Just some pics of the Unicorn of 748s...the Ducati 748RS

Always interesting to read through the files and see how the bike you've purchased started it's life cycle and of course how it ended. With questions about "oil cooler" fitting of you have a 748s or 748r...and the differences are always good to know. Obviously the 748R is a different beast to the S and should be left alone simply because of this...and then came the full race RS...
Think the photographs grabbed from around the web says enough...

And the 748R

Termignonis and carbon clutch cover...

Right then, the Ducati flew through the MOT with flying colors, so obviously it was time to have a closer look at the extra exhaust system that came with the bike as well as the CarbonMoto carbon cover for the dry clutch.
So, I whipped off the original full exhaust system I wasn't expecting too much hassle to replace it with the race system. It took slightly longer as , with everything, there is a way to do things and a way not to do things...being a virgin to these bikes, my experience obviously shined through..
The clutch cover (OEM) came off and on with the carbon cover.

I didn't really know what to expect when it came to turning the key...but I think the best description I've read so far on the web is that it sounds like the start-up of a Spitfire...
With all bikes which go from a stock pipe to a race pipe, you not only get a grin factor because of "that" sound, but it's also nice that the engine sound is lost in the drone...both kawasaki zxrr and the ducati sound like a concrete mixer thats had a few bolts thrown in....
..add a dry clutch to that, desmo-quattro top ends and 50 mm Termignoni's and all of a sudden your in another world of decibels!
..and then you get the whizzing...popping and bangin' on the closed throttle on the overrun...suddenly your thrown into the world of "those magnificent men in their flying machines"...as by standers look at the bike and wonder if it's unwell...
I'm starting to understand why people lose their senses to these bikes...

Quality Parts from Germany

Basically if your building or owning an FZR750R OW01 then in my opinion you seriously need these as the finishing touch. Not sure If they are on anything else ever built by Yamaha, but there is a lot of work in these alloy spun seat bolts. So the price really didn't matter when I found these replicas as the quality was worth it and the price also included a well made special tool to tighten them.

All in....

Ducati 748s

Finally picked up the Ducati 748s. Took a while as the bike shop ensured that everything was good enough to go.
Well, for a start, this bike was coming my way without a service book and by all accounts it has been thrashed on the race track...kinda guessed this when I got a box which included a full race exhaust including carbon cans, carbon fibre dry-clutch cover and a single seat with cut down number plate.
Another obvious sign was the fact that the edges of the tyres were wasted and beaded..only possible on a track..

So, last time I had a Ducati was a 160 Monza single around 28 years ago, and that was only for a week.
This bike has been put back into stock set-up with stock silencers.

First impressions were basically as I expected after all the negative write-ups with regards the fact that this is basically a track bike with very little comfort, ass in the air seating set-up and heavy on the wrists! Love it already! If I wanted comfort I'd buy a car!!

Bike feels so taught! Sticks to the road like shit to a woolen blanket! When I read that these bikes handle, I took it with a pinch of salt..I now retract my salt and say, my god how right did they get this in the handling dept!! Quite incredible. So stable in the corners, and even if you bang it thru the gears and start playing mid corner it still sticks to it's dedicated line! fantastic grunt as well coming through the apex! I mean to say, it's not got more power than most bikes in it's cc range, but you become instantly addicted to the way it handles itself in and out of trouble with the horse power on tap.
I'm not sure how they improved on this with the 748R which has a completely different frame and airbox set-up, but this is more than enough for me to get used to.

The gearbox is another surprise as it's so slick, and makes my zxr750r gearbox feel like a tractor box (although that may have just been my clutch plates..).

Lots a fun, beautiful bike...sunday and the exhaust system gets swapped over so the cars hear me coming..

The Expensive Necessity

Fuel Pump update

 How it came out. 48 hours later in white vinegar and after removal of the plastic base plate , some work to loosen up the pump motor, and it's working! Unfortunately the fuel sender broke and all the rubber had perished, but the pump works and the wiring sorted.

Donor FZR600R pump for rubber/fuel sender

managed to source the above today from the bay. At 30 euros it was a decent buy as I can use the rubbers, the fuel filter, the fuel sender and most likely it's the same pump. So delighted that it's a step forward .

Supercharged Brough Superior

Think the expression on the face just about says it all...Pioneers...

THRUST SSC to Bloodhound

Love these nutters who devote their lives to breaking speed records...
Andy Green is used to flying fighter jets so he has an instant advantage..but anyway...




awesome..



Next project...
Bloodhound..

for the hell of it...

Friends dear old cat passed away a few months ago and that evening the sky lit up like this...it was an amazing sky at night and made the whole passing away a lot easier...

