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wumperdude



Joined: 20 Jan 2019
Posts: 4
Location: Wales

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 6:51 pm    Post subject: Saying Hi Reply with quote

Thought I would say Hello - I actually joined a year ago but forgot all about it!
Unfortunately I am at that age when this increasingly happens. Also being of a certain age means I tend to use the wrong terminology - some people might call it "out of date" or put simply "out of touch!" My son would certainly agree.
Anyway I have owned a DB4 IE (tuned by JHP Coventry with 112bhp at rear wheel) for just about a year and have just purchased a Ducati ST4S for riding when comfort is more of a priority.
Owning a Bimota has literally been a life long ambition - I actually remember the early ones in the 1970's. Never thought I'd own one.
I am currently replacing a lot of the fasteners with Titanium and in the process discovered the speedo drive was rubbing so need a new one. Current one is Km/H so a MPH would be good.
Bimota Classic Parts seems to be the only option, although my computer tells me the site isn't secure? Would welcome input on this.
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah....so youre the fellow....that landed that lovely red/silver/black conversion bike...with a Ducati 1078 fancy lump in it and the original spare engine I believe???

Welcome.....you beat someone to that bike on here by only a couple of hrs.....advertised on JHP's facebook page I believe for a snip at £7.5K?

Speedos in MPH.....easy peasey......Ducati 750/900SSie and Ducati 748/916/996 and 998 all used the same speedo drive cable and speedo....you "may" have to change over the ferruled ends on the speedo drive end from recollection.....as they are a different size...cant recall fully....but check with ducati dealers what the yhave in stock


Last edited by 2bