Welcome new members

[Thevin]

I think everybody will agree that you'll just have to post more pic's of that beauty....

[tr197]

"Also I get that weird thing where the kick start lever suddenly disengages on a kick, maybe one out of twenty times this will happen. I believe this requires the cases to be split to effect the repair."
-Jim Franzen

____ WELL Jim, MY GUESS IS THAT YOU HAVE THE OLDER MODEL WITH LEAF-SPRINGS... IF I'M RIGHT, THEN YOU'LL FIND THAT LEANING YOUR (older narrow-case) DUKE TO THE RIGHT BEFORE KICKING, WILL REDUCE THE PROBLEM (of lever slippage).
IF SO, THEN WHAT'S OCCURRING IS THAT THE ENGAGEMENT-SPRING IS NOT PUSHING THE STARTER-GEAR FULLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE STARTER-TEETH OF 1st-GEAR.
THAT'S A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE OLDER MODELS THAT USE THE LEAF-SPRINGS (instead of the coil-spring used on the newer n-c models), WHICH GET BENT BACK OUT OF SHAPE DURING KICK-BACKS !
__ THE COMMON FIX IS TO REPLACE THE 2 BENT SPRINGS WITH 3 NEW ONES... BUT THAT DOESN'T LAST EITHER!
I'VE ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS... YOU COULD RE-BEND THE SPRINGS BACK TO NORMAL, AND REPLACE THE BOLT-WASHER WITH A (correctly sized) STRIP OF METAL INSTEAD, SO AS TO BACK-UP THE SPRINGS (so that they can't get bent as far during a kick-back).
OR YOU COULD LEAVE THE LEAF-SPRINGS SOMEWHAT BENT AS THEY'VE BECOME, AND PUT A SUITABLE COIL-SPRING BETWEEN THEM AND THE STARTER-GEAR.
OR YOU COULD GET & INSTALL THE COIL-SPRING & IT'S BRACKET FROM A TRUE-1966 NARROW-CASE MODEL. BUT THE BRACKET OUGHT TO BE MODIFIED A BIT.
IF NEEDED, I COULD GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS... PLEASE JUST ASK WHATEVER DETAILs YOU WISH.
____ THERE'S NO NEED TO SPLIT THE MOTOR-CASES (for any n-c motor)! ... JUST REMOVE THE PRIMARY-COVER AND HAVE A LOOK-SEE AT THE STARTER-SHAFT AREA INSIDE THERE, (just as has already been suggested by another responder to this issue).
__ IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ADDRESSED, YOU THEN POSSIBLY RUN THE RISK OF BADLY WEARING THE TIPS ON THE STARTER-TEETH* ON BOTH GEARS* INVOLVED. (*THE RELATED TEETH ON 1st-GEAR, NOT THE STARTER-SHAFT.)

______ AN IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL... KEEP YOUR DUKE's OIL FRESH & AT THE CORRECT LEVEL!!
I FIND THAT TOO MANY OWNERS LEAVE THEIR PETCOCKS TURNED ON, AND THUS RUIN THE OIL (with fuel)!


DUCATIly,
-Bob

Hi Bob, I have a 1964 250 Scrambler that has this problem. I re-bent the spring and it lasted a little while but finally gave up again. Could I get the coil spring and bracket through you ? If not could you point me in the right direction, thanks.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

" Running with the headlight on (required by law here) causes the battery to slowly go dead, and when it's dead the bike will not start at all. If the battery gets too low the engine runs irregularly. I think that there permanent magnets in the stator that might have lost their magnetism over the years. "

