Independent Service? The Desert Desmo Thread

[Duck-Stew]

If it were me, I wouldn't bother with the dealership...  Just ship it to Nate.

[NFJ79]

Scott or Stu, you got a spare fuel pump laying around that will work in my S2R?  I think mine is shot.

[Duck-Stew]

Scott or Stu, you got a spare fuel pump laying around that will work in my S2R?  I think mine is shot.

According to my research, it's rarely the pump, but rather the fuel-tight connection of the wires going through the base of the pump plate itself.

We don't have one, but there's a slight chance yours could be fixed!

Slight, as in don't get hopes up too high...  eBay usually has pumps around $100-$150 but they'll fail too eventually.

Let us know what you want to do...

[Cloner]

Brand new pump from California Cycleworks (not Ducati OE) is $149....if you really need a pump.

Have you checked the fuel pump relays?  Is the pump running, but not making pressure?  Have you checked for ruptured fuel lines inside the tank?  (That's a common cause of "the pump is running, but nothing's happening)

[Jason.FB]

*intercom* "paging Desert Desmo, white courtesy phone"

Ok, my 848 hit 15k miles, am in need of a quote for service so i know how many 7 Eleven's i need to rob. PM if needed.




jason

[Cloner]

Major service for a four valver is 7 hours plus parts.  7x75=525.

Belts about 100
Oil about 50
Oil filter about 15
Gaskets about 2
Others as needed, like brakes, tires, steering head bearings, clutches, etc....but only if needed.

Plus 7% tax for Bernalillo county

The remainder, like brake fluid (which gets changed at a major), grease, and other consumeables we'll cover in our "shop supplies" budget.

[NFJ79]

My Duc needs some Desert Desmo Lovin!  Valves and belts!  Let me know when i can bring her in.

[Duc L'Smart]

Just handing out major props to Desert Desmo... They've been very patient & thorough building my bike.

New DP Corse 4 spring Slipper Clutch
rebuilt my Road & Track forks with correct springs
new Ducshop 28mm offset triple
new Speedy moto clipons
new Dan Kyle flat track link & shortened rear adjuster
new 520 15/41 set up, lightened front sprocket, AFAM quick change rear
installed new Carbon Fibre tank
etc etc...

 


 

[Cloner]

Just handing out major props to Desert Desmo... They've been very patient & thorough building my bike.

New DP Corse 4 spring Slipper Clutch
rebuilt my Road & Track forks with correct springs
new Ducshop 28mm offset triple
new Speedy moto clipons
new Dan Kyle flat track link & shortened rear adjuster
new 520 15/38 set up, lightened front sprocket, AFAM quick change rear
installed new Carbon Fibre tank
etc etc...

Yeah.....but does it work?!?   

[Duc L'Smart]

Yeah.....but does it work?!?   

The bike works a LOT better than I do... 

[Duc L'Smart]

Here she is...


Untitled by scott.metcalfe, on Flickr

[Duc L'Smart]

[JJ]

Looks very sharp Scott!

[JJ]

Scott- One of my shocks (left) is evidently leaking, the little excursion off-road last time was the culprit, but considering I'm at 18k+ miles, it is about time they failed?! I'm even surprised it lasted this long- I must be riding easy because you mentioned my valves were up to spec on the major service, so the only thing I did screw up was my brakes and chain!  "Too much brake"

Any way, I took the spotless clean storage bike out yesterday and yes, I did forget to ride! Damn! It was fun hearing the roar without ear plugs, was no fun with every kid in college showing me thumbs up... I miss riding with you all and hate being the odd one out!   The forks leaked again, confirmed.

I may come to Ouray with my bike, but it will be too late for a fork service! Or is it OK to leak and just wipe...It showed up on my rear rim last time! Please advise on who I should consult for the service. There is no dealer in near vicinity and I cant trust an unknown with my forks, it is what keeps me alive! Home shop or dealer...where around East? Any advise on material needs I need to watch- oil, seals, etc.? Thanks!

Duc Pond in VA has crazy good reviews online...Heard of them? 132 miles, 2 1/2 hrs from me.

