Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Sod's Law at MOT Time...

[antonye]

(aka, The Diary of antonye, aged 31 and 1/12th)

Tuesday:
Prep bike for trackday on wednesday. Road kit off, track kit on. Load bikes (mine & Desmondos) on trailer and tuck safely away in garage for early start. Bike booked for MOT on friday which means I'll swap back to fully road legal kit after trackday.

Wednesday:
Trackday at Snetterton. Short 90mph off-road excursion early on, but kept it upright by keeping straight and not touching anything (except cloth maybe...). Knee down frenzy in the afternoon once I'd sussed it, lapping in consistent 1.25s according to Desmondo. Get home too knackered to put road kit on, so will do that tomorrow.

Thursday:
Swap track kit for road kit and put all legal stuff back on (numberplate/exhausts) for MOT tomorrow. Take 1.5 hours exactly which is getting shorter.

Friday:
Take bike in at 9am as booked in. Call back later they said, so I turn up at 12.30pm and it's still not done ... not even looked at it yet! Back at 3pm and it failed on the rear brake - not enough force in the brake. Ah, that's easy think I ... a little bleed and it will be sorted...

Get the bike home, get the side panel off and get ready for a 5-minute bleed session before heading back down for a retest. However, the rear brake master cylinder looks at a funny angle...

Unbolting the rear brake bracket to check why, it falls in two! The bracket had cracked and sheared just at the rear engine mounting bolt hole! No retest today then.

Check part on parts list and U2U Natty to see if he's got one. No part in his stock list. Arse.

Saturday:
Check with local dealer if they have parts - no parts in stock. They should get that recorded they say it so often. Parts will be in on tuesday or wednesday, but they'll phone and let me know. Book retest with bike shop for next saturday and decide I'll wait this time so they actually do it.

Thursday:
Phone dealer but no parts. Maybe tomorrow. Arse.

Friday:
Phone dealer but no parts. Maybe tomorrow. Arse.

Saturday:
Phone dealer but no parts. Maybe next week. Arse. Phone MOT place and let them know. They say I'm an arse.

Tuesday:
Notice post of 749 bits for sale on board, so cross-reference parts lists and check brake bracket is same. Bingo! U2U Mark to see if he's got one.

Wednesday:
Mark has got one! Bingo! Work out deal and he's posting it out for me, so hopefully get it for weekend!

Thursday:
Phone dealer just in case parts are in. No. Arse.

Friday:
No post. No parts. V. worried.

Saturday:

8.10am CLUNK.

HALLELUJAH!

Brake bracket arrives through post box like a knight in shining armour!

9.05am Bracket attached, keys in ignition, helmet on and off for a retest.

9.15am Man # 1 at MOT place says they can check the retest if Man # 2 says ok. Man # 2 says ok, so I can wait in the shop. Walk to shop for paper and water as I'm rapidly melting.

9.30am Man at MOT place checks brake and it works fine. Bike fails MOT as rear brake light not working. Arse. Check connections, fine. Check switch ... mmm ... I'm sure the pointy bit at the end is supposed to come out more than that? Borrow screwdriver and WD40. No joy.

9.40am Back home and remove brake light switch to see if I can fix it. Burn arm on V.Hot exhaust. Arse.

9.45am Switch definitely dead as pin doesn't return fully and keeps getting stuck. New switch time. Get on phone to dealer to check for rear brake light switch. Pick self up off floor as they have one in stock.

10.00am In car (mmm... 17°C on the aircon) and off to dealer.

10.30am Arrive at dealer and get switch. Pick self up off floor when man behind counter says it's 12.49, but grit teeth and hand over card. Was very tempted to sign "Dick Turpin" in protest at their highway robbery, but decided I need the switch more.

11.00am Back home, switch in hand.

11.05am Switch fitted, light works.

11.10am Back at dealer. Man # 2 sees bike pull up. I get off bike, Man # 2 pumps rear brake lever and gives the thumbs up. I go off to pay Man # 1 while Man # 2 writes out certificate.

11.15am Man # 1 asks me for £5 for certificate that Man # 2 has given him. Consider this a bargain in comparison to brake light switch.

11.17am Filter past 16-year-olds on their 50cc bikes with L-plates with a big grin on my face. I remember those days on my 50cc bike. Loft a nice lengthy wheelie off next roundabout to impress 16-year-olds. Grin widens.

11.20am Bike safely tucked up back in garage as I've got to take the kids to a birthday party. Now all I need to do is swap the exhausts back over for the Carbon 50s and it'll be ready for the next proper run out.

[skidlids]

Sounds more like Murphy's law to me

[KeefyB]

antonye,great post.I've been there,done that myself.
Aah the pain,pleasure and sheer frustration of owning an Italian superbike.

[marksduc748]

ah ah! should have said I would have left the switch on for you. glad its sorted pal.

[Redruth]

You've gotta larf, haven't you?

In spite of all of that, the upside of riding your bike at Snetterton is the memorable bit, I should think.

If you thought you were melting yesterday, you'll be a puddle on the pavement today. Man, it's hot out there.

[andyb]

smacks of lack of planning to me....

[antonye]

Originally posted by Redruth
If you thought you were melting yesterday, you'll be a puddle on the pavement today. Man, it's hot out there.

I did a trackday at Snetterton a couple of years back on the hottest day of the year and my god was it bad! Absolutely dripping in sweat, tyres blistering in the heat, even the tarmac was melting!