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Poseidon |
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Poseidon World Chat Champion
Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 12:52 - 19 Jul 2020 Post subject: Ducati Monster S4 - There's Life in the old Duc Yet... |
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So this is the bike I alluded to in the unicorn thread. I've been trying to get my grubby mitts on it for some considerable time. I'll do a brief history of the machine when I've got a bit more time, and I'll be documenting the restoration in this thread as I go. It's not going to be a quick process, but it will be done right.
The bike itself is a Monster S4. 916cc (I think) twin cylinder that puts out around 100bhp. Whilst the two previous owners are convinced it has the 996cc lump, I don't believe it. There's nothing to suggest this is the case, but I will do some digging.
Heres some pics as she stands, freshly back from the ROI...
https://i.imgur.com/1st9G43.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Glq7Agi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/YMSq89U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oLdSEXh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ncaxKFV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hb0xJhV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CMiYmZa.jpg
To say it hasn't been ridden for the best part of 10years and it has been living outside under a cover the whole time, it's in better nick than I thought it would be. The mileage is in km and it is correct... 18years old and it has done 2000km. I actually had the use of this bike for a weekend back in 2010 and I put over 200km of those on there, it had 1700km on the clock when I collected it. I absolutely fell in love with it from the first turn of the wheels. I had never before, or since, ridden a bike that felt so right for me. The way it drops into corners, the noise from the termis, the way it'll lift the front wheel in the first 3 gears just by winding the throttle wide open... Riding just felt so natural on this bike. I was besotted with it.
The resto will pretty much aim to get it back into good condition. Nothing fancy. I'll be doing a couple of upgrades along the way, nothing major, more for usability and reliability than trying to change the ride/performance. For example, rectifier will be replaced (because ducati), not sure which way to go yet on that one. After market clutch slave to make the finger muscle shredding clutch lever easier to live with. And I'll probably get a comfier seat, as although the standard seat was fine when I rode it for 2 full days, I'm considerably older now and more comfort is better. I'll probably stick braided hoses on there too.
So thats it for now. I'm off to tuck her in and start compiling a list of things to do and things to buy.
Oh and inb4 - It's not that rare, no such thing as an s4 "senna", real monsters are air cooled, real men ride s4r, nicked it from pikeys, chain looks slack, subframe looks twisted ____________________ 1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring)
Last edited by Poseidon on 19:47 - 19 Jul 2020; edited 2 times in total |
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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mentalboy |
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mentalboy World Chat Champion
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Poseidon |
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Poseidon World Chat Champion
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mentalboy |
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mentalboy World Chat Champion
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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The Shaggy D.A. |
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The Shaggy D.A. Super Spammer
Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 03:58 - 20 Jul 2020 Post subject: |
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Get some white paint on those walls before it fills with crap again ____________________ Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5 |
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Pete. |
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Pete. Super Spammer
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
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slowside |
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slowside Nova Slayer
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defblade |
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defblade World Chat Champion
Joined: 30 Apr 2009 Karma :
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Posted: 09:09 - 20 Jul 2020 Post subject: |
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If you can, I'd get another strip light, and move that one over, so you have a light to either side of the working area rather than just above the middle... ...and paint the walls white! ____________________ Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp |
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Pete. |
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Pete. Super Spammer
Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Karma :
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Posted: 20:04 - 20 Jul 2020 Post subject: |
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I BUILT my turbo bike in a 7 foot by 10 foot shed that contained all my tools and equipment plus the bike itself. A little thought and organisation goes a long way. ____________________ a.k.a 'Geri'
132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
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Poseidon |
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Poseidon World Chat Champion
Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 21:17 - 20 Jul 2020 Post subject: |
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This project was never going to be a quick turnaround. I've tinkered bikes back into life before, so know the importance of having a plan. That said today I figured I'd try and get an idea of the extent of the work ahead of me. My initial thought was of just how many bolts are going to be seized, especially the allen head ones that are just begging to be rounded (hence the impact driver I bought, that should arrive tomorrow).
My plan (if you can call it that) was to poke and prod around and gauge the challenges ahead. I grabbed my best allen keys and tentatively tried a few bolts. Imagine my shock and amazement when each one succumbed first try. Maybe this isn't going to be too bad after all. As an aside, there's loads of carbon fibre on this thing... Both panels on each side, front mudguard, rear hugger, timing belt covers, bellypan, chain guard, exhaust heatshields. All genuine carbon fibre. Some of the rubber grommets that the bolts go into behind the panels are perished and will need some teasing to get the bolts out, but they're not seized.