OWL's should have had a hinged tank...

White Vinegar?

Okay, so i was raised on such films as "chitty chitty bang bang" which, as everybody knows, has a nutbag living in the boonies in a house resembling a workshop more than living accommodation...
So, obviously keeping the tradition of attempting to fix scrap before throwing it away, the first thing I had in my mind was to see if the pump could be coaxed into working again...
4 bottles of White vinegar later and off I went to the shed , cut a fanta bottle in half and threw in what used to be a 3FV fuel pump...start the stopwatch and wait a minimum of three hours and hopefully, like a cookery program, it'll come out the oven brand new and ready to use...
...this is of course highly unlikely but, as I started the rant, one must try before one fails...

24% Ättica and it's already turned brown..

One step forwards, two steps pump...

should have been something I checked earlier..but didn't.
So, having everything finally ready for start-up, I thought..better check if the pump is working...
And of course, it isn't. No real surprise when I removed it from the tank...
So the question is, if I drop it in coke over night will it come out shining.....

Ow01 parts arrived as well

Same time the forks dropped down the chimney I finally got the finger out and bought a rear brake cylinder as the last one decided to seize and then the smallest screw holding down the oil resevoir snapped in the bloody casing..
found this in Germany, 35 euros, brand new!
battery strap came from the States.

More parcels than Santas Grotto!

The "must have" RR forks arrived today.
Only set I've seen on the bay for ages. Probably because the seller limited his sales to Germany only.
Quite an okay deal considering the rarity of finding a set off a bike and including bearings and yokes.
Obviously I could have save quite a bit and simply bought a set of L forks which are basically the same, except they don't have the compression function.
Nope, for me it was key to try and get the parts that made the K/RR the difference between a J/L and a K/M. The rear shock is on the way from a K which was more expensive than a stock J or L unit but once again essential in keeping with the build AND a lot cheaper than the aftermarket race shocks which start at around 550 quid!
Everything will need a clean, but that's all in the fun of building them up :)

The Waiting game!!

Due to the fact that the shop that I'm buying the Ducati from has a policy of ensuring 48 points are correct on the bike before they deliver..I'm having to wait until the 24th before I can pick up the 748.
However, this does mean that the bike comes fully serviced with new belts, fork seals and anything else they picked up as an issue.
Race pipes come with the bike..
Roll on to the 24th then..

s'what we're talkin' about!!...ALL IN...!!!

Where there's muck there's brass....

Couple of boxes arrived today..

Paid 19 euro for a bag a gear and just the brackets that were included are up on the bay for 17 euro per bracket plus shipping..Great purchase..and of course a big bag of correct bolts and all the trimmings included..

Bike builders bargain...first time I've seen a breaker offer such a bag of bits..smart idea, the most of them usually throw everything away when they're ripping the guts out of the carcasses..

Subframe is getting picked up tomorrow.

the road bike..

So, now that the ZXR has disappeared, and now that I have started buying up parts to build another one..I failed to read the small print in the insurance papers which states that they only pay out to a person who I buy a Swedish registered bike from.

I worked out the numbers and realised that I wouldn't have the ZXR project up and running asap and if I wanted to enjoy the rather short summer I'd have to get something turn key for the road.

As usual, I decided to go for a bike that would be slightly challenging...a 2001 Ducati 748 s .
Currently getting pushed through a workshop and MOT the pickup is in a few weeks as the belts are to be changed and all the rest...
..obviously the bike has no service history...well obviously...I'm buying it...To date I've never owned a buy that had a stamped service history, so nothing new there...

A few things here...it's a beautiful bike. It's the same colour as my racing Harley...it's a twin..
so back to that then :)

Can't wait

Delayed ..

Plan tonight was to wire up the fuel pump into the wiring harness. But things got a bit confusing...
Apparently there should be 3 wires and not 2... and looking around wiring harness diagrams, there seems to be a recurring Pink color code wire which has send me into confused state..
..none of the diagrams have the same color coding as the two coming out of the pump, one of which is blue/black which as far as I can understand, should go to the solid blue in the pin , which leaves a black wire and a green wire left in the three pin block to choose to use the green/red wire which has been joined together with an earth cable by the previous owner..
...and to make things easier, I'll have to extend the cables, or tank removal will be a right headache.

same same but different..

Down at the lockup tonight and took out the old ZXRR alloy tank.
Just as I remembered it after the first crash..just one dent..still, frame arrived today , as well as the tank fitting bracket and the engine mounting bolts...always get a wee bit excited when the parts arrive..

This frame was actually bought back in 2010 and has been stored for a few years. Lucky I bought it after the first time BTA was stolen.