#42 Ollie and Steve GD's 2008 DD Bike Preparation

[Steve GD]

Right....here is the plan....first and foremost to build a track bike to DD Class B specification, and if funds
and other circumstances permit, to race it at as many UK venues as possible. And at Assen. So on that basis, posting in this
section could be classed as a bit of a fraud. Still, at least you got to know up front, eh?

Why do it? Well, having been to a couple of races as spectators last year, it seemed like a great way to spend
(fritter away? :-) ) a weekend or several. The racing was competitive and fun, the craic in the paddock was
such that if you were not staying over you felt you were missing something, and the other competitors
were extraordinarily friendly and helpful. Those guilty abounded, but special mention goes to Zimbo and
Gilps....Is it me or does that sound like an advertising firm? (Sorry guys) Did I mention it was fun?

This saga began some weeks ago when Ollie and I took the long road north to collect the bike we are now
preparing. Link here for those who want to read of that expedition.

The bike is a 600SS of M-reg vintage (1994) in red and it has 14141 miles on the clock. The reason for the sale was
that it had been damaged in an accident, but the engine ran and the bike was moveable, but if a gear was selected
the engine "stalled" . So we got it back to sunny Northants, and there the matter rested for several weeks
with nothing happening other than some beer-fuelled planning.

Then about three weeks ago the hibernation ended and we began work by moving the bike from my garage to Ollie's
much better equipped one.

First an assessment...

Bodywork

Front mudguard intact
Nose cone (?) intact but screen missing
LH and RH fairings cracked/broken but repairable and indicators trashed
Tank ok apart from one dent on LHS
Rear unit, seat lock and side panels ok, but one indicator trashed
Hugger ok

Controls/instruments

All instruments in good order
RH bar and controls all ok
LH bar bent or twisted, clutch lever broken but useable, other controls ok.

Frame / Cycle parts

All in good order apart from scuffing/rubbing where the seat sits, and apart from the
fairing mounting points which were twisted/torn at the time of the accident.
Head bearings ok, forks straight and chrome good, but internals tired
Swingarm serviceable but shock is tired.
Wheels and brakes seem ok

Engine unit /drive train and exhaust

Exhaust
End can has a blow where the mounting bolt ataches
Headers and link pipes look ok, but the word is that to give the nasties any chance to escape without
killing off any of the very precious horses, these will have to give place to larger bore pipes
such as may be found on a 900SS. So they are to be offskied.

Engine unit.

Looks ok apart from surface corrosion, starts easily but cuts out when a gear is selected.
Sidestand damaged and cannot hold bike upright.
Carbs/airbox are standard Mikunis as far as we can tell

Drive train

Looks like chain lubrication has been left to salt and roadspray.


The stripdown....

So...all of the bodywork and lights have been removed, and the first thing to do is to get the
sidestand working....easy...missing bolt, and whilst there we found that fixing the sidestand
cut-out switch solved the cutting-out-when-put-into-gear problem. Lubed the chain, because
next step is a dyno run to see what we have here before we start to change things.

The Dyno Run
Well, as many of you will know by now, this yielded some unusual results. 60bhp at the wheel
is not normal for a 583 engine of this type. Actually it is nearer to the "unbeflippinlievable"
end of the scale.
Oh, and the dyno run seems to have cooked the clutch. No biggie cos we have to refurb
it in any case.

Dyno results...Decisions, decisions....

How can this power reading be? Possibilities are:
1 Dyno out of calibration (unlikely any Dyno would be out by this amount, so low prob this is it)
2 Engine has been swapped at some time for a larger capacity one
3 A 680 big-bore kit has been fitted
4 You tell me....Magic?

Well, the engine serial is what the V5 says it should be and that it is a 583.
So option 3 looks favourite for now.

Stripdown has continued and all electrical bits and controls are removed and
we are ready to remove the engine

Yesterday I went to pick up some fork seals from Forza Itlia at Silverstone and asked Ian there about
the availability of 583 barrels and pistons, and he did not sound too hopeful about the posibility of
getting new ones, but he did say the 400 sized ones are still available and it should be possible to
bore them out. He also suggested I talk with Geoff at Baines Racing, which I did, as it is just a few
hundred metres away, also on the Silverstone site.

Geoff is the guru for DD and as a result of my question, I got more infomration in a 20 minute
conversation than I could ever have bargained for, including the easiest way to drop the engine,
how to shim the valves and what exhaust to choose if we wanted more midrange and which for
top end power. He also explained how to identify if a big bore kit has been fitted by the shape
of the piston crown.
A super bloke, knowledgeable beyond belief and really generous with his time to
a newcomer to DD. Thanks, Geoff!

He did not rule out the possibility of a ringed engine, so we need to prepare for that potential
shock, as the next step is to get the engine out and begin stripping it.

Next we have some really important decisions to make. The bike has no name , nor does the team.
How does Desmodue Northants Firsttimers sound?




Ok, that is all for now....I may post some piccies if any are good enough...not checked yet.

