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Ride pics and Ducatti clutch question...


Guest Britcheflee

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Guest Britcheflee

Went for a ride with some friends up here in N Ca (see pic) - Brother in law, his friend and his wife...wife has a Ducatti 900 Monster - see pic - and let me tell you she is great on that bike!!! Great skills, good speed and left me behind on a number of occasions...nice looking bike too. My question is - there was an open 'cage' on the side mounted clutch on this bike - you could see the outer part of the clutch, springs etc whizzing around (interestingly opposite direction to what you would think) - but apart from the horrible urge to put your finger in there....what are the chances of something like a rock or whatever getting in there and buggering things up?

Half way through the ride it was brought to my attention that between the 4 of us we had every configuration of a twin there is....am I correct? (see pic)

 

 

Lee

post-1974-1129095268_thumb.jpg

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between the 4 of us we had every configuration of a twin there is....am I correct?  (see pic)

Lee

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Don't think so. I studied the pic. and you don't look like identical twins.

Seems like Brother-in-law and friend's wife must be twins and you and Brother-in-law's friend are twins. Have I got that right?

Did friend marry his sister, so the three of you are twins? No, there's something wrong there.

Think I'll draw a diagram.

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Some Duke owners moan about rain getting through the open clutch vents and rusting the springs.

 

Saying that with the odd exception you don't see many Dukes over here ridden in the wet.

 

If the Duke is in a dry climate the vented cover should be ok.

 

Guy :helmet:

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Guest bshpilot
My question is - there was an open 'cage' on the side mounted

clutch on this bike - you could see the outer part of the clutch,

springs etc whizzing around (interestingly opposite direction to

what you would think) - but apart from the horrible urge to put

your finger in there....what are the chances of something like a

rock or whatever getting in there and buggering things up?

 

well really thats what the guard is for...and youd only stick your

finger in there ONCE ;)

 

theres a ton of these diff. covers...just saw one the other day

that had clear plexiglass over it too...problem is that this "dry"

clutch tosses a fair amount of dust...right on your foot w/ these

type of open covers.

 

i think the duc bunch would tell you its to let the heat out....

but the truth is the matter is its really just cool "motorcycle/guy jewelery".

 

i never understood why ducati insisted on runing their clutch DRY

when all the inline four manufactures run simular style clutches (handling

MORE horsepower) in oil....

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wife has a Ducatti 900 Monster - see pic

 

Half way through the ride it was brought to my attention that between the 4 of us we had every configuration of a twin there is....am I correct?  (see pic)

Lee

62872[/snapback]

 

 

Upswept pipes distinguish this Duck as an S2R, which uses the 803cc motor. (unless it's S4R with 996 racing killer engine? Maybe so.) 900 motor scrapped a few years ago in favor of the 1000 dual spark motor and this one, a beauty to ride actually. Next year Ducati will install the 1000cc motor with S2R bling. Some of us Guzzi guys are a little fond of dry clutch noise too, but the ducati race replicas (999, 749) sound like coffee cans full of bolts when they cruise into the local hangout.

 

Yah, who could forget the lowly parallell twin?? Most of us cut our teeth on one or more jap parallells, right? I know I did. Old bonnevilles? oh yeah, I guess I've heard of them, too. T120, as in die at 120mph? I remember now. :blush:

 

On second look, I think it is an S4R........that's a lotta bike for a woman that size. Wow, no wonder she can pass you, she only need twist the throttle.

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Guest Britcheflee

Hard to see in the pictures but my brother in law was riding a BMW F 650 GS Dakar - so does that complete the engine configuration 'set'? apart from a wankel I suppose - I was somewhat interested in one of those BMW GS 1150 (I think) until I got up to the one in the pics and realized I would need a ladder to get on the dang thing!!!! That was one tall bike for a small guy like me. Looked comfortable though and handled the bends beautifully.

We did take one or two short sections 'off road' on a dry gravel and rock road and gotta say that my Guzzi did not like that at all - I think the steering damper did not help and the rider of the Ducatti said the same thing - not fun off road on these bikes.

 

 

Lee

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i never understood why ducati insisted on runing their clutch DRY

when all the inline four manufactures run simular style clutches (handling

MORE horsepower) in oil....

62889[/snapback]

I have always figured it was to make the engine and or engine oil last longer.

I cannot imagine that asbestos or whatever is in the friction plates is good for your bearings and rings.

I thought that was one of the reasons for Gooses and Beemers lasting so much longer than air cooled inline fours.

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[After the across the frame 4 from BMW,I know its hard to beleive but there is an

artical about a mid range parallel twin comming from them.

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Guest bshpilot
I have always figured it was to make the engine and or engine oil last longer.

I cannot imagine that asbestos or whatever is in the friction plates is good for your bearings and rings.

I thought that was one of the reasons for Gooses and Beemers lasting so much longer than air cooled inline fours.

62911[/snapback]

 

i would agree...its why i change the oil in my big 4/wet clutch based

engines oil & filters OFTEN.

 

remember too that many wet clutch bikes turn FAR more hp

than the dry clutch bikes...so id expect to see higher wear in those

bikes anyway.

 

most of my ujm's have 30k+ miles on 'em and show no signs of

wear (smoke or otherwise)...its another reason that i stick w/

conventional oil...i figure frequent oil & filter changes will do

more for removing "particulate" and out weigh the benefits of synth oils.

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