Ducati rebuild. Here I go again

[Bevel bob]

Thats great George , I'm of the same mind , my 250 will likely be the last bike I have. Just need to make it easier to live with , riding position,starting ,reliable idle. My silencer is looking right . If passing pop in for a chat ,you know where I am. BOB.

[Duccout]

Well done George, looking great.

Colin

[George]

Thats great George , I'm of the same mind , my 250 will likely be the last bike I have. Just need to make it easier to live with , riding position,starting ,reliable idle. My silencer is looking right . If passing pop in for a chat ,you know where I am. BOB.

Hi Bob good to hear from you. Swanneck clipons and more seat padding would be a good start. Not sure if you are still running points the electric ignition is a good investment for easy starting mine starts 1st or 2nd kick. I added the 12v alternator and now have bright indicators essential in todays traffic. I seem to recollect that your 250 is set up for high speed almost a race bike. Idle is never easy with high tuned engine. Might be time to retune for pleasant road use. I have come to realise that an old bike will go fast but my old brain will not.
Keep riding

[George]

Took advantage of the good weather today and had the last ride out of the year.
Wishing everyone all the best for 2022. Lets hope it will be better than the last two years.

[DBDBrian]

Nice picture George, it's good the bike is going well. A happy new year to yourself, and everyone on the forum.

[George]

Happy new year Brian. My friend Paul has just bought a 1960 200SS, should be adding photos soon. He is only 57 and didn't know about kick-start and kick-back. He does now.

[themoudie]

OH! The innocent!

However, as the man was born in 1965, he wouldn't have been able to ride a motorcycle on the road until 1981 and by that time the Japanese electric start culture was the dominant force in the motorcycle market place, even some of the small capacity machines being fitted with electric starters.

I just hope that the kickstart doesn't put him off riding the machine and wearing it out.

Good health to you all for 2022, Bill

[Paul O]

My first bike was a KH250 when I was 16 (I know) followed by various 250cc strokers just kick them and make smoke, I am under George's apprenticeship who is a hard task master but as I have always said you can't buy experience so listen up you will learn something,

Put me off not a chance in hell im enjoying it, next on the list is a early 90's Monster to replace the Kawasaki Zephyr then another Bevel later I love Ducati's and have had a few over the years although they have had a button to start .

Hope to see you all soon on a ride out, (I may be the with a sore left foot)

[George]

Another little ride out today. Getting confident enough to go for a longer ride. Gearchange is a bit notchy but can find all four gears and three neutrals with ease.
Moto Guzzi now sold, shed/workshop empty and waiting for me to find 350/450 Road/Scrambler project. Still looking for right one.

[ranton_rambler]

Another little ride out today. Getting confident enough to go for a longer ride. Gearchange is a bit notchy but can find all four gears and three neutrals with ease.
Moto Guzzi now sold, shed/workshop empty and waiting for me to find 350/450 Road/Scrambler project. Still looking for right one.

George - I don't find my gearshift especially notchy, but the eccentric adjustment seems to have a very small "sweet spot" where it can reliably shift both up and down. It may need a new spring as it sometimes need a bit of help from the toe of my boot to click back into the middle ready for the next gear.

I've currently pushed mine to the back of the garage so I can get my son's CG125 running, MOT'd and sold. Once it's gone I will also have a little motorcycle-shaped space in the garage. The Honda needs a battery but with a splash of fresh fuel and some jump leads from the car it fired up after a few kicks, although has been gathering dust for about 5 years.

Ian