DUCATI 996
Jim Lindsay changes the belts on his Bologna bullet.
However simple people tell you a job is, it’s always a challenge if you have not done it before. Beyond adjusting the chain and fixing some crash damage, I’ve not taken the spanners to my Ducati 996 since I bought it. I’m going to do a rolling restoration rather than a full nut and bolt job and the last recorded cam belt change was three years ago so, before pulling bits off for refurbishment, I thought I’d tackle this task myself. What the hell? Nothing to lose except maybe north of £1000 if I get it wrong and fast moving objects smash into each other, destroying the engine. There’s plenty of advice online and I’ve got a Haynes manual for the bike. Thoroughly aware of my amateur status as a mechanic, I spent some time studying the options before I started. I did not want to spend out on either a Ducati belt tensioning tool or its cheaper equivalent from Facom (Facom DM.16 – about £110 from fleabay). I used the 45 degree twist method to set the tension and also tried the frequency method. The temptation with belts, a bit like drive chains, is to over-tighten them. Do your research, be careful and you’ll get a good result. If you are in doubt as to your ability, take it to a specialist and pay the money. So let’s see how I got on!
With the belts fitted and tensioned, I turned the engine over several times to make sure that valves and pistons were not touching. All good. I fitted new spark plugs. With the belt covers, battery, airbox and tank back in place I thumbed the starter. Nothing. Close inspection showed a broken wire on the low current feed to the starter solenoid. With that fixed, the engine started as it should and ran smoothly. Splendid job: now for the beginning of the teardown and refurbishment.
Thanks to: our friends at Wemoto www.wemoto.com for supplying the new belts (normally £98.40 the pair) and also to Laser Tools www.lasertools.co.uk for the crankshaft turning tool Part No. 5181 (£50.66.)