Ducati motorcycle maintenance and repair

[SaulFIRE]

I own a Ducati motorcycle, which is generally very low cost for it's operation and maintenance, even being 10 years old. Most recently I had to replace the timing belt as well as both tyres. These were expensive repairs, and on speaking to someone, worked out that I could also skill myself up in motorbike maintenance and save a whole load of cash, while still getting the benefit of owning the bike.

Does anyone have any experience in this area that they are willing to share about how they have skilled themselves up in motorcycle maintenance. I am keen to get up the curve as quickly as possible, at least to do the basics and then over time can learn the rest.

[AxelHeyst]

Am not a skilled moto mechanic yet, but should be leveled up by the end of the year after I've torn mine apart and put it back together again. My understanding is there are two primary methods:

Method 1:
1. Get a bike that will break more often or is already broke (lot of "it ran last time I touched it..." bikes for cheap on craigslist), or ride your bike in such a way that it will break more often.
2. When it breaks, fix it.

Method 2:
1. Find a list of the maintenance stuff you're supposed to do to your bike that nobody does.
2. Actually do the things on the list.

[maskedslug]

Also not a particularly skilled mechanic here. I grew up racing motorcycles, and was lucky enough to have a mechanically-inclined dad who’d work on my bikes and occasionally show me the ropes. I think both of AH’s suggestions are spot on. An older bike is good and should provide plenty of “something is not quite right” opportunities for tinkering. Especially a Ducati, which is probably designed a bit more for performance than reliability, unlike a Japanese bike, which tends toward the opposite tradeoff.

I’ve been reading Shop Class as Soulcraft (which I’d recommend, if you haven’t read), and it’s inspired me to get an old simple bike, both to ride and to tinker on and improve my mechanical skills, too. You’re in good company, it seems!

Tangentially related: I’m a big MotoGP fan, and have been cursing Ducati nonstop for the past couple years, as they absolutely dominate almost every race. Those Ducati engineers are a notch above the rest.

[Sclass]

That’s cool. I always wanted a Ducati. They were a little pricey and I was worried about morelli EFI and ignition. The belts also scared me as well as the desmo valve adjustment. Now that I look at it again it is not rocket science.

I obtained my first motorcycle at 10 and I’ve had a dozen or so since then. I’ve done all my own maintenance. Several engine builds and one transmission build on my Harley. I think the only time I went to the mechanics shop was to dig in their trash can for old inner tubes to patch and use when I was a broke student.

Ok, so how did I learn all this? I’m not sure what the Ducati resources are now but the first thing I’d always get when I bought a bike was a Clymer or Haynes manual. My local library had all the common Japanese manuals when I was too broke to buy. When I got a little more money in my 30s I would always buy a factory shop manual from the dealer or on eBay. Also good is a factory parts manual which has exploded diagrams of everything…and part numbers so you can order parts from places other than the dealership - like eBay or junkyards.

On my current XR400R I found a parts and service manual online in pdf. Free.

The factory service manual will give you step by step instructions for every procedure. It’s just like cooking. You follow the steps 1,2,3 etc. as long as you have tools and you know how to use them you’re good. Keep track of your parts and take lots of photos as you take stuff apart.

Good luck. Motorcycles can get expensive if you don’t do your own work. I’ve always bought bikes with something wrong with them and repaired them. Broken motorcycles are cheap.

I started with cheap tool sets from Harbor Freight. Then I added specialized tools as I needed. I’d buy a lot of tools off dead guy’s estate sales. My justification was if the tool paid for itself I’d buy it. That is if it saved more than taking the vehicle into a pro to diy I’d buy the tools. My last rebuild on my XR400R was done with a lot of free loaner tools from Autozone - cylinder hones, ridge reamer, ring compressor, valve hones. Don’t go crazy on tool sets, just buy what you need as you go. Use the Internet forums to learn the janky substitutes for factory specialty tools.

Knowing how to wrench is a really good money saving skill. If you’re going to have wheeled toys like Ducatis you’ll be thankful you wrench it yourself. I feel motorcycles are so mission critical that I wouldn’t trust a mechanic to touch mine. It’s just too damning if they forget to tighten something.

