Ducati buckled wheel. Bollocks

Like it says - the front wheel on the Duke is a bit out of true. I do
remember clobbering a pothole a while back.

I've got the details of a place called Motoliner in Maidstone that trues
ally wheels (and discs, frames, etc). Luckily the wife of one of the
partners works two minutes' walk from my office, and they've suggested I
give her the front wheel and she'll deliver and bring it back, which is
nice.

60 quid if I supply wheel with tyre and discs (which all have to come
off), and 50 quid if I remove discs and tyre myself. As I CBA to faff
about with tubeless tyres etc, that's a tenner well spent, I think.

I haven't even asked about the price of a new wheel, as I'm assuming
it's hundreds and hundreds of quids.

I've got to get the slight play in the swinging arm sorted out as well,
before the French Run. Hello, Ducati specialist in Wimbledon. At least
that'll be the opportunity to fit the nice condition swinging arm that I
won on Ebay recently......

Finally - I was ruminating about doing the rear wheel bearings, though
they seem fine... But how the f*ck do you drift out the old ones? On
most bikes, there's a sleeve running between the two bearings, and it
can be displaced slightly to one side, allowing you to get a drift on
the edge of the race so you can knock it out. But there doesn't seem to
be anything like that on my SS. I can't see how you can get a purchase
on the edge of the races at all.

Anyone know for sure? Or is this another "Throw it at the Ducati dealer"
moment?

 

Brilliant, just what I wanted to hear. I didn't see the notch.

I've had the bike from new so nobody's mullered it. Still might get the
dealer to do it while they're doing the s/arm bushes, mind.

 

Buy a new one and fit the buckled one to the wife's wheelbarrow. All
sorted.

 

The Older Gentleman scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Get somebody else to press the old ones out and the new ones in?

 

That's because there is no notch. There never is a notch.
You move the spacer to one side exposing a bit of bearing inner
which you can hit with a big hammer and a drift. This bearing is then
scrap. For the other bearing you can use a big socket that bears on
the outer section of bearing. This bearing could be reused if you're
a cheapskate. Remember to support the other side of the wheel on a
socket bigger than the outside of the bearing. Nothing worse than having
a bearing stuck in your 32mm socket.

As for Ducati swinging arm play, try turning the spindle through
180 degrees to get a bit more wear out of it and shove an extra shim in.
In the old days the steel spindles wore faster than the bronze bushes.

 

Well, that's what normally happens. Except that you can't move the
spacer to one side - not on mine, at least.

 

Erm, you can't press them *out*.

 

You film soneone pressing them in, then, thread the film in the
projector backwards and watch them come out.

Make notes on how it works, then apply it to the actual wheel.

 

The Older Gentleman emerged from their own little world to say

bigger hammer

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Or use Photoshop.

 

You may need to use a lever and more force than you think is necessary,
IYSWIM.

 

Nice notch! Some clumsy bugger must have knocked them off every other
spacer I have seen. The purpose of your notch isn't to allow you to
bash the spacer and take out the other bearing. It is to allow you to
get a drift from the other side onto the bearing you can see in the
photo and bash that out.

 

Well, I'll get a man in. I'm exhausted after doing the head races on the
CB750.

I used heat and cold on that - bunged the new bearing cups in the deep
freeze so they'd go easier into the headstock, and when it came to the
steering stem cup, bunged the whole bottom yoke in the frezer and heated
up the bearing cup for a few secons with a blowlamp. Made the job
easier.

 

"The Older Gentleman"

There since you and I rode to France!! then it disappeared again.
Glad you found it at last.

'Hog

 

<Ponders The Doctor's reaction to deep-fried bearings>

She still hasn't forgiven me for baking a pair of crankcases in the
over.

Good tip, though. Of course, this wasn't a bearing: just a head race
component. OK, half a bearing, then.....

 

Yes, I was thinking of that. Odd, because first there was play and then
it vanished.

Anyway, the front wheel is sitting in the boot of the car, bound for the
straightener and his big 'ammer and the swinging arm will get done on
Monday week, so with luck it'll all be back together for the French Run.

I'm not really bothered. I've had the bike 7.5 years now and I suppose
things like this have to be expected as it ages. Or "matures".

 

Camping stove and an old saucepan will do the trick. I use a twin burner
stove with a heavy baking tray for heating MZ cases.