!964 250 Parade/ Race Bike Questions

[RichardB]

Excuse me if I'm asking all the usual questions but I'm new!

I have been into classic ducatis for a while through my dads passion for them.

About 18 months i inherited my dads pride and joy, his 1964 250, Its took me this long to finally move it to my house and have a tinker.
Its not been started for at least 3 years that i know of so I'm after a few pointers really.

Im obviously going to change the oil, plugs and put a fresh battery on it.

its been heavily modified over the 20 years he owned it.

As far as i remember its had a lot of engine work done by Paul K at DTS.

Could anybody shed light on what type and amount of oil i should use?
Also spark plug types? Its got a twin plug conversion so i will be changing both.

Excuse the pictures, as i get going with my little project i will put some more on.

Thanks for reading

[RichardB]

Pics

[Bevel bob]

That looks like a serious bit of kit. As it has been a proper racer its also possible that it may have been run on a castor base race oil .Its important not to mix this with mineral based oil so it would be prudent to take a few drops of the old oil and burn it and see if the heady aroma appears!. If it turns out to be castor based it would need to be completely stripped to clean out before switching to mineral,alternatively you could use a modern castor race oil which is a lot easier to live with.A full strip down would be a bit of a job for a beginner. For parading a normal cold road plug would be ok .Look at the Lacey Engineering site for info on oils etc.Warm the Motor up well before use,keep the revs up ,no idling or plonking.It may also need race or Avgas fuel,no road fuel with ethanol!!. If this is all too much trouble just sell the bike to me!.

[Dave450]

I second Bevel Bob's comments on castor oil. You need to find out what oil is in the engine before re-filling. Silkolene or Millar R40 castor oil if the engine already has it. If mineral oil, use Silkolene Comp 4 20/50 or a good quality equivalent.

It looks like it has electronic ignition. Use a NGK B8HS spark plug for the main plug - that's the short reach plug. The second plug should be 10mm. With a new battery, you should have a nice, fat blue spark at the plugs when you rotate the rear wheel fairly vigorously in first gear, or if you push the bike.

It might also be a good idea to clean out the carb with carb cleaner if it has been standing for three years. Check the valve clearances and you can also inspect the cam lobes while you're in there. Squirt some oil on the cams and rockers and around the valve guides before you replace the valve covers. There could also be a layer of rust and brake dust on the drums and shoes, so I would take off the wheels, inspect and clean before parading. The tyres are probably old and will have lost their grip, so you should replace them. You will appreciate fresh rubber if you're on a track. These are just for starters, but if you plan to race it, you will have to go through the bike with a fine tooth comb. Your first outing will give you a good idea of how it runs, handles and brakes. Let us know how you get on with your preparation!

[RichardB]

Thanks for the advice I'll have a snoop round in the garage for any empty oil bottles! How much oil roughly should it take? It runs a total loss electronic ignition, has Lucas Rita with dyna? Coils by the look of things. I do remember he had lots of head work done to it with bigher valves and stuff.

I'll keep posting as I get tinkering

[Dave450]

When you refill, a rough rule of thumb if you don't have a dipstick would be to fill it until you just see the oil level with the bottom of the filler tower. Don't overfill. If the long gauze filter fitted to the sump plug is warped, replace it. It needs to be straight so the end engages with a recess in the right crankcase half so you don't get big bits going into the oil pump.

The Lucas RITA is a good, reliable system. The body of the 'black box' has to be earthed, so check that the black earth wire connection with the frame is sound and free of corrosion. If the bike ran well last time, the timing will not need to be altered but check that the screws holding the mounting plate for the pick-up are tight, and of course the pick-up itself should be tight and it should have magnetism. The main thing is to have a decent spark and a clean carb delivering fresh fuel, and you should be good to go.

If it has high compression, you can run it on a 50:50 mix of avgas and pump petrol. Keep the revs at about 1500 to 2000 for the first few minutes, until oil is circulating in the cam box. Warm it up fully and look to see if it is smoking from the exhaust when fully warmed up. As Bevel bob said, don't let it plonk at low revs because you need a good supply of oil to the big end.

Yes, keep posting as you tinker!

[Bevel bob]

As you have a fiberglass tank beware of any pump fuel as most contain Ethanol which will destroy the tank. THIS IS NO DRILL!! Its for real.

[double diamond]

Before replacing the spark plug, see what's already in it. With a high dome on the piston, it might have a retracted ground electrode. If so and you put a standard plug in, the ground electrode could hit the piston.

[Nick]

Whatever oil you end up using, on a bike that's been sitting for a while it's a good idea to pull the valve covers and squirt oil on the cam, rockers and valve guides, as well as squirting oil down the spark plug hole. Then turn the engine over a few times before starting.

[ElmrPhD]

For the spark plug hole, consider using 2-stroke oil as it's intended to be burned in a combustion chamber and, thus, less likely to foul the plug. Just a thought...