Main shaft leak

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Craig in France
Paso 906
Posts: 972
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:58 pm
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by Craig in France »

machten wrote:I write down the big stuff and the regular maintenance, but the things in between slip through the cracks and there's never any shortage of things to be done.
Can't argue with you there, mate ...
machten wrote: How much does one of those Sport classic GT's go for these days?
'fraid, can't help. Me, I know nuttin of such things ... __?__

Ciao

Craig

P.s And very much off topic ... :vroom:. Seen the Silver Shotgun on eBay? Not cheap, but rather nice: 110942329309
wdietz186
Cagiva Alazzura
Posts: 707
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:40 pm

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by wdietz186 »

Kev, My dealer friend was telling me the GT and Sport Classics are going for stupid money these days.This is after almost having to give them away when they were current.I guess not everybody thinks 4 valves are the way to go after paying for service. Plus they all look alike.
machten
MHR / S2
Posts: 478
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:37 am
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by machten »

Apologies for being a tad off topic...
I guess not everybody thinks 4 valves are the way to go after paying for service.


Good point, Bill. We should all be grateful we don't have 4 valve bevels to look after. :))
Seen the Silver Shotgun on eBay?
No, hadn't seen that one Craig. Can't be too many around that haven't even been started! (EDIT: I wonder now if it means "never been started since the restoration" as the header pipe colour indicates some use)

Richard (the guy with us with the 350 Shotgun who you met in Serre Chavalier) just bought a nice 450 Desmo with 5000km on the clock Nigel Lacey had for sale for 9000 GBP. That's pretty cheap by Australian standards. I think it would go for north of 13,000 GBP over here, I'd reckon. He's bought it so that his son can ride it with him and his shotgun next year in the Giro.

http://www.laceyducati.com/ducati-parts ... a35e58899c

Gotta go now. Need to go and have a chat with Dad about meeting his fatherly obligations...

Kev
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Craig in France
Paso 906
Posts: 972
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:58 pm
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by Craig in France »

machten wrote: Richard (the guy with us with the 350 Shotgun who you met in Serre Chavalier) just bought a nice 450 Desmo with 5000km on the clock Nigel Lacey had for sale for 9000 GBP.
(Way off topic now ... :blah: :blah: :vroom: )

Good grief! Absolute cracker of a bike, by all appearances. Well done, Richard! (Someone needs to tell Nigel to put his prices up ...)

Hey - see if you can get Richard to pass on the frame and engine numbers to Robert Miller, will you?
machten wrote:Gotta go now. Need to go and have a chat with Dad about meeting his fatherly obligations...
That comment begs an explanation - but best not here ... :-D
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abmartin
SD900 Darmah
Posts: 323
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:08 pm
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by abmartin »

roadie wrote:Thanks Steve, I did a search and found reference to a special socket for tightening the nut, do you have these in stock? Didn't see any on your shop page.
http://ducatimeccanica.com/tool.html

Chevy 4X4 Hub Socket - cheap tool that makes it easy to remove or tighten front sprocket nut on Ducati twins, you will have to file it a bit but they are a cheap alternative to the real tool, and available just about anywhere, if you're on the road when you need one.

Depending on where you are in the world this might work.

Bruce
1979 900SS
Fredericton, NB
Canada
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BevHevSteve
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Re: Main shaft leak

Post by BevHevSteve »

"you will have to file it a bit..."

Now there's an understatement. I have spent time, lots of time on this, way before having my machinist make up the tools for my shop.... It isn't a quick easy thing to do, in fact, i couldn't find a socket for a Chevy or any other 4x4 hub for that matter, that was anywhere close to fitting, without doing some serious machining to it... Nothing that I would tackle 'with a file'.

So I consider this whole thing to be another Urban Myth and if it ever was applicable, it has long since vanished. That said, if you have an actual manuf part number that I can order up and adjust to fit with a file, I am more than willing to eat my words. The tool is a major PITA to manuf not to mention expensive to do a minimum run of.
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Steve Allen (925)798-BEVL[2385] Ride'm, Don't Hide'm
Ducati/Euro Spares -> https://Store.BevelHeaven.com
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Craig in France
Paso 906
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Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:58 pm
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by Craig in France »

Hi Steve,
BevHevSteve wrote:That said, if you have an actual manuf part number that I can order up and adjust to fit with a file, I am more than willing to eat my words. The tool is a major PITA to manuf not to mention expensive to do a minimum run of.
I have a note from John Mead that this works. Any experience? At the price, it might be worth a try, even if only as a substitute?

http://www.lasertools.co.uk/item.aspx?item=1548
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Ciao

Craig
machten
MHR / S2
Posts: 478
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Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by machten »

Went into my 750 Sport this week to diagnose and fix a countershaft leak. Sure enough, the nut (despite being held by the locktab in it's original position) was not torqued sufficiently and it was leaking through the splines. (This bike doesn't have my o-ring mod mentioned earlier as I didn't rebuild it - nice rebuild though!). The seal was fine and I didn't disturb it.

I recall last time I replaced the sprockets I was a small distance from being able to get the lock tab and the lock nut to align on any of the four points, but wasn't quite there, so I got lazy and backed it off a bit. This time I did the work and used some locktite 518 flange sealant and no leaks or weeps so far.

Which all confirms earlier advice.

Kev
roadie
Cucciolo - the Lil Pup
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:13 am

Re: Main shaft leak

Post by roadie »

Well my suspicions about the front sprocket nut not being tight enough were confirmed yesterday. While riding on the highway about 5km away from a mountain town the front sprocket came off leaving me stranded. Not too impressed with the shop that had just put that nut on after replacing seals, and wishing I had ordered the tools earlier.
I was so frustrated I contemplated trading my '79 900ss for a 2007 Sportclassic. They don't look nearly as good but I really like to ride and want to be able to ride in the mountains with confidence.
Thanks for listening.
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