[zimbo]

Very good Steve, I look forward to reading more as things progress!
One bit of bad news, the 680 kit adds almost no BHP over the 583, just a little more midrange torque. A 680cc DD bike has never yet been anywhere near 60bhp, even with FCRs and extensive dyno tuning / no lack of cash being thrown at it, work done by some of the most renowned Ducati tuners in the country (680cc kits were allowed in 2005 in DD)

[Steve GD]

Originally Posted by zimbo

Very good Steve, I look forward to reading more as things progress!
One bit of bad news, the 680 kit adds almost no BHP over the 583, just a little more midrange torque. A 680cc DD bike has never yet been anywhere near 60bhp, even with FCRs and extensive dyno tuning / no lack of cash being thrown at it, work done by some of the most renowned Ducati tuners in the country (680cc kits were allowed in 2005 in DD)

Flippineck , Graeme, we could do with some good news!
Thanks anyway!

[stevel]

Nice write up and developing storyline Steve, keep us posted.....be interested to see the engine strip and some pics as you go. Power sounds a mystery though, when you find out why you could make a few quid

[Ghost]

You can also measure quite easily without stripping the engine. With the piston at BDC a known quantity of light oil is intoduced through the plug hole from with a tube from the bottom of a plastic measuring jug. The engine is turned over by hand to TDC and ejecting the fluid back to the jug. Take the new measurement You have your displacement of that cylinder.

This is how the FIM do quick capacity checks so don't hound me I'm just the messenger and have wittnesed it being done.


Phil

[Steve GD]

Thanks for the suggestion, Phil, it is a nice one to know. As we are taking the engine apart anyway, it is probably not a technique we will use this time, but it could well come in handy in future.

[nogaromill999]

Good write up Steve.....looking forward to seeing progress on the bike, and some pics !

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by Ghost

You can also measure quite easily without stripping the engine. With the piston at BDC a known quantity of light oil is intoduced through the plug hole from with a tube from the bottom of a plastic measuring jug. The engine is turned over by hand to TDC and ejecting the fluid back to the jug. Take the new measurement You have your displacement of that cylinder.

This is how the FIM do quick capacity checks so don't hound me I'm just the messenger and have wittnesed it being done.


Phil

Good theory of dong it like that its not 100% accurate as the fluid can seap pased the rings, its called a bourett, but as you say its quick and can sort out any questions at the scene

[Ghost]

If light oil can seep past the rings that quickly, you have a serious problem. I have held petrol on top of a piston with no measurable change for 10 mins or more. Also few people will have a bourret around the house. But will have a measuring jug that can have a hole put in the bottom. As stated if its accurate enough for the FIM its accurate enough for the colossus.


Phil

[Imola Duke]

Great write up Steve , Ollie.

Get a few pic's up ?

[Steve GD]

Originally Posted by Ghost

If light oil can seep past the rings that quickly, you have a serious problem. I have held petrol on top of a piston with no measurable change for 10 mins or more. As stated if its accurate enough for the FIM its accurate enough for the colossus.


Phil

Now that's intersting to know....thanks, Phil

[Steve GD]

Originally Posted by Imola Duke

Great write up Steve , Ollie.

Get a few pic's up ?

I have a few so far, but have not uploaded them or checked for quality yet....will probably do that tomorrow. Possibly going to the NEC tomorrow, too...although the reports of those who have already been are not favourable....

[infostroller]

Steve,
great start, look forward to hearing/seeing progress..

can only agree with your comments on Geoff - went in for a couple of tyres and got the full sp on tyres/handling and all things rubbery!

[Steve GD]

OK, here we have some of the stripdown pics, in perverse order
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There may be more after the work planned for this evening....in fact the bike is already more naked than shown here.

[Steve GD]

Ok....more progress....
Since the pix were taken we have removed (and when I say we, I mean mostly Ollie)

Tank and fuel lines
Airbox and carbs
headlamp and front fairing/screen mounting bracket
Wiring loom / battery / coils/ECUS /everything electrical apart from spark plugs.
exhaust system
Handlebar switches and controls and grips
hand and footbrake levers/cylinder assemblies
Clutch lever/cylinder assembly

As is normal in cases where a machine made of different materials has been allowed the time for corrosion to set in, some of the components needed considerable ...erm... persuasion to come apart . The enthusiasm with which Ollie addresses these challenges is just a tad scary. I can vouch for the fact that , at least in the matter of nut removal , Ollie's special government training has not been wasted.

We have drained the oil (all 1.8 litres of it...as much as would come out) and cut out the two short pieces of strip steel on the frame (one each side) to which the side fairing standoffs attach. These had been damaged in the accident which caused the bike to be offered for sale as a potential race bike, and will have to be replaced before the frame is repainted. We were unsure whether the frame was powder-coated (or any other sort of coating for that matter) but a short test with Nitromors reveals it is paint after all. Which means it will be easier to strip, happily.

Now what we are left with is a rolling chassis with the engine still in place. Next step will be to separate it into forks / frame / engine / swingarm, but because of space constraints we have to plan to do this all in one go.


No news on the engine / power puzzle yet, but Ollie agrees that the number on the engine looks untampered-with, and he read it as

ZDM 600 AZC 000145

with the possibility that the C might be a G.Only the last 6 digits are recorded in the V5 and they match. I did try to photograph it but the image is too blurry to be of use.

Ollie thinks I am becoming obsessive about this, but my therapist disagrees: she thinks we should concentrate on the repeated hand-washing.

OK, so in summary, we are still playing catch-up, but making good progress...more news when we have it folks!