The good news is motorcycles are generally easier than cars. But maybe not a Ducati. Read the shop manual and see if you can follow it.

Uh oh look what I found. I tried the Ducati 848 and the manual looks pretty easy to understand. Timing belt is a breeze.
https://www.carlsalter.com/motorcycle-manuals.asp

ETA - I have some motorbike repairs in the fixit log. Here is the last major thing I did. 3 angle valve grind. I priced out a valve job on my motorcycle and it was several hundred dollars. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on valve resurfacing. I bought some valves, Neway cutters and some gaskets and did it myself for about 75% of the cost. At first it doesn’t look like a good deal but I learned how to cut a three angle valve seat and I own the cutters. Be brave and you’ll obtain skills.

[SaulFIRE]

Hey @Sclass, @maskedslug and @AxelHeyst,

Such great responses, thank you!! I will be deciding next steps and keep you posted.

Yes, Ducati are doing amazingly well in the MotoGP, as are Aprilia. It seems the stars are rising for the Italian manufacturers, something they have not managed against the Japanese for many years!

[Gilberto de Piento]

Most recently I had to replace the timing belt as well as both tyres.

It's been a long time since I've worked on motorcycles so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Relatively easy:
Change oil and filter
Change air filter
Change brake pads
Replace battery

Harder:
Replace chain and sprockets. Easier if the bike has a center stand, less so if you have to decide a way to hold the back of the bike off the ground.
Replace clutch plates
Fork seals

I generally would say changing tires can be a big hassle and may result in not getting the tires on so you still end up taking it to a shop. I have never been a pro mechanic or anything so my experience is limited but it generally is a real bear because the tires tend to fit very tight. I've scratched up some aluminum sportbike wheels trying to change the tires. On top of that you will likely need to own a lot of equipment. Manual or powered tire changing machine, lube, big air compressor. That's not to say that people done to it every day with a couple of screwdrivers on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere so it can be done with less if the stars align. A good skill to have but might not be worth it for most people. Just my two cents.

[Sclass]

Radial tires on good rims are something I take in. On my dirtbikes I do those with irons. When I was a kid an older guy once told me if I’m fighting the tire my technique is wrong. It’s all about getting the bead up in the center channel of the rim to give that extra amount of slack. Also the old guy told me to buy three irons not two. It really helps to have that extra one when you need it. That being said all tires aren’t equal. Some are really stiff and will leave you with sore hands. Others just slip on like sock.

I’ve never changed fork seals. I don’t even own a seal driver. I’ve had a number leak over the years and I always have tried the Hail Mary move of cleaning out the grit with 35mm negatives. You can find the trick on YouTube. Basically you slip a cleverly cut piece of negative between the tube and seal and push the grits in or withdraw them. I’ve been really lucky and I’ve staved off three rebuilds this way on my dirtbikes.

[Jim]

Having spent countless hours of my life crawling under cars in muddy driveways or wet asphalt lots, I have finally come to appreciate the value of an ergonomic workspace. With motorcycles, that generally means working on the bike in an elevated position, rather than ground level. Obviously not worth spending a fortune on a sexy motorcycle lift, but maybe building a box with a ramp to get the bike off the ground would be time well spent.

I’ve been reading Shop Class as Soulcraft (which I’d recommend, if you haven’t read), and it’s inspired me to get an old simple bike, both to ride and to tinker on and improve my mechanical skills, too. You’re in good company, it seems!

I second the recommendation. This book is fantastic reading, a real treatise on the value of work and the meaning of quality. When I bought my first bike (a gold '86 Yamaha RD250 [that 2 stroke road bike masterpiece {RIP beloved}]) it came with a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and a Haynes manual. In my mind, both these books are required reading for anyone serious about owning and working on their own motorcycles.

[AxelHeyst]

I redid my fork seals a couple years back, and if *I* can do it...

I also fought to get street tires on my rims (had dirt knobbies on it) for three afternoons in a row (and munged my rims up good ) before realizing maybe I should take the rimlocks out.

My bike stand:


Also functions great as a stepstool and campfire seat. Nearly as multi-functional as a box.