[Cloner]

The folks are Duc Pond are good at what they do.  You can certainly trust them.  I know several of the folks further south (specifically Meyers in Asheville, NC, Pandora in Chattanooga, TN, and NPR near Athens, GA), but not many of the guys in VA and the DC area.  

As to forks, there's no magic in there that a guy with your mechanical background can't tackle.  The hard part is tools.  You'll need a method by which to lift the front end so you can remove the forks (either a stand that lifts from the triple clamps or eye bolts in a ceiling joist to lift the frame...that's what I do for 1098s since my front stand requires a hole in the lower triple which is missing on the 1098), a few basic fork tools like a fork cap wrench, spring clip, spring compressor (manual is fine), 14 and 17mm wrenches, and fork seal drivers.  You'll also want to have a drain pan, a set of fork seals and dust covers (might as well do the dust covers, too....they're cheap), and fork oil.  Ohlins recommend their fork oil, available from Kyle Racing, or you can use 5wt or 7.5wt oil of your choice.  Lighter oils damp a bit less, but also tend to fade less.  If I remember correctly the Ohlins oil is approximately 7wt.  One litre is enough for both legs.

Note the location of the forks in the triple clamps (not rotational position...that's not important...just the height of the forks with respect to the triple clamps) so they'll go back as you started.  Also write down the spring preload setting (the hex fitting at the top of the forks) and then back the preload all the way off.  

In preparation for removal use a wrench to loosen the top caps on each fork leg....for Ohlins this requires a special pin wrench you can get from Kyle Racing or from ebay, among several other sources.  Just break them loose a quarter of a turn or so, but no more.  Remove the wheel and front fender and begin to loosen the clamp bolts.  Support the fork leg as you loosen the last clamp bolt on each side as it may just slide out...but not usually.  Once the bolts are loose on one side slip the leg out.  You may have to twist a bit to get it started but if the bolts are loose it's generally quite easy to remove.

Once both legs are removed you want to work with one at the time so you don't mix parts.  Holding the fork vertically unscrew the top cap and slide the fork stanchion down into the slider....the cap is attached to the damping piston via a tube.  The cap retains the spring, too, so don't worry about the whole thing "flying apart" when you remove the top cap....it doesn't work like that!  Tip the whole thing upside down into a drain pan to drain the bulk of the fork fluid.

Install your spring compressor (you can do it without a tool, but it's a PITA) and compress the spring.  Slip a spring clip between the spring and the nut that locks the cap to the tube.  Hold the cap with a wrench and loosen the lock nut, then unscrew the fork cap.  Slip out the spring clip and the spring will be free...remove it too.   Tip the whole thing back over your drain pan with your hand beneath the tube where the fork cap was located.  When you invert it you're likely to get a couple of parts out of the tube (a small valve bit, a small spring, and a rod).  Note how they came out so you can put them back in the same way.  Cycle the rod several times to get as much fluid out as possible.  


IIRC you can slide the stanchion and slider apart any time after the cap is removed....so go ahead and do that to make sure you don't damage the stanchion.  Drive the dust seal out of the slider with a screw driver and the palm of your hand, or lightly with a small hammer, as not much force is required to disengage the dust seal.  Once the dust seal is out look into the cavity beneath it and locate the clip holding the fork seal in place.  Use a small pick to remove the clip.  Now you can use a small prybar or similar to remove the seal.  Don't pry directly against the slider as it's easy to damage the aluminum.  Put something in there to pry against so you don't damage anything.

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.  There is a washer between the seal and the tefon coated bearing above it....make sure it goes back in.  

When you're putting it back together make sure you measure the fork oil level with the stanchion fully retracted into the slider and with no springs inside the fork.  I like racetech's tool for setting fork oil level....but that's entire a matter of preference.  Also, before measuring oil level, cycle the tube (connected to the damping piston) up and down a few times to bleed the air out of the system.  As you cycle the piston, oil will shoot forcefully out the top of the tube.  You either have to work slowly to avoid this, or get a special tool that threads onto the rod and directs oil back down the tube.....either works.

The only other thing to remember is to keep everything inside the fork as clean as possible. Dust and lint can cause problems in there, so keep that stuff to yourself.

It sounds more complex than it is.  I generally allow two hours to remove the forks, install new seals (and springs, if you like) and reinstall the forks.

Cheers,

S