Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Skidlids Desmo Due Diary

[paynep]

Kev,
I think that you could be onto something re the alignment of the disc - I will check out my semi-floater to see - but it was the original disc off of the bike, and I know the spindle bush was located properly cos I have fallen for that one before!

However, I did not have any problems fitting new pads to either disc setup - which I have experienced when the disc and caliper are not aligned properly. Also I have run identical full-floaters and calipers on my 851 on both road and track without any noticeable problems............

I will pop the pistons out of the caliper tonight and see what the inside is like.

Maybe we were just using our brakes too much for a single disc setup?

[Rattler]

Originally posted by paynep
Kev,
I think that you could be onto something re the alignment of the disc - I will check out my semi-floater to see - but it was the original disc off of the bike, and I know the spindle bush was located properly cos I have fallen for that one before!

However, I did not have any problems fitting new pads to either disc setup - which I have experienced when the disc and caliper are not aligned properly. Also I have run identical full-floaters and calipers on my 851 on both road and track without any noticeable problems............

I will pop the pistons out of the caliper tonight and see what the inside is like.

Maybe we were just using our brakes too much for a single disc setup?

Didn't Fil2 have similar problems, something to do with the speedo drive replacement spacer being the wrong size or wrongly located or something? Which meant that the caliper was getting too hot as it was rubbing the disk constantly?

Probably worth a U2U ??

[skidlids]

Yes Tim, Fil2 had a few problems as I did a bit of brake bleeding for him and as I understand it the spindle bush in the left fork was repostioned.
I came into work late this morning as I spent a hour checking the front end out again.
My latest findings show that my front wheel is approximately 2mm off centre as the gap between the tyre and the right fork leg is almost 4mm smaller than the gap between the tyre and the left fork leg,
I double checked my Speedo spacer against the original speedo drive and they are both 35mm, the bush in the left fork leg is in its original position and as it has a top hat shape to it the wider rim bit is already pushed hard up against the fork leg. Now either this bush is noy the correct one, or its the wrong way round or possibly a wheel bearing has been replaced with a wider one, but somewhere a error the best part of 2mm has found its way into the setup which I know for certain has nothing to do with me. I have made things worse by fitting a thicker disc but if all was correct in the first place this would not be a problem.

I now have several options available to me

1:- Reduce the width of the speedo Spacer by 2mm down to 33mm
2:- Machine the rim off the top hat bush in the left hand forkleg
3:- Remove the wheel bearings and check their width
4:- Try my spare front wheel and see if its any different.

Which ever solution I use will move the wheel back towards the lefh hand fork leg and should hopefully give a lot better alignment between the calliper and disc.

[JPM]

Skids, not being an engineering bod, but I'd be tempted to throw in your spare wheel and check the alignment there first, you may well need to use that wheel at some point in the series...

Depending on the results I'd go with checking the width of the bearings on both front wheels, again just to be sure in your own mind...

Good luck

[Edited on 4-5-2005 by JPM]

[skidlids]

Good point JPM, if I'm taking out the original to check bearings I may as well fit the spare to save having it up in the air on paddock stands for to long.
I have just made a 33mm Speedo spacer just in case and willl pop around Senna3's later in the week to check out the components of his front wheel setup.
Also just cleaned up the faces of the Pads that I glazed over on Saturday evening in untimed practice and also machined a slight chamfer on them to make them easier to locate over the disc.

Where you been hiding JPM I popped up to Silverstone the other weekend hoping to catch up with you and give you back the £15 I owe you, didn't see you there and I read the reasons so I hoped to catch up with you at Cadwell on Sunday but again no sign.

[JPM]

Yeah Silverstone didn't happen, got called out on the Saturday by work from 8am until 5am on Sunday, so was in no fit state to drive to SIlverstone let alone ride a bike!

And Cadwell, we had the best intentions and got up at 6:30 to meet up with Steve M, but it was raining and we don't do riding in the rain, so eventually ended up at Oulton via a mate with GSE passes, then when I got back later decided to go for a spin and the bike was dead anyways...