____ Well Jim, here's what I believe (know) is the low-down on this particular issue.....
First of all, this model has the 60-watt type alternator which actually puts out it's varying amount of power according to the RPM that it's being turned at! ... At low RPM, it may be producing only 20-watts, and if you maintain that low RPM riding for long, the battery will eventually run-out of juice to help make-up the difference that your entire electrical-system consumes. _ And thus of course you sooner or later encounter the problem you describe, of poor running (until the lights are turned-off).
__ Now if this problem still happens even at higher RPM (such as over 4000RPM avg.), then you should check the two rectifiers found in the black-box that these models use...
They can go bad in a couple of ways,, they can burn-open or burn-short, or just get poor at their job!
I'm guessing that either one of them has gone completely bad, or both units are just weak at their job.
If both have gotten weak, then you could help them out by just adding an extra rectifier, placing it between the battery's neg.post & ground.
____ Another fix that I came-up with in the early '70s, was to run two separate & smaller 6-volt batteries and replace the stock black-box with a full-wave rectifier-block. ...
The full-wave rect.block provides two outputs! ... One battery is charged by the positive-output, (just like stock), for running everything except the ignition. _ While that rect.unit's negative-output charges a second battery, (which is positive-grounded, like Brit-bikes), and that's used for just the ignition-system.
That duel system always had plenty of power to spare, and in fact was too hard on the small batteries, going through water quite much.
It needed a couple of 6-volt regulators to make life easier.
__ Also back in those days, I tried using a larger/normal sized battery for the light & horn system, and just a battery-eliminator (made for a 650-BSA) for the ignition system.
The change required almost no rewiring from stock. _ (Want to know? - Just ask!)
__ You think of a way to alter the stock system of most any DUKE, and I've probably tried it, sometime over my many years of playing with all my (once owned) 40-some Ducati-singles!
I know of many different ways of modifying Ducati electrical-systems (for the better), some of which I'd bet no one else has ever thought of!

DUCATIly,
-Bob

[motoscott909]

HI guys, glad to finally find a good duc singles forum. Here are some pics of my 64 monza ice racer. I bought the bike a few years ago for $75 and resuced it out of field where it had sat since around 1968. It was in really poor condition when i bought it as it didnt roll, handlebars didnt turn, and the engine was stuck as solid as a rock. After many hours of work i got her looking and running good once again. You should see the look on peoples faces when i roll it down to the pond and fire it up.

-Scott-

[Thevin]

Looks good, I'd be scared to dump it and ruin that pretty paint... ice racer where you from?

[motoscott909]

I am from michigan, about 20 min from lake michigan

-Scott-

[DesmoDog]

Looks like there are a few people from Michigan here! Add another one... I also see a few familiar names so some of you guys have already seen this stuff.

I'm Craig. I've got a few Ducatis and if you've been on many other Ducati sites you've likely seen pics of them. I put together a '74 750GT a couple years back and am now working on a '66 160 Monza Jr and a '66 250 Monza that has become a 350.

Here's how the 350 sits right now, a lot of the details aren't correct but the basic look is there.




That's my 160 in the background. It's a little further along but still has a lot of work to do. About the only things left stock on it are the forks and the hubs, pretty much everything else has been modified or replaced. I need to change the angle of the seat and tank here but you get the idea.


There is more info on both bikes here:
http://www.teamyikes.com/newuglyducssqrd.html

I also recently started some build threads over on the adventure rider forum.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=521288
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526351

I'm glad to see a forum starting up for the singles, I'm going to have a lot of questions on these things in the next few months...


OH! Forgot to mention... ice racing an old single cylinder Duc.... Awesome! One more project to add to the list, an ice racer!

[Thevin]

Glad to see you here Craig...I think I've seen pics of the 160. What tank is that on the 350? very cool looking kind of "Norton" looking...
Oh I thought the same thing about the ice racing....

[DesmoDog]

That's a copy of an old Ducati GP tank by Evan Wilcox...

[kmev]

Hello,

Just joined from Madison, WI. I'm resurecting a '67 SCR that last ran in 1972. Collected parts all last winter, this winter I'm making her mechanically sound and roadworthy, and next winter I'll work on cosmetics. She was originally a flat-tracker and didn't come with many parts, so I am turning her into my version of a cafe racer.

I just got my crank rebuilt as Syd's (highly recommended!), and I am currently in the process of putting the engine back together. All the shimming isn't as foreboding as I thought it would be.

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