A Mexican Ducati rescue and rebuild

[Beater]

Wow ... sent your frame away to HPN and got bored, eh?

Fun stuff! Let's see what you do with it!

[DesmoDog]

Originally Posted by Abdelhub

yours turns over! score....my heap is stuck.....I don't think there are any bevel 750 pistons left on the planet.....

I got mine from Syd's Cycles in Florida, though that was some years back now. I hadn't heard they were scarce? Try Phil at Road and Race in Australia if Syd's doesn't have them? There are other places too but I'm not at home so don't have my references handy.

BTW when I got my 750GT I thought the engine was seized too, but when I got it home I discovered it would turn over backwards but not forward. Turns out the fron cylinder had some junk in it that was keeping the piston from reaching TDC.



Turns out the rings were stuck in the pistons anyway so it got Sport pistons and and carbs before it was done.

[Sniper X]

Looks just like my old 81 500 Pantah 500.

[Precis]

Originally Posted by Airhead Wrangler

After looking at this a bit I'm wondering if this is the US market speedo with small MPH on the inside and larger km/h on the outside or is this the "rest of world" model? Anybody know? It would be a strong clue as to where this bike came from.

Metric countries had km/h only - wonder if the odo reads in km or miles? If that's a genuine 8540km - the bikes barely run in!

[Airhead Wrangler]

Originally Posted by Precis

wonder if the odo reads in km or miles? If that's a genuine 8540km - the bikes barely run in!

Even if those are miles then it's only "barely run in" X 1.6 which is still pretty damn good.

[Infracaninophile]

AW:

Nice. You needed something to do while all your $$ is over in Germany. If you decide to move back to the US, can you bring a Mexican bike here? How does that work? If you ever find a Darmah sitting around let me know. Bucket list bike.

Tom

[Airhead Wrangler]

Originally Posted by Infracaninophile

Nice. You needed something to do while all your $$ is over in Germany. If you decide to move back to the US, can you bring a Mexican bike here? How does that work? If you ever find a Darmah sitting around let me know. Bucket list bike.

Sure, I'll let you know. It'll be something along the lines of: "Hey Tom. I just bought a Darmah. Ha."

As for bringing this puppy back to the states I can actually ride it all the way to Seattle with Mexican plates on it if I felt so inclined. Registering it in Washington is the only hurdle, but I'm sure I'll find a way.

[Wirespokes]

It's a metric speedo, not miles. You can tell because the larger numbers are Kilometers, and the smaller are a reference in miles.

I've seen them the other way around when they read miles.

You'll know pretty quickly once the bike is running by seeing how far it goes in a a minute at 60. Also, 60 k per hour is only about 40mph, you'll know!

As an aside, since metric speedos read kilometers, what do you call the distance travelled since it can't be mileage? kilage?

[Airhead Wrangler]

Originally Posted by Wirespokes

It's a metric speedo, not miles. You can tell because the larger numbers are Kilometers, and the smaller are a reference in miles.

That's what I thought, but Precis said above that the metric ones only had km/h - no miles at all. You're right though, as soon as I get it ridable it'll be pretty easy to tell.

[Airhead Wrangler]

What's the consensus on cleaning up the cases? I see that some of the covers appear to have been chromed in the past and it's flaking off quite badly - there's more of it gone than there is remaining. I was just planning on stripping what's left off and polishing up the aluminum. Any reason not to do this? Also, is there any way of protecting the aluminum well once it's been polished? I've never owned a bike that I've felt compelled to keep pretty. They've all been transportation tools. Two wheeled tractors. This bike however, I actually feel obligated to make it look good and keep it looking good. Any suggestions on how best to do that would be appreciated as it's sort of outside my areas of experience.

[O.C.F.RIDER]

Ah, polishing!
Check my lick below
vvvvvv

[jbcaddy]

Originally Posted by Airhead Wrangler

polishing up the aluminum. Any reason not to do this? Also, is there any way of protecting the aluminum well once it's been polished?.

Eastwood has a clear product that they sell for polished wheels. it should work on cases also. I have not tried it.

[mark1305]

Originally Posted by Airhead Wrangler

What's the consensus on cleaning up the cases? I see that some of the covers appear to have been chromed in the past and it's flaking off quite badly - there's more of it gone than there is remaining. I was just planning on stripping what's left off and polishing up the aluminum. Any reason not to do this? Also, is there any way of protecting the aluminum well once it's been polished? I've never owned a bike that I've felt compelled to keep pretty. They've all been transportation tools. Two wheeled tractors. This bike however, I actually feel obligated to make it look good and keep it looking good. Any suggestions on how best to do that would be appreciated as it's sort of outside my areas of experience.

My favorite engine coatings on the two Duc 900s I owned was easy and durable. One of those rare "good, quick, and cheap" solutions:

I lightly sand blasted all the crankcase parts and covers (since then I acquired a soda blaster too and prefer it where it will take off corrosion) Just be gentle with the sand blaster - I found a few small porosities I didn't expect.

Paint with Duplicolor 500 Degree Ceramic Engine Enamel ; p/n DE1650 Cast Coat Aluminum color. Allow parts to air cure for two weeks or more before reassembly to make the coating really chip resistant. I never used/needed primer for that paint on bare clean aluminum and its looks so natural it takes a second look to tell its painted.

Same paint in Semi Gloss Black DE1635 looks good and is holding up well on my R80 cylinder barrels.

I've never had as good a results trying to speed up the paint cure by baking - always seemed more durable just waiting 2 weeks or so.

Nice find, BTW!

[Hawk Medicine]

Man-o-man...

You get all the kool stuff!

How about stripping the chrome off of that frame and then painting it? That shouldn't be too expensive and it isn't my $$$ anyway.

I would love to have a Duc as a project bike! I'd be broke but love always hits you in the pocket, one way or another.

I'll be watching!

[anonny]

Originally Posted by mymindsok

Man-o-man...


How about stripping the chrome off of that frame and then painting it? That shouldn't be too expensive and it isn't my $$$ anyway.

Or go to a chrome powder coat, not as shiny as real chrome but pretty good. Infact you could pay for a home powder coat system on this one bike.