New timing belts / valve adjustment interval? Miles vs Time

[metroplex]

Changing it every 2 years even though it just sits in a garage or gets ridden 200 miles every 2 years just seems ridiculous. Everyone says it is easy to do, yet I haven't seen a single thorough DIY article on changing the belts on a 696/796 that covers all of the procedures (not just the tensioning part).

I had questions about the horizontal exhaust pipe, the O2 sensor, and the vertical timing belt cover bolt (the one that sits behind the frame) that remained unanswered by people that supposedly did the easy change.

I have the ExactFit belts and the crank turning tool, as well as some 6mm steel rods to secure the cams, but I won't be doing this until the weather gets above 50F which means April or May in Michigan. But I have been taking notes, it just seems odd that there aren't more resources on changing the belts on a 696/796. I have the factory procedure but it tells you to remove everything without going into details or providing suggestions on what tools to use.

[ungeheuer]

Changing it every 2 years even though it just sits in a garage or gets ridden 200 miles every 2 years just seems ridiculous.

So dont.  See if anybody else cares.

FMD 

[metroplex]

Thanks for the informative reply. I said it is ridiculous, but I am still planning to change them since they are almost 6 years old on my 696. When mentioning this aspect of Ducati maintenance to other bikers at work who have Harleys or Japanese bikes, they agree it is also ridiculous to have to do this so often even if the bike isn't operated.

However, I still have questions about changing the belts on the 696/796 that no one seems to have answers to, even though many people have said it is easy and they have done it previously.

Do I need to remove the horizontal exhaust pipe? If so, what tool should I use to remove the O2 sensor? How do I access the vertical timing belt cover bolt that is right behind the frame? A ball-end allen wrench fits, but how do I torque this to 10 N-m if a socket cannot fit? I think I have a good grasp on the tensioning, since there are many many guides and videos written up for 2V/4V engines - but its the 696/796 specific tasks to access the belts that I'm curious about.

[Kev M]

So dont.  See if anybody else cares.

FMD 

Sure sounds like a bunch of people care... <shrugs>

[ungeheuer]

Thanks for the informative reply.

Sorry 

I sincerely apologise for my flippant response.

Do I need to remove the horizontal exhaust pipe? If so, what tool should I use to remove the O2 sensor? How do I access the vertical timing belt cover bolt that is right behind the frame?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sawzall

[HotIce]

Do I need to remove the horizontal exhaust pipe? If so, what tool should I use to remove the O2 sensor? How do I access the vertical timing belt cover bolt that is right behind the frame? A ball-end allen wrench fits, but how do I torque this to 10 N-m if a socket cannot fit? I think I have a good grasp on the tensioning, since there are many many guides and videos written up for 2V/4V engines - but its the 696/796 specific tasks to access the belts that I'm curious about.

I would certainly not remove the horizontal cylinder header.
The vertical, yes, unless you have Cinderella hands 
The tank should be getting lose, to allow easier vertical cover slide up.
You better have flex joint tools in your set, as things are tight in there (vertical cylinder).

[metroplex]

Hmmm, but the horizontal header is the one that runs right in front of the timing belt covers?

I have a flex joint adapter, but there doesn't seem to be enough room behind the frame to access the vertical timing cover bolt. I can fit a ball-end allen key but that's about it.

[HotIce]

A few ideas:

[Speeddog]

~~~SNIP~~~

Do I need to remove the horizontal exhaust pipe? If so, what tool should I use to remove the O2 sensor? How do I access the vertical timing belt cover bolt that is right behind the frame? A ball-end allen wrench fits, but how do I torque this to 10 N-m if a socket cannot fit? I think I have a good grasp on the tensioning, since there are many many guides and videos written up for 2V/4V engines - but its the 696/796 specific tasks to access the belts that I'm curious about.

Yes, remove the horizontal exhaust pipe.
You'll need a 24mm open-end wrench to remove the O2 sensor.
Use the short end of a regular L-style allen wrench to both loosen and tighten that cover bolt, and a ball-end to do the wholesale turning.
If you want to be fanatical about the 10 N-m, use a torque wrench to tighten one of the bolts that's accessible, then loosen it with the L-style wrench to get a feel for it.
Then have a conservative go at tightening that bolt with the L-style wrench, and then check with the torque wrench.
Repeat as necessary to get a 'feel' for it.

It's really far more difficult and time consuming than it should be, but that's the case on most every maintenance item onn newish Ducatis.

[HotIce]

Yes, remove the horizontal exhaust pipe.

Maybe we mean the same thing, but I have to ask.
What do you mean for "horizontal"?
The horizontal cylinder header, or the header which crosses horizontally the vertical cylinder cover (IOW, the vertical cylinder header)?
Because I see no reason to remove the former.

[Speeddog]

This header, that connects to the horizontal cylinder:

[HotIce]

This header, that connects to the horizontal cylinder:

OK, 696 land. I was speaking 1100 EVO-ish 

[brad black]

don't you just hate specifics.

before you remove the 696 belts put some locating marks on the pulley surrounds.  they don't have any timing marks for the cams.

[NAKID]

Well, I won't be able to tell you how long my CA-Cycleworks belts last. Had about 20K on them and found a seized tensioner bearing on the horizontal cylinder. Belt held up remarkably well considering I have no idea how long it was seized.

[metroplex]

NAKID: Damn, that sucks!

I pulled the horizontal timing belt cover just to look around (still too cold to work on the bike in Michigan) and noticed quite a bit of bearing grease on the inside of the cover and around the tensioner and idler pulleys. How much grease is too much grease? They still spin freely.

The belt still looks almost new after 6 years. I didn't see any belt dust or excessive wear on the smooth part of the belt, and the cogs look about as new as the new CA Cycleworks belts I have in the box.

I noted that the pulleys have purple/yellow paint dots, and my stock belts are the Ducati 737.4.024.1A part number and marked "Gates PowerDrive HT-D, Made in UK".