The magazine for classic Japanese motorcycles

Archive: Ducati Darmah DD Engine Strip: part ten

MY engine was complete, All I needed to do now was fit it into the Ducati's frame. Hooray!

This is an easy job. Just lay the engine under the frame, leaning on its front cylinder head. The bottom rear mounting bolt can be pushed through and the engine swung up into place for the other two mounting bolts to be pushed through.

Now bolt on the exhaust system, the carburettors, plug the connector wires from the electronic ignition pick-ups into their connector blocks on each front down tube.

I had no need to mess with any wiring as the rewire carried out some years ago was still intact.

Fit a new oil filter in its casing below the front carburettor – it’s easier to do this before fitting the carb in position. Fill the engine with five litres of oil.

With the electric-start-only model it’s easier to fill the motor with oil by removing the outer case over the starter chain and pouring the oil in there.

The actual oil filler is a pain to get at and is best used with a length of tubing and a funnel.

Before I attempted to start the engine I thought I'd best sort out the brakes. These were taken off the bike over a year ago and I now remembered why – one of the bleed nipples was broken.

No matter, a trip to our mates at Ape Accessories would sort that out. Colin nearly had heart failure at the sight of a Marston brake caliper. Those who remember the saga of Rosie’s ill-fated Z900 calipers will know why.

This time no drama and no crumbling calipers. Ape had the broken part and other remaining nipples Out in two days and I spent the next three days trying to get the brakes to bleed up to pressure.

My original petrol taps were transplanted onto the secondhand tank I'd bought a year ago to replace the rather battered original item.

The battery was charged, fitted, and now for the moment of truth. Would it start?

Then I remembered the spark plugs. After searching the garage I could only find one – and then remembered the other went off in one of Rosie’s Chinese test bikes by mistake and was lost forever.

Unfortunately, my Ducati will only run Bosch spark plugs, liking neither NGK nor Champion. I got some strange looks at the local Mercedes garage as I drove onto the forecourt in my Lada to buy some spark plugs!

They couldn't help but rang round and found another dealer in Wellingborough who had some. In actual fact they had about five boxes of 'em! They haven't sold any for years, and didn't even remember why they bought them all in the first place.

I bought four (plugs, not boxes) and raced home in gleeful anticipation. No luck.

The engine turned over well enough but wouldn't start. I tried everything, but to no avail. The only success I had was in flattening the battery. Once again the Lada came to the rescue as I tried to jump start the Ducati from the car.

I finally managed to find some signs of life – but only flames out of the silencers and smoke in the air filters.

Oh course! In my haste to get the bike going I'd got my electronic pick-up wires crossed up, front wires to the rear pot and vice versa.

I swapped the wires and a minute later the whole of Kettering reverberated to the sound of stainless Conti-replica pipes. I'm surprised the neighbours still talk to me, although Rosie did say one is deaf!

So, the Ducati lives, with photographs to prove it. But before Bob disappears under deluge of letters about the colour of my bike, yes, it should be ice blue with dark blue decals, but the original paintwork is so abused and the tank battered and past economic repair – so I had to replace it with something.

There’s still a little work to do to see it through MoT. The front brake needs a little more bite, the horn needs tweaking and a brake light would help, but we're nearly there.

By the way, if anyone has a black 900SS fairing and screen for sale, do let me know through the magazine. That’s the only thing missing now.