant get the crankshaft bearing back in the left side cover!!  ???

It drifted out with a couple whacks but it wont go back in unless it's pefectly level and aligned that seems damn near impossible one side always goes in a little deeper then its all crooked and will only go so deep. I've taken it out and tried over and over again. How do you get this thing back in?

 You need to ask on more subforums. 2 is not enough. Get a 24 inch extension and a socket with an outer diameter matching the outer race to use as a drift. The long arm will make it easier to see straight.

Guess this thread is a bit late.
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20215.msg1125668#msg1125668 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20215.msg1125668#msg1125668)

But yeah, what Spike said about the bearing. Press fitting it in with a vice or something should work pretty well too. I used the old rubber mallet and socket.

Actually that thread was one of my study threads in preparation for this endeavor!

Well I did finally get it in. I put the bearing in the freezer overnight and took a small butane torch to the bearing hole and heated it up. That with a socket and a hammer did it. (I had been doing just the socket and a hammer the night before repeatedly to no avail). Thanks for everyones help!

Here's how they came out from the powder coater. Except for the camshaft end cap I taped off the Ducati Logo on that and hit it with VHT Satin and then baked it under a halogen bulb for 1 hour. It's a tad shiny but it's set back and low and not as noticeable. I'll probably get it powder coated this winter along with the monoshock spring.

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5448/9648487805_25988b1b90_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/9648487805/)
Powder Coated Black! #ducati #ducatimonster (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/9648487805/) by ricknieto (http://www.flickr.com/people/65036619@N04/), on Flickr

Probably an obvious reason but why powder coat the caliper bracket? I've seen people do it before but figured its buried so far in the wheel only one of us would notice it being powder coated. Mine is/was so dirty its just a straight poo brown. I left it plain when I assembled everything from a complete disassembly. Thought about it but only after I had finished assembling everything and just said F'it  [cheeky]. The parts look good BTW.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/Batman50/526605_498277886888872_869007767_n_zps796df97c.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Batman50/media/526605_498277886888872_869007767_n_zps796df97c.jpg.html)

I replaced my silver stock swingarm with a black 695 swingarm (the 695 swingarm was also noticeably lighter).
The caliper bracket sticks up big and silver and would've stood out against the black rims, black caliper and black swingarm. As you can see in this older pic that still has the silver swingarm.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/9673159422_26785f1d24_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/9673159422/)
IMG_6765 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65036619@N04/9673159422/#) by ricknieto (http://www.flickr.com/people/65036619@N04/), on Flickr

How the heck did you get the oil seal ring out of the clutch cover side? I got a new one so I see the shape but mine wont budge. The rubber on it's already all torn up from me trying and I keep trying to wedge a screw driver between it and the copper bushing below it but no luck. Maybe need to pick up a very small and thin chisel? I also tried a little heat (butane torch) to no avail.

 A small sheet metal screw into the seal and then pry it out with a screwdriver.