[skidlids]

I took the 600SS budget racer down to Llandow on Thursday afternoon for yesterdays trackday to use the day to test the front brake setup.
The weather was brilliant as was the condition of the track.
I was out in the advanced group along with all manner of bikes, R1's, ZX10R's, Fireblades and of course Senna3 on his 674SS.
Started cautiously to bed the pads in but was having to use them a lot more than I intended to stop me running into the rear of some of the bigger bikes in the corners, Next session was interupted by our only faller of the day, he was wisked off to hospital but later returned with just a bandage on his knee, his ZX600 wasn't to badly damaged either.
Once we restarted I was soon comfortable with the front brake and started to put in quicker laps, I finished that second session happy with the way the front brake had performed. 3rd Session I got stuck behinnd my old Fireblade, unlike last time at the track the safety officer had told us there would be no overtaking on the bends, that caused a bit of a problem, how do you pass a 120bhp fireblade ridden by a ACU licence holder down the straight when your on a 600 twin putting out just shy of 50bhp. Answer you DONT consequently my lap times remained in the 52sec bracket. The following session I managed to find a bit of space and was quite happily lapping in the 51sec bracket which I was quite pleased with so rather than push any harder I decided to rest the bike for the rest of the day especially as the left fork seal was now leaking.
The next advanced group I took my GSXR600 out, it felt so different, heavier, wider but worse was the bar angle which was so different from my SS, still after 4 laps I was doing 51 sec laps on it, I finished the session early to come in and alter the bar position. Next time out on it I went in the inters to have a look over some of the other riders that were taking part.
First I came across was Lin on her 583 Monster after 3 laps warming her tyres she decided to get on the gas and was comfortably moving around the bike and riding a good line, earlier in the day i had noticed she wasn't really moving about the bike which was mentioned to her by my mate Mike who was one of the instructors. As for Lins lean angles I think she impressed alot of people with them especially around the left hander onto the pit straight. Sadly Lin and Zimbo couldn't sort out increasing her ride height on the rear so she was finally limited in corner speed by her exhaust dragging on the track.
I then went out in the novice group to watch a few others including Chippy but as he looked as if he had everything sorted we left him to enjoy himself
Senna3 was having a good day he was contiuing with his improvement as a rider and is getting faster every time out on the bike.
Kev's wife Trudi took part in her very first trackday and after a very nervous start riding the bike I picked up at the BMF last Sunday she was soon enjoying the experience.
Speaking of enjoying the day Chippy (Simon) was beaming from ear to ear as he got into the action on his immaculate 749 on his first ever trackday, finishing the day with well chewed tyres and the paint bubbling off his wheel rims due to the heat in the tyres, a trip to the powder coaters is now required.
I didn't enter the final Advance group as i had been out in other groups so just sat back to watch as all the instructors were out in this group for a play. it was entertaining watching jeff White on his sorted GSXR1000 trying to get past Tommy Garness on his borrowed standard R6 it just wasn't going to happen, he would just about get alongside Tommy at the end of the straight when Tommy would leave the braking latter and pull a gap that increased as the corner went on, this was the pattern twice a lap for about 15 laps, good fun to watch.
All in all a succesful day one which we hope to repeat in the future

Sounds like a cracking day Kev,

Mrs E & me will be along for the next one hopefully - that is if you do it again.

ps - please check your e-mail

[Edited on 28-5-2005 by everton]

[skidlids]

Fork seal in left leg replaced to day, also fitted the 15T front sprocket and the new Harris Ti/alloy exhaust can picked up at the BMF for £35. Just need to make a new exhaust hanger for it as the new can sits higher up and sits in tighter against the side of the bike.

[skidlids]

The new Exhaust worked out well at Castle Combe passing the Noise test at all of 94dB.
I had also decided a rev counter would be neccesary for Castle Combe to enable me to build a final drive ratio database.
Having blown up several intergrated circuits trying to get the 916 rev counter to work on my SS I ran out of time and fitted my Stack Revcounter that has sat idle for the last 4 and a bit years. A bit OTT for my budget bike but it does the job, cost me nothing (although does have a decent value) and as a bonus has a shift light and recall.

I think this would be well over the top
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...keTra ck=true

Castle Combe race report to follow

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by skidlids]