Welcome to Motorcycles Guide
Ducati Motorcycle Mechanic Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Restoration 101-On Your Motorcycle
from: JG MashinoTearing It Down
You’ve picked your bike out, made a few new friends, gathered together a few books to guide you and your garage is outfitted and ready to go, so now it’s time to…go on a drinking binge? Ah, no, that’s probably not a good idea; remember you’ve got this incredible piece of machinery just waiting for you to bring it back to life. Let’s tear it down.
Mindset
All through life your friends have told you how mechanically inclined you are, so this is a chance to really show your stuff. As you tear down you will slay many dragons along the way, but keep your chin up, have fun and later will feel the pride that comes with doing it yourself and see the fruits of your labor in the rebirth of the machine.
Session Time
Begin your first session without any set time. Work as much or as little as you like and take breaks along the way. One thing will lead to another and before you know it you’ll have a carcass of a motorcycle before you.
As you work along, there aren’t many guidelines to follow in terms of the order by which you break the bike down, other than what you are restricted to by way of how the bike is put together.
I like to start by removing the carburetors and doing the rebuild on them before taking the next part off the bike. Others may want to do the entire tear down, clean each part up and then rebuild. It’s up to you.
Nasty Bolts and Nuts
Along the way you may encounter some rusted bolts ands nuts. You may try turning them with as wrench, but before you try too hard, consider spraying them with rust solvent and coming back to them 6-12 hours later. In the meantime there’s always plenty of other things to do.
Getting Rid of Rust
Your mission as you tear down it to eliminate every spec of rust from the bike before any repainting or rebuilding occurs. To do this you will use a few different tricks.
Wire Brushes & a Scotch Pad
Wire brushes and abrasive pads are our friends. They work wonders at getting rid of rust and bringing a piece back to it’s original look. When you begin the process of rust removal start with a wire brush. If it’s a tight spot, use an abrasive pad like a 3M Scotchpad.
Abrasive pads are also finer than a metal brush, so if you’re dealing with a shinny surface use the pad instead of a brush.
Use water while you work as this allows you to move the brush easier and keeps the dust level down. Wipe the part with a rag now and then, inspect and keep scrubbing until you’ve eliminated the rust.
In some case you will be able to remove the discoloration. This is typical on frames and some aluminum parts.
For frames and other parts you will eventually paint, remove as much rust with a wire brush and abrasive pad. While working with the water feel free to add a little naval jelly to the mix. And don’t forget to wear your thick gloves during this process as Naval Jelly and skin don’t mix together well.
Finally use a rust to oxide conversion liquid (Rustoleum makes one) which will turn the rust to an oxide and allow proper bonding of the surface during the paint priming stages.
For shinny metals such as stator and clutch covers we’ll go another route. Begin by purchasing a few assorted buffers to fit your electric hand drill and a few different grades of jewelers rouge which come in sticks. These are compounds made to smooth and clean metal at high rotating speeds. Apply the rouge to the buffer and buff until you get the desired look.
One final destination for rust you will never be able to reach with your hands is the gas tank. Never fear, there is a product that will help you remove it all and protect it against rust in the future. It’s called Tank Kreem and you can get it at better motorcycle stores. Tank Kreem allows you to get the rust out of your tank and coat it with a polymer which will keep moisture off the metal of the tank in the future. Follow as directed and don’t be shy about letting the process take longer than expected. If you have a lot of rust in your tank it will take anywhere from 6 hours to overnight before it’s all loosened up.
Grab your tank and take it to the hardware store. There you can find corks that will fit the top opening and the petcock opening. While you’re there be sure to get some metal nuts and bolts to add in and shake around while it’s in process to help release rust deposits. Use a magnet on a wire to retrieve them after the second step of the process and test them first with the magnet to insure they are metal and not aluminum before inserting them into the tank.
In general clean every nook and cranny of the bike well and be generous with your water and solvents.
Bag It
As you break down the bike place corresponding parts into your plastic bags so you can keep them together as you clean and rebuild them. This will make it much easier to set up for your rebuild later too. Imagine a nice tidy row of bags and you just go one by one!
Photo It
If you’re short on visual images of the bike in various sections, say you lack a good repair book or the owners manual, use a camera as you break it down to photo areas that might otherwise leave you clueless on the rebuild.
Ducati Motorcycle Mechanic News
Stoner bounces back in Sepang tests - Times of India
 The Nation, Pakistan | Stoner bounces back in Sepang tests Times of India Australian MotoGP rider Casey Stoner gestures while talking to his mechanic (unseen) during a pre-season test at Sepang circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. (AP Photo) SEPANG (Malaysia): MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner shrugged off an ailing back to post ... Dorna defend circuit's safety as riders test their 1000cc bikes |
The Alchemy Of Aluminum: Will It Steel Rossi's Mettle? - SuperbikePlanet.com
 Ultimate MotorCycling | News and Reviews | The Alchemy Of Aluminum: Will It Steel Rossi's Mettle? SuperbikePlanet.com by staff Valentino Rossi took an image of his 2012 Ducati MotoGP bike this morning at Sepang and fronted it to the Internet. The bike is on the work stand in Malaysia with mechanics surrounding it. The aluminum sections of the chassis are clearly ... Rossi can't wait "Here is my Ducati!" |
Preziosi Discusses New Ducati MotoGP Bike - Motor Authority
 SuperSport.com (blog) | Preziosi Discusses New Ducati MotoGP Bike Motor Authority ... and his chief mechanic, Jeremy Burgess, together with Juan Martinez and the riders helped Preziosi and his staff move in what they hope is the proper direction with the frame of the new Ducati motorcycle that hopes to challenge for wins this year. New Ducati radically overhauled |
MotoGP: Ducati Slaps Gag Order On Checa. Unable To Silence Australian Crew - SuperbikePlanet.com
MotoGP: Ducati Slaps Gag Order On Checa. Unable To Silence Australian Crew SuperbikePlanet.com While Checa was muzzled, Ducati mechanic Alex Briggs - who works on Valentino Rossi's bike -- stressed on Twitter how different the GP12 is compared to its much-maligned carbon-fiber predecessor, the GP11 and its variants. Briggs tweeted: "The test in ... |
Abraham Lays GP12 Bare - SuperbikePlanet.com
Abraham Lays GP12 Bare SuperbikePlanet.com by staff Ducati eschewed tradition and did not unveil its 2012 MotoGP machine, the GP12, at the annual Wrooom! preseason media event last week in the Italian Alps. Ducati Corse technical boss Filippo Preziosi also was coy when pressed for technical ... |
RM Auctions to offer ex-works Ducatis at Monaco event - AutoWeek
RM Auctions to offer ex-works Ducatis at Monaco event AutoWeek The company quickly discovered that he had an aptitude for mechanics and racing. In 1971, he bought an orange Ducati 750S, and the next year he began his racing career. Later the company picked him up for testing its road bikes and finally its race ... |
Audi's $57000 TT RS Geared for LA's Twisty Mulholland Drive - BusinessWeek
Audi's $57000 TT RS Geared for LA's Twisty Mulholland Drive BusinessWeek On weekends it's thick with Ducati motorcycles and sports cars, some racing illegally. It's equally well-known to police. The speed limit is now 35 mph. The original TT was released in 1998, Audi's first real stab at a lifestyle car. |