Ducati Monster Forum

hi all,
Been reading the threads and didn't seem to notice anything on this topic.
And i'm curious to know from all the experienced duke owners what level of maintenance that they do themselves and what jobs are just easier to take to various service centres?
I have just brought and recieved the maintenance and Mods guide from Desmo times ( LT Snyder) and it is very precise and well put together so i am confident with this I should be able to do most things correctly, I am a fitter/machinist by trade so no stranger to the tools.
Also if anyone could give me feedback about local melbourne service centres it would also be greatly apprecated. ;)
Nothing is wrong with my bike,just curious, but pretty keen on getting prepared and maintaining my baby properly from the start :)

Do as much as you can! You'll spend more time and care than anyone else will.

the only time you should stop is when the equipment needed is cost prohibitive.

That LT Snyder book is brilliant...reckon every newbie (that's me too!) should get it.

I'm looking forward to my first oil change!

Check these out from Chris at CA-Cycleworks, some of it is the basics but its interesting and helpful.

The only stuff I dont do is the valve shims, as I cant justify the $500 plus cost for a box of shims, as so far in 3 services the gaps have been within the standard specs. Its not that its a difficult job its just a big financial outlay for not a lot of benefit. ;)
The rest is a piece of piss. [thumbsup]


http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/videos/

I do most things myself, I've changed the rear shock, oil and filter changes, changed brake pads, adjusted the chain Etc.
But valve adjustments I'll leave to my local dealer, they know I look after the bike.
And they are happy to do the more complex stuff and leave the simple stuff to me.

I'll learn how to do the more complex stuff in time, but for now, I'm happy to plod along and discover things as I go.

 [thumbsup] for the LT Snyder Manual, Learnt a hell of a lot from his manual.

where did you find the book sound like a good read?

Here 'tis. Some good stuff to be had here, and good to deal with also. [thumbsup]


http://www.desmotimes.com/

I've got about 800 kays to go before my 12000km service is due. I think I will be getting it done at Ducati City, thats where I bought the bike, and they are close to my work. I'll let you know how I go.

Oil change's I can do, but the Ducati seems a bit funky, I can't even adjust the chain on the S4R. I'll be having a look at LT Snyder as well, thanks for the link.

Snyder does different versions for the 2 and 4 valves - otherwise I'd lend you mine Dos.

The 4 valve book has a chapter about refrigerators in there so you know how to look after your coolant system!  ;D

Excellent, 'cos at the moment it doesn't do much of a job of keeping my beer cold.

yeah wou highly recomend the snyder book, when i ordered it there was a notice saying it wouldn't be posted till sept 1st due to army commitments, but i ended up recieving it one week after i had ordered it, and for what it is it is quite cheap, i think it ended up costing me round fifty bucks, to my door inc postage!

great link Dragonworld,cheers [thumbsup]
does anyone gom to Bob brown Ducati for service?
I have just the standard 904ie monster, and from what I understand the 2 valves are a bit simpler to maintain than the S4r 's, but yeah like you all said, if you do it yourself not only do you have a better understanding your motor but you can also maintain it to your own standards, so that is my plan.
But at the end of the day, i guess you have to weigh up the costs also, no point in buying stands, shims etc if it is a one off, every 20,000 km job.

thanks for the hyperlink  [thumbsup]

do yourself the easy and mundane stuff that the mechanics hate doing, oil and filter (inc.screen!) fuel filter, with an inspection of the hoses, air filter, lube the cables, flush the brakes and clutch. to bleed the rear effectively, undo it and turn it so the bleed nipple faces up, makes it much easier.
change the belts if you feel comfortable, balance the carbs/throttle bodies, as well as anything else you know you can do.
If it's injected you need to have the software so that's a workshop job, as too, in my opinion anyway, is shimming the rockers, you can cause yourself a much bigger bill than you save if you get that wrong, shim it too tight and you can bind up the valvetrain on the cams and stuff the lot!!


paul.

I've always done my own maintenance, haven't done belts or valves on a duc yet , but looking forward to having a go,, I've got a good manual and good help from family down in Melbourne if I need it.
Bob Brown has got a good rep as far as I know, my bro's have had Ducs for over 20 years and have mentioned him as highly regarded, my oldest bro worked as a mechanic at cafe racer before it closed down and as far as I know Lee Farrell who was the owner is "the bollocks" when it comes to ducs and last I heard he was operating out of his home. Will get in touch with my bro and find out some more info if I can. As for the shims you only buy what you need at the time, no need for a whole kit, and if you are a member of your local Duc club, they'll lend you all the gear and help you need.(well the QLD club will anyway).
Have a go what's the worst that can happen? Nothing that a couple of grand won't fix.... ;)

Hi Newrider,

I had my last service done at Eurobrit in Greensborough and was quite happy.  It's not a big place but the workshop guys seem to know what they're doing. 
The collection of old bikes in the showroom is worth a bit of a perv too.

Mine hasn't seen the inside of a workshop in the last 140,000km (or 6 years) except for new tires. I do my own valves and cam belts. I didn't rebuild the shock myself, but I removed it and took it to a suspension specialist then refitted it myself.


Brad Black at Moto One (http://www.moto-one.com.au/) _really_ knows his shit. Start reading here (http://www.moto-one.com.au/performance/index.html#2v) to see for yourself.

big

+1 Brad Black - he was excellent when it came to whispering to mine - also showed care....and I love it when you take your bike in for X problem and they fix it but they also say "hey, you need to start thinking about Y and Z" - preventative maintenance is what you want - and a set of experienced eyes that know the tell-tale signs is invaluable to us newbies.

thanks everyone, will check out brad at motor one and also eurobrit when it comes to service time, the bike was originally purchased from motor one originally and they have done all the services, but after to talking to the previous owner he was under the impression that motor one don't do Dukes anymore, is that not the case?
Yeah think it is a good idea to do the simple service stuff and leave the computer stuff to the guys who know and more importantly, already have the equipment. [thumbsup]

Moto One had the Ducati dealership removed from them (lots of politics I believe). They still service Dukes though.

They don't have any Ducati branded equipment there - the DSS computer for example, but the the equipment they use is often better (The exhaust analyser Brad used did 4 gases vs. the 2 of the DSS).

By the looks of the MV and Ducati's in the service bays they seem to be a favourite service location of quite a few people!

Hope this helps.

Spider