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Motorcycles

#41
'07 BMW K1200s.jpg My '06 Sportster has been having a little fuel switch problem the last couple of weeks, so I've been riding one of these back and forth to work, instead. Not ideal for around town (very hard to get a clean gear shift below 5K rpm, for instance), but lots of fun, any way...:cool:
 
#42
^^^ Oh, life is rough!

My Duc is happily ensconced in my mother's laundry room for now (no word on how my mother feels about this, but I guess she can move it if she wants to). There's a terrific storm outside, so it's happy to be inside. I'm not real happy about the storm, or the fact that it's peeing its green oil into a small pan. Not sure what's up with that. For those of you thinking about getting Ducatis, it's not only the maintenance costs that will eat you alive. Beware of repair!
 
#43
I've had a Duc for ten years and really, if you can change your timing belts and do the valve adjustments they're really not bad at all. There is a bit of a commitment there, I'll admit, but at least on the two valvers it's really not bad. Worth it I think, nothing else runs or feels like them. And I've yet to do any actual repairs, nothing has failed yet. 35k miles.
 
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#44
David Jayne said:
I've had a Duc for ten years and really, if you can change your timing belts and do the valve adjustments they're really not bad at all. There is a bit of a commitment there, I'll admit, but at least on the two valvers it's really not bad. Worth it I think, nothing else runs or feels like them. And I've yet to do any actual repairs, nothing has failed yet. 35k miles.
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So come over to my mother's laundry room tomorrow and fix the thing.
 
#47
Motul oil is green, if I remember right. One of the motorcycle specific oils is dyed green for some reason. I thought it was pretty amusing the first time I saw it. Other brands are cheaper for the same thing. Being a cheap-skate when it comes to that kind of thing, I usually use other kinds of oil.

Point being that you can prove it's just oil by changing your oil to Mobil 1 or Amzoil or some other oil that's not green. Then you will get amber colored leaks.
 
#49
Check the drain plug first - if the washer is damaged or if the plug got cross threaded, you will dump oil all over the place.

If it's that, the best way I have found to pinpoint a difficult leak is to clean the motor thoroughly, then give it a light dusting with talcum powder where you think the leak might be coming from. That makes a bit of a mess, but when the leak does its thing, it will be an even bigger mess where the leak is. The powder just makes it easier to see the oil's path as it dribbles out of the motor.
 
#56
David Jayne said:
I believe you failed to mention it's an air cooled monster. In that case, yeah, oil. Output shaft? Not sure that can be fixed without splitting the cases. But it might be possible.
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It depends on the bike and whether there's any other issue involved. I don't know how Ducatis are built. I have an inkling about how to do it on a couple bikes, just not that one.
 
#58
Never owned a street bike, but have owned many dirt bikes though. I've for many years (10-15) wanted to get a street bike, but I always end up talking myself out it. Pretty much for two reason, cost of insurance, and safety being the other. I've known two people killed on street bikes and another who lost his leg at the knee. That being said, I'd love to get a Victory High Ball. I think someday I'll get a street bike, but only ride on special occasions.
 

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