After this initial moment of joy, a big steaming turd hit the fan. The fucking fuel tank. Tried the key in the cap, but it wouldn't even go halfway in. Not wanting to risk breaking the key, I figured I'd undo the bolts holding the cap on. Bolts out, a couple of gentle taps with the rubber mallet and the cap pops open... Bork!!!
https://i.imgur.com/N9NplLt.jpg
Whats that dripping sound? Fuck, the tank is leaking from underneath. Tray placed as best it can be and quickly think of how to drain the tank... Small hole on the furthest sticking out part of the tank should do it (hand drill, sharp bit, liberal lubrication and wife stood ready with extinguisher). Tank's bolloxed anyway, no point being precious. This could take a while to empty though:
https://i.imgur.com/DQ8Cwyf.jpg
Thankfully, I have a TV in there for just such an occasion. Is that a classic Western?
https://i.imgur.com/T1fDVyp.jpg
Eventually the tank emptied, as did several cups of tea and after a fair bit of Henry Fonda action:
https://i.imgur.com/WSt9ulU.jpg
I knew the old tank would be junk. But the fuel cap assembly and fuel pump are now also for the scrapheap. That isn't going to be a cheap parts bill. A bit more poking around and its looking more and more like the engine is going to have to come out. I half expected it anyway, but the nightmare lurking under the timing belt covers has cemented the need for this...
https://i.imgur.com/gA9c3B8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C4qDWoy.jpg
As well as rust where you really don't want rust... The paint is peeling/flaking all around the housing. The paint is notoriously flakey on these engines, so I was also half expecting it needing spraying. Not a massive shock, but still not good news.
Keep reminding myself this is a marathon, not a sprint. For the fear of going hell for leather stripping it down without documenting it properly and losing bits, not labelling cables/wires etc I called it a day. Had some things to do indoors as well and wife kept popping her head in asking how long I'd be. I'll settle down with the workshop manual and get my head around the process of removing this engine over the next few days. Once that's out and the extent of the work needed on that assessed, I'll get back to worrying about fuelling and electricals. Once she has a beating heart, I'll turn my attention to the running gear, bodywork etc etc. Starting to think easter may be a tad optimistic...
Oh, and thanks for the comments and/or pointers on the workshop. You lot are a right bunch of Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowens!
Pete. wrote: | whilst you're at it stack those shelf units to double the use of the wall and replace one with a corner bench. Put the trolley jack on a shelf and hang the garden tools on the pillar that frees up.
Stick any long stuff in the rafters in fact board one side and throw junk I mean bike parts up there. Put the bicycles on wall hangers stored above each other. Nick some of those green crates from the supermarket for holding parts.
Deffo paint the walls white though it will transform the place. |
The rafters are already home to stuff like windbreaks, scaff-boards and pasting tables. Which also means theres plenty of flat surfaces up there for storing stuff. Ive also suspended the behemoth roof box we have for camping trips under the rafters to free up floor space.
I'm now pricing up benches, I'll need one as this project continues. Those shelves are too tall to double stack, I'd only gain two shelves in height, a net loss of 4 shelves if I remove one set. I'll figure something out.
Polarbear wrote: | I hope that's a beer fridge and not a freezer on the left. Beer fridges in workshops are acceptable storage space losses, freezers aren't. |
Tis a fridge. Beers are in there. Getting a kettle too, although as the garage is not attached to the house, there's no running water, so I'll have to get a water carrier or something.
slowside wrote: | I think I'm more envious of your garage than your bike. |
I'm happy with it. The kids know not to wander in without asking and wifey accepts that the areas outside the taped zone are out of bounds.
defblade wrote: | If you can, I'd get another strip light, and move that one over, so you have a light to either side of the working area rather than just above the middle... ...and paint the walls white! |
The light I fitted is almost 6000lumen. Even without a reflective colour on the walls, there's so much light as to not cast a shadow wherever I'm working on the bike. ____________________ 1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring) |
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Poseidon |
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Poseidon World Chat Champion
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Old Thread Alert!
There is a gap of 246 days between these two posts... |
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B5234FT |
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B5234FT Brolly Dolly
Joined: 28 Sep 2009 Karma :
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Poseidon |
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Poseidon World Chat Champion
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carbon90 |
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carbon90 Two Stroke Sniffer
Joined: 10 Mar 2014 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 2 years, 301 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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