Finally, most of the maintenance is done. Changed the fuelfilter today and checked the valve clearances. They were, as I suspected, all within the specified limits. There were couple of odd ones, one a little too loose and another too tight, but still both within range.

Now for some pics:
The fuel pump assembly, without the filter:

The original filter:

The original filter #2:

Replacement filter: (identical to the original, KL145)

The seal for the flange, with some grease:

The flange is tight to get out, but then again, it has to be tight, I don’t want any fuel ontop of my vertical cylinder..
The grease is used both to hold the seal in place while refitting the flange and to make the installation easier. It IS tight to get in, you have to be careful here, you can damage the seal easily if using too much force.

Oh, I just remembered, these guys have a nice solution for soloseat MC’s luggage racks: Ventura. I have to check into that, maybe there is a Finnish importer somewhere.

Found this from the web. This helps to understand the complexity of the desmodromic valve system.

Attached the front forks and front wheel.

Checked valve clearances from the vertical cylinder, exhaust side. This is the hardest to check, but after removing the crank breather, it was pretty easy. (you have to have thin fingers…)

All of the clearances are between 0,1 and 0,15 mm, they seem to be fine. I have to check the horizontal cylinder once more to be safe and at the same time I will change the valve cover seals also.

Clearcoating of the carbonfiber parts is ongoing, it’s a bit trickier than we thought.. but, there’s still time before May..
After that, I’ll change the fuel filter (KNECHT KL145) and we’re starting to be ready. Maybe installing a Sigma speedo/clock thingie later, hmm, what else? Well, that’s enough for now.

Cams and rockers looks good, don’t they?

Oil changed, with a little help from an sp driver. sp-1
We measured the oil level first, poured the oil out, measured the approximate amount with a syringe and added the same amount of new oil. Finally measured the new level.

The amount was approx. 400cc, so all of it did not drain.

Took the front forks off today. Oilchange is on its way. Correct amount is 492 +/-2.5cc. Or the oil level measured from the top 132mm.

Must remember to lubricate the front axle, it was a bit tight getting out.

Trying to post a pic, careful, it might be big.

It’s the belt rollers after tightening.

/e: *whoa* it is big…! . . . now that looks a lot better..

/e: more pics..
I made a neat bugscreen for the oilcooler

one more, the main subject

I am going to change the appearance, let’s see if it works out..

/e: At least it changed.. let’s settle for this now.

I have now changed the belts and (hopefully) tightened them up properly. The Vertical cylinder belt may be a tad tighter than the Horizontal, I’ll have to keep an eye on them during the summer. I first did the tightening thig wrong, turned it clockwise and it didn’t look right, so after a helpful ducati forum question all was well again!

I also tried to check the valve clearances, they are a pain in the a$$. Atleast the cams look good and I couldn’t detect any abnormal wear on the rockers either.

I managed to fabricate a nifty cover for the oilcooler to protect it from flying debris from the front wheel. Youll never guess what’s it made of.. from a speakercover of a TV!! Thank’s Juha!

This weekend I’ll probably get to do the clearcoating stuff and maybe the frontforks the next? I already bought the oil.. Motorex 7,5w.

Some info/background on my Ducati and other stuff. Bought used from Germany in September 2005, good ones are hard to find here or are ridiculously priced. Not registered yet (think: snow..), will be in the spring.

My previous rides include two Moto Guzzi’s, the other one I still own.

Things to do on the Ducati before spring:

- change the timingbelts
- change the oil in the front forks
- clearcote all of the visible carbonfiber parts
- change oil/filter ALREADY DONE
- something else, which I don’t remember

What else:
- get new leathers (Right now I only have Gore-Tex)
-new boots/gloves

The national MC show is approaching, so I’ll get a change to try out the new gear before making any purchases, fitting is everything.

Now, that all this is started, give it some time, I will make changes to the outlook as soon as I have some decent pictures and ideas.