888 back on the road-what I found

[Motu]

When the second one went it was just the CDI windings on one coil,and my original one had had the CDI coils changed separatly....I considered just changing CDI coils,but as you kinow it's pretty invasive surgery.I wouldn't of considered it back then....and I wouldn't consider it now either!!!

[jahrasti]

[QUOTE=idb;794178]Well........I think I need a whole forum to the Ducati adventures in the confines of my garage.

I hear you. My 851 has a funny connector to the pump and when it kicks over it won't fire.

[miSTa]

Glad to hear you've got it sorted matey (maybe, almost, well see)

You could've picked a better road than the Glenorchy one surely? Yeah, alright, I'm a touch jealous.

(PS: I'll get to your PM in the morning)

[slowpoke]

Good on you idb.
I know it doesn't really help and it's an old cliche but ruling out something it's NOT puts you that much closer to finding out what it IS.
Stick with the 888. I didn't have those sorts of problems with my warmed over 916 but it was still a grumpy old bitch. Like the 888 it wasn't the latest and greatest but on the right road, on a nice day, it was a sweet ride.

[scumdog]

Erratic? That's a little mild, try crazy bordering on lunatic!

Good to hear you got it sorted.

Meh, when I saw it I just thought that's normally how all Ducatis went

Good on ya for sorting it idb, sheesh, you must have more patience than I thought!

[miSTa]

Wow, I posted that on the 4th April 2006, nearly seven months ago...

[ninjac]

Man, I had a bike book with the 888 in it. I read it every night and dreamed about getting one. You say it is 1994. Is it a biposto? Does it have the white number plates on rear sides? Does it have the Superbike sticker on fairing sides? Is it an SP4 or SP5?
I'm a nosey bugger can you tell!!

[idb]

Man, I had a bike book with the 888 in it. I read it every night and dreamed about getting one. You say it is 1994. Is it a biposto? Does it have the white number plates on rear sides? Does it have the Superbike sticker on fairing sides? Is it an SP4 or SP5?
I'm a nosey bugger can you tell!!

It's a Strada which is the 888 equivalent of a BiPosto.
It doesn't have the white number stickers on the side, that was the SP which was the cooking model and was only single seat.
It does have the Superbike stickers.

Anyway, update time.
After the test ride to Glenorchy I put it away in the garage ready for a ride in the weekend.
Half a day off on Friday and off I went feeling confident that all my problems were behind me.
It seemed to start OK whenever I asked it to so the battery seemed to be re-charging indicating the rectifier/regulator unit was just what was needed.
It has noticeably more power too so I assumed it now has a decent spark.

Charging along nicely until I got just short of the Clyde dam and that was it...nothing....it just stopped.

Hmmm.........no fuel pump when I turn the ignition.
Oh well, a pain in the arse but I know what it is now...so I lift the tank, disconnect the connector and plug it back together, turn the key...and nothing.
OK, no problem, I'll do it again.
Disconnect the connector, plug it back together, turn the key....annnnnnd nothing.

Soooooooooo....disconnecttheconnectorwrigglethecon nectorturnthekeydisconnecttheconnectorwrigglethewi resturnthekeywriggletheconnectordisconnecttheconne ctorwriggletheconnectorturnthekey.......f**k!

Hmmmm...start the roadside dismantle.
Relays are working in the tail and I can hear the solenoid opening the valve in the tank....I didn't know there was a solenoid operated valve in there but that's OK.
Trace the wiring as much as I can on the side of the road and there must a faulty connection to the fuel pump somewhere in amongst the main bird's nest around the headstock, not much chance of getting at it there where I am.

So what to do now?
The only thing I can............disconnecttheconnectorwrigglethecon nectorturnthekeydisconnecttheconnectorwrigglethewi resturnthekeywriggletheconnectordisconnecttheconne ctorwriggletheconnectorturnthekey.......f**k!

Start preparing for more dismantling when a fellow pulls up in a van and offers a hand.
His van is set up for bikes because he races bikes - 250GP class apparently.

He offers to take me wherever I want so I ask to go to a bike shop in Alexandra.
He says he works at the dam, I ask if he knows Jantar, he does, I ask if he's on KB and he is....it's K14 (queue heroic coming-to-the-rescue type music)!!

He kindly ran me around until I got a temporary bike for the weekend at Davidson Honda (Bruce Davidson is a bloody good bloke....give him all your money!).
Thanks a lot Curt!!!

Anyway, I've still got to get the loan bike back and pick up mine but I'm looking forward because the positive side of it all is that I'm sure I've narrowed the last of a string of faults down.
I don't know exactly what it is until I get in there but at last I know where to look.







I do all my own maintenance doncha know!

[k14]

Start preparing for more dismantling when a fellow pulls up in a van and offers a hand.
His van is set up for bikes because he races bikes - 250GP class apparently.

He offers to take me wherever I want so I ask to go to a bike shop in Alexandra.
He says he works at the dam, I ask if he knows Jantar, he does, I ask if he's on KB and he is....it's K14 (queue heroic coming-to-the-rescue type music)!!

He kindly ran me around until I got a temporary bike for the weekend at Davidson Honda (Bruce Davidson is a bloody good bloke....give him all your money!).
Thanks a lot Curt!!!

Haha, yeah no problem, very happy to help out a stranded fellow biker.

For the record its 125GP.

Glad to see you got to dunedin in the end.

P.S. Did you manage to get that shag you were going there for?

[idb]

Haha, yeah no problem, very happy to help out a stranded fellow biker.

For the record its 125GP.

Glad to see you got to dunedin in the end.

P.S. Did you manage to get that shag you were going there for?

No particular shag - just any would have done...and no.
Really a weekend of let-downs wasn't it?

Sorry about the 125/250 mistake...I was building you up a bit for the purposes of the story!

[k14]

No particular shag - just any would have done...and no.
Really a weekend of let-downs wasn't it?

Sorry about the 125/250 mistake...I was building you up a bit for the purposes of the story!

Nah nah, no worries. Just glad i could help. Atleast you didn't have to ride a harley all the way there and back. Hope you get the 888 sorted easily.

[miSTa]

What a bugger! Well, it is Italian and it is old....

[ninjac]

Atleast you didn't have to ride a harley all the way there and back.

I'd take a sick Ducati over a Harley any day.

[scumdog]

I'd take a sick Ducati over a Harley any day.

Hmm, I'll bear that in mind the next time I pass idb and his Duke at the side of the road!







Seriously, keep us posted on how your problem tracking and fixing goes eh idb???

[oldrider]

I was traveling through to Queenstown by car on Friday (last) at about midday and was held up at Nevis Bluff area (for bloody ages) in along line of waiting traffic.

Suddenly the obstruction was cleared enough for vehicles coming from Queenstown Arrowtown direction to proceed and a familiar looking red bike came out of the line of traffic, very quickly when all of a sudden the bike almost did a front wheel stand and crept quietly up the road at 30km as posted.

An HP car was two back from us!

I reckon that the bike was a certain idb of KB fame! Giving it a little bit of stick to go on with he was too. Well for a little while anyway!

I tried to attract his attention but he was too focused on the vehicle two cars back at that time and frankly I think he was very, very, lucky, not to get pinged!!

Well done that man I thought to myself, wondering if it really was our own idb? Was it you Ian? If so well spotted that man, home safe. Cheers John.