Strada Camshaft Oil Ways

[Duccout]

The guy I've found on line is going to make a pair of bushes for me for £28 Inc p+p, which leaves the pin. The original pin is mild steel, not hardened at all, so in theory I could just use a piece of steel bar, but it would still need to be ground to size. I have emailed Hard Chrome Plating and Grinding to see if they can repair the original pin.

[Ventodue]

That price for the bushes sounds all right, Colin. Less than I paid locally for something similar, in any case. Let us know how it works out ...

[Ventodue]

There are thread inserts you can use. We use Bollhoff inserts at work to avoid welding nuts on, but they need a special installation tool. A lighter duty version called a Jacknut can be fitted with an improvised tool.
Ian

Blimey, totally forgotten about jack nuts . Thank for the reminder, Ian!

[Duccout]

I've found the reason for the chainguard insert coming loose and my apologies to Mototrans, as it was my fault! The bolt that I used to attach the chainguard was slightly too long, resulting in the chain milling the end away, so that when I unscrewed it, the chewed-up thread seized and loosened the insert. I was fooled because In had Loctited the bolt in and thought that the tightness was caused by the Loctite.

I have pressed the insert back in and run some solder around it, so we will see if that holds it. I've also fitted a shorter bolt!

I'm still trying to find someone to hard-chrome and grind the shaft; it is tempting to refit it as it is, but I think that any roughness will just tear up the plastic bushes.

[George]

Colin if you are going to refit shaft it will do no harm to clean up with very fine emery and metal polish

[Duccout]

Hi George,

When I originally dismantled the swinging arm pivot it was full of rust and fine sand, so I thoroughly cleaned everything and emery-clothed the shaft until it was polished and then reassembled. There was play in the bushes, but as I was not restoring the bike, only recommissioning, I was not too worried, but as is the way, all I was doing was kicking the can down the road.

I have new bushes on the way, so it seems sensible to renew the pin also, although I have polished it up on the polishing mop and it may well be OK, but if I turn the pin between my thumb and forefinger I can feel the rust pits and I wonder what the roughness will do to plastic bushes? I don't want to ruin the new bushes, so I can't see any other option but to renew the pin surface.

It would be a lot easier to buy off the peg parts.

Colin

[A.I.M]

Colin, I sent you a PM as I'm not sure if it's permitted to share vendor info on the public forum.
Al

[Duccout]

Hi Al,

Thanks for the link, but that pin will not fit. I have a Spanish Ducati that uses a 28mm pin, whereas the standard Ducati frame uses a 29mm pin.

Thanks anyway,

Colin

[Ventodue]

It would be a lot easier to buy off the peg parts.

Ho, ho, ho . Haven't lost your sense of humour, then, Colin

[Duccout]

Calamity! I could not find anyone who was interested in hard chroming the pivot shaft, and as today I received my new swinging arm bushes through the post, I decided to refit the pin, after all, the worst that could happen was that the bushes would wear out. The bushes were made by a company called www.bushes2u.com and they are superb. If anyone needs any bushes of any type made, contact them, they are good, quick and reasonably priced.

The bushes had a lovely smooth finish, which I was pleased about and the pin was a perfect fit, so I tapped the bushes into the housings, but then the problem arose - the pin would not fit through the bushes, which meant that I had to ream them, which I wanted to avoid, and why I thought Mototrans used plastic in the first place. Anyway, I gently reamed each bush out with the adjustable reamer, and achieved a reasonable finish, and fitted the swinging arm, cursing as I tried to get the side-play shims in place, which is so difficult with this frame, you just cannot get near the pivot. Anyway, all seems well, but who knows how long the bushes will last? Obviously the finish is not as good as a high-speed machining one would be.

So what size should the bushes be? I had them made the same size as Darmah bushes - 28 x 33.5 x 45 and the o/d was correct, but the i/d should have been slightly larger to allow the bushes to close up a bit when fitted; but that is strange because the standard frame Mototrans plastic bushes are 29 x 33.5 and so they are going to be too tight for the pin once fitted, unless they are meant to be reamed too?