Saturday, December 05, 2009
Ducati Paso 907 IE repair #1
I had a compact flash card error on my camera in the middle of this project and lost all the "before" pictures I took. One of the first observations was that the new chain was two links shorter than the old chain. At first I thought maybe the old chain had stretched that much, but I checked link-for-link and the new chain is definitely two links shorter. I also noticed that the old chain was rather stiff and not straightening out properly, which indicates it hasn't been kept clean and lubricated properly.
The second thing I noticed about the chains is that the new one is narrower than the old one. The inside is the same size, but there are o-ring spacers in the old chain. The old chain was apparently a higher quality chain that requires less maintenance (in theory).
Once I cut the chain to get it apart I was able to get the o-rings out. This shows the o-rings better.
Here is the picture of the front sprocket. The rear sprocket pictures were part of the pictures I lost. The rear sprocket was actually in fine shape and could have been reused, but as you can see from the picture below, the front sprocket was pretty round. I'm glad I didn't bother trying to ride home from Granbury on that sprocket!
When it came time to install the new front sprocket, there was another problem. As the picture below shows, the offset on the new sprocket is different from the old one! I played with it for a while until I decided I could put the new sprocket on with the teeth outboard. It appears to line up okay with the rear sprocket -- maybe even better than the one that was on there? Maybe that is why the first sprocket failed?
Got everything back together, and thank goodness, the chain wasn't too short. Actually, the other chain was probably too long, because there was hardly any adjustment in it and it hadn't stretched much at all. Plenty of adjustment left in this chain.
Chain and sprocket worked great on the test ride (100 miles), but I noticed the following new problems:
1. Mechanical thermostat doesn't work because the engine will not stay warm on a 40 degree day at highway speeds (drops from 175 down to 110 or so),
2. Either battery won't hold a charge or the alternator is bad or both,
3. Really could use new grips: the old ones, even with the zip ties, slide off while riding any distance at all.
I think that was all. And, now that I think about, if you only ride the bike on days when the temperature is 70 degrees or above, you probably don't need a mechanical thermostat!
2 comments
The second thing I noticed about the chains is that the new one is narrower than the old one. The inside is the same size, but there are o-ring spacers in the old chain. The old chain was apparently a higher quality chain that requires less maintenance (in theory).
Once I cut the chain to get it apart I was able to get the o-rings out. This shows the o-rings better.
Here is the picture of the front sprocket. The rear sprocket pictures were part of the pictures I lost. The rear sprocket was actually in fine shape and could have been reused, but as you can see from the picture below, the front sprocket was pretty round. I'm glad I didn't bother trying to ride home from Granbury on that sprocket!
When it came time to install the new front sprocket, there was another problem. As the picture below shows, the offset on the new sprocket is different from the old one! I played with it for a while until I decided I could put the new sprocket on with the teeth outboard. It appears to line up okay with the rear sprocket -- maybe even better than the one that was on there? Maybe that is why the first sprocket failed?
Got everything back together, and thank goodness, the chain wasn't too short. Actually, the other chain was probably too long, because there was hardly any adjustment in it and it hadn't stretched much at all. Plenty of adjustment left in this chain.
Chain and sprocket worked great on the test ride (100 miles), but I noticed the following new problems:
1. Mechanical thermostat doesn't work because the engine will not stay warm on a 40 degree day at highway speeds (drops from 175 down to 110 or so),
2. Either battery won't hold a charge or the alternator is bad or both,
3. Really could use new grips: the old ones, even with the zip ties, slide off while riding any distance at all.
I think that was all. And, now that I think about, if you only ride the bike on days when the temperature is 70 degrees or above, you probably don't need a mechanical thermostat!
2 comments
Comments:
Well, the link finally came apart a couple of weeks ago (August 2012) after 2000 miles us use. I replaced the chain with a 520X O-ring version that is riveted together. Hopefully this will work better in the long run.
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