3C oh no, not again

I've done a couple of 1000mile days on my 750SFC. Makes that seat really comphy. Also had that seat on my SF2 I brought new. Did many big mile days back then. Much younger and skinnier,
Bum just bones. You have a mile to make you just get on with it.
 
Got the bike home and had a look at it, stuck a camera down each plug hole and it has been rebuilt. 75.4 Jota pistons, no carbon on pistons or valves, no rust on bores, I thought it was my lucky day.
Had a look for the shims just to give me an indication of what size they had been. Found them at the bottom of a box and measured them up. Oops two of them had been ground to below the smallest shim size.
So it was fingers crossed and fit some spare cams with the original cam blocks and the smallest shims. moved the pistons halfway down the bore with the cam chain disconnected as advised by my guru and checked the clearances.
All went well until the last valve, centre exhaust, even with the smallest shim there was absolutely no clearance at all, bugger!
I was told using different cam blocks sometimes provides a bit of clearance so I'll try that but it looks like the engine will be coming out after all.
I've just put a good top end on the Malaga Mutant, looks like it will be going on this instead.
 
Exmoor beast said:
craven-equipment.co.uk

The Perfect Topbox - Craven Equipment

The humble motorcycle topbox is a simple and cost effective way to carry luggage on your motorbike. From motorcycle couriers and delivery drivers to
craven-equipment.co.uk craven-equipment.co.uk
Click to expand...
Yip they are so useful...... but ive never been able to bring myself round to fitting one. Watch with envy while others leave the helmet in the bigger ones and i trot off with helmet in hand. Tank bag, panniers or even throw overs yes. But the top box nope, just can't go there. 🙃🤣
 
Corn said:
View attachment 102019

Never have seen such a Top Case! Even more crazy on this bike. 😂 Thanks for sharing this story.
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Bonhams Cars : 1974 Ducati 750 GT Frame no. DM750S 753769 Engine no. 754058 DM750
It looks like my friend was the only one who had any use out of the bike. I know for a fact it had done about 16,000 miles when he sold it. On one trip to Italy alone we did 4000 miles. The 2000 odd miles quoted in the auction blurb is fiction. They also junked the electric start.
 
On long trips, my panniers just don't cut it. Especially as they don't have any vacant space to pack layers if it gets hot. So, I add a pretty big waterproof sausage bag that's mostly empty and flat across the top rear of the panniers, but even then, just 50 to 70mm higher than the panniers, I struggle getting a leg over the bike. I have a pretty thick touring seat that adds a lot of height. Cannot go forward with the tank bag. A topbox would block me way too much. Back in the day, I always used a Gearsack mounted on the back of the seat.
 
Same here Vince. With my artificial right knee, I can't quite bend it enough when swinging my right leg over from the left side of a bike for my boot to clear the front of the top box, so I try to avoid using a top box on my own bikes. I had to take the sissy bar and ape hangers off my jota for the same reason. ;)
It's not a problem getting on from the right side (left knee is OK), but it feels weirdly unstable getting onto a bike from the "wrong" side.
The only bike I regularly mount from the right side is my Z1300 because there's a sidecar on the left, but at least there's no risk of it falling over so it doesn't feel at all precarious. Right foot on right peg then swing the left leg over as I step up. It's more like climbing into a truck than getting on a bike.
 
For some extremely odd reason that is well beyond me, US Motorcycle Cops always get on their bikes from the right side. I just cannot even stand next to a motorcycle, let alone push one from the right side. It's a bit of a conundrum, the euganomics around this. High footpeg height using the Cowboy mount way of getting on a tall bike, but reducing the dimension between seat height to peg height causes me cramping on long days riding. One crazy fix is a very new bit of tech, Harley fit as an option to their Adventure Bike. Once seated, the bike rises up on its suspension, ending up with a more comfortable leg stretch, and long travel suspension with that unavoidable tall seat height.
 
Vince said:
For some extremely odd reason that is well beyond me, US Motorcycle Cops always get on their bikes from the right side.
Click to expand...
It's because they drive on the wrong side of the road, Vince.
For them, the right side is the kerb side. Safer not to stand on the traffic side of a bike.
Over here we drive on the left, so mount bikes and horses from the left. When stopped, we put our left foot down on the guarded (left) side of the bike, hence the right hand gearchange.
It's also why knights wear their swords on the left, too.
 
Vince said:
Once seated, the bike rises up on its suspension, ending up with a more comfortable leg stretch, and long travel suspension with that unavoidable tall seat height.
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Seat to peg pos doesn't change at all Vince Just drops the whole bike for short arses like me. But I have no desire to ride a Harley adventure bike anyway :cool:
 
Q thats the point, I have lowered the pegs on both my Laverdas to allow a nice wide leg angle for long day comfort, but lowered pegs, especially on the Atlas dont help you get high enough to swing a leg over. Having a bike automatically lower its seat height when coming to a stop would help, so even horse mount style wouldn't be needed. I am often reading about women and lots of older or shorter riders looking for lower seats a lot. My bet is most expencive top end Adverture Bikes especaly those with Electric Active Suspention will have this feature in the future. It won't be free or manditory but for those who choose it will be a great thing. Just remembered, there are a few bikes that have seats that you can change there hight mounts manualy. Laverdas were famous for those hight and position-changing handlebars and foot pegs. Even ye old pushbikes have seat height adjustments. Back in the day, I almost bought one of those mountain bike suspension seat post. Has it hit 50 °C down your way yet?
 
piranha-bro2 said:
I'm down in Walkerville, not far from the southernmost part of the Oz mainland. Fresh easterly and about 28 deg, maybe max 30 later Hotting up back in the big smoke, 40 and rising Nice weather for a spot of tennis!
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I’ve done 43 in Adelaide, 42 in Melbourne and it’s 21 south of Sydney (Pheasants Nest) now. Good night for sleeping 😴
 
Poor buggars out west are into a 7-day heat wave, high 40s and nudging 50 °C. That's just under 120F for freedom Units. Heat records just might be broken.
 
Today I took the engine out with the frame on its side method. The car park attendant gave me a hand and it was really easy.
Took the head and barrels off, motor has been rebuilt and never run. Jota 75.4 pistons, two good ones on the outer cylinders but the centre piston ring top land is worn, bores are nice. I think something must have happened on that middle cylinder. It's an early head mated to a later barrel.
The cylinder head is a different matter, no clearance on the middle exhaust valve and the head starting to crack in the corners by the cam chain tunnel. I wonder if that would stop if I saw through the joining part of the casting in the tunnel as advised?
The rest of it looks clean internally and quite well put together.
One of the fork pistons is swollen but it will move with a bit of effort so I think I will be able to knock it out ok.
Quite happy with it really.
I bought some wheel and steering head bearings quite cheaply off ebay, SKF made in Italy, about the only thing that's bargain these days.


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