Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 1198 / 1098 / 848 > levelling up in a baptism of garrrgh!

[hawkati]

After near 17 years of 996 ownership i needed More, so sold it and bought an 1198s. Delightfully under market price and so it was almost a straight swap. My way of thinking was that if i needed to spend £2k on it i'd still be quids in....hmmmm...

So, collected on the first official day of winter (it started sleeting for the 100 mile ride home). The first three miles were hellish - it wouldn't idle and three times cut out when entering roundabouts or junctions. Verily i said Fack! Afer fuelling up it took several attempts to get started again so from then on i held the throttle slightly open whenever i had to slow or stop - not too clever when riding through crowded Stamford.

Anyway, by the time i got to Northampton the roads dried and i began to have some fun, in a cold kind of way. Finally got home in the shire (cotswolds) and such was the weather that i didn't ride again for a fortnight. First thing i did was add a linky so i could trickle charge the battery. Did a couple of hundred mile journeys subsequently but the weather hasn't been my friend - not got anywhere near the bike's potential.

Chatted with Geoff at Baines who i've dealt with for years - he suggested getting the diagnosis to check throttle position sensor, so i called Moto Rapido and booked it in. As soon as i said the reg number they said "Ah - we know this bike - not a sensor"
So i rode to Winchester the other day thinking possibly regulator issue, and then we had The Conversation. They dropped the oil and found metal swarf in the strainer. Fack x several.

So, that's it - main bearings at least, dammit. Right now i'm halfway through taking the engine out to take to Baines and looking forward to my wallet being emptied but having a refreshed engine for a new lease of life. Bloody hope so - three days booked at Portimao in may followed by grand eurotour. Yee, and indeed, haaaa!


20221205_161133 by james serjeant, on Flickr

[mykie]

A guy I used to know had pretty much exactly the same issue with a black 1098.

Looked mint when he bought it, turned out someone had tracked it, put race fairings on it pretty much used up the engine. Then put all the mint bodywork back on and sold it as an almost new road bike...

[hawkati]

That sort of thing is a bit shite isn't it? At least I'll soon have the ground zero of a rebuilt engine that with any luck will see out my days of riding bikes - it's going to be used far more for local zoops and touring than trackdays now...I'll throw together a dedicated cheap trackbike for the hell of it and keep this sunny side up.

[skidlids]

Originally Posted by hawkati

That sort of thing is a bit shite isn't it? At least I'll soon have the ground zero of a rebuilt engine that with any luck will see out my days of riding bikes - it's going to be used far more for local zoops and touring than trackdays now...I'll throw together a dedicated cheap trackbike for the hell of it and keep this sunny side up.

James you should have got a ST for touring and then spent the rest on a DD bike

[hawkati]

haaaa! Too tempting, but i'm 60 now and seeing racing unfortunately as a bottomless pit i cannot afford, and i certainly can't afford to spanner myself like i did at donington over a year ago. So i'll pretend by titting arounf portimao for three days in late may then do a 3500 mile tour around europe for the sheer hell of it. Fine suggestion though, cheers!

[hawkati]

Just to add that Geoff did a luvverly job with the engine and I'm currently running it in before riding down to portimao in a fortnight, lurching around the circuit then doing as much of the rest of Europe as I can before the end of May. Yeehaa!

[hawkati]

That was approx 4,500 miles there & back again on a thing that had....issues...
Namely an o ring going on thr slave cylinder, a throttle position sensor on the **** and a full on "see jesus" quick action throttle that made it unmanageable on track. Nonetheless it was a hell of a ride and most issues are now sorted so I can just crack on with riding and not worry about it now. Damn fine bike, love it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127444...etaken-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127444...etaken-public/