Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > So close yet so far

[crm250]

Well sadly the 916 didnt quite make it round spain and france, just spend the last 24 hours being recovered about 100 miles from Le harve with a buggered rectifier.
It did manage 2200 outstanding miles round spain and coming back up through france in some serious temperatures upto 38 degrees without a puff of air, only to reach upto 110 degrees often and sit at around 90 most of the time we were moving.
i think the heat finished off the rectifier after only being 2 years old.
usual syptoms, include, eratic temp guage and revcounter, odd missfire before total electrical loss and flat battery. bump start the bugger and runs fine for about 2 mins before turing back into a V1
Loom has survived this unscathed which is a bonus

totaly outstanding trip though and fell in love with northern spain and the very southern france. found a road for a place called cataluynia (not the track) and imagine 35k of pure mountain climb and decent, second and third gear corners on pure fresh tarmac with no lines or slipperyness and not a single car in sight. AHHH Heaven

[Edited on 28-5-2005 by crm250]

[John W]

Sorry to hear you had trouble mate. Glad to hear you only had troubles on the return leg though. Imagine how p!ssed you'd be if it happened on the way down !

Just back meself after 10 days of mayhem in the Alps and southern France. This touring lark is getting bl00dy expensive though. Yet again I needed a new rear tyre mid trip !
I was also told by the others that I cannot take the 998 on tour any more with them as it gives me an unfair advantage

[crm250]

Will be going again this year, but this time will be to and from bilbou with 5 days to ride inbetween. rather avoid france next time, very pretty but full of waggons.

It could have been much worse TBH, i stopped the bike before it completly cut out and ran on 1 cyl or rodded or did any mechanical damage, rectifier is toast, start the bike and after only a min its red hot to the touch, dont remember it ever getting that hot.

[moto748]

Only time a rectifier failure has bothered me was on holiday too!

Kinda makes sense, though: on a trip like that you're doing sustained high-speed runs (presumably), and the rectifier's getting hotter, maybe, than it does in daily use.

But you've just about convinced me that it'd be a good idea in future to take a spare on holiday, just in case.

[crm250]

The temp was 38 degrees for 4 days and we did over 400 miles per day with it running at over 90 for most of the way, and the fan kicks in at 110, but still say the odd 120 in traffic.
next time we will be hiring a van and get someone to drive it and meet at check points. then i can take just about all the spares inc the kitchen sink, not that it will break down again next time

[John W]

It wasn't quite that hot in France (a mere 34 degrees). We also only did around 250 miles a day, but these were generally twisty mountain passes with lots of hair pins. Consequently the temp was showing up around 110 most of the time, as was my ar$e from the heat of the exhausts

Hiring a van ?
B0ll0x to that, just get the others to carry the bits !

[crm250]

Tell you what i did fit, a pair of cyclecat bars and they made such a difference. best bit was as the throttle was turned to fit, the choke button acted as a cruize control and would sit at 70 mph with the correct amount of freeplay in the cable