oh, one more thing please:

i want to replace the nasty old springs and collars at the same time. it seems a shame to spoil the looks of the gold pressure plate that was fitted by a previous owner. there are some nice looking spring/collar sets on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ducati-dry-Clu...cmdZV iewItem

i've bought dzus clips and stickers etc from these guys before, and their service was excellent, but obviously, with these being a mechanical moving part, i'd like to know if they're up to spec before buying.

any thoughts?

buy the springs and caps from Nelly, he has them on the shelf ....

best way to get the plates out is a couple of those magnetic telscopic pen thingies (technical term that) ...

open out a large split pin and bend the end slightly to make a right angle, hook them out with that

Ditto, or thin gauge welding rod, anything that'll create a strong pair of hooks. Good luck :)

thanks for all the advice once again.

was out on the 748 again today and the benefits of the strip and clean have already worn off - i was half way past a car when it started to slip - so i was riding alongside them, more or less at the same pace with the engine wailing away, all about 2 feet from their side window! i felt quite sorry for the driver as they must have wondered why this black clad, black visored nutcase on a black motorcycle with open pipes was riding in formation with them absolutely revving the nuts off his bike!

anyway - ST4s clutch and spring kit on order from nelly.

thanks again for all your help. :D

[Edited on 4-4-2006 by zhed44]

Got the new clutch pack fitted today.

As is always the case with me, it didn't go without a hitch though.

After I had finished, I went to test it - mmmmmm, that's odd, it'll go into gear, but not back into neutral even though the light is showing, then the clutch lever went really stiff, then I couldn't budge the gear lever. Mmmmmmm. :puzzled:

So - I thought I'd better whip the cover off and have a look what was going on - only to have the answer dawn on me as I saw the scraped tops of my lovely new red spring caps and the track they had worn on the inside of the cover. How come?

As I was finishing up (the first time round) I noticed that the clutch cover gasket was a bit knackered, so I thought "I won't bother with that in case any straggly bits get caught up in the springs" - as a result, there wasn't enough clearance between the springs and the inside face of the cover :rolleye: Has now been refitted.

Anyway - is all working well now.

Thanks to Cornerspeed for the fast delivery and the idiot proof instructions, and thanks also for the advice and tips from you guys - the magnetic picker-upper-thingy was a masterstroke - I had the old plates out in 10 seconds rather than 10 minutes.

Final question: I found that there was only 1 thick plate instead of 2 in the bottom of the old clutch pack - why would this be? I have fitted 2 this time. Also, the bottom of the basket had what at first I thought was a weld repair, but on closer examination seems to be a thin streak of molten, solidified metal. Surely someone hasn't melted a clutch plate at some point in this bike's chequered past?

Thanks again

[Edited on 9-4-2006 by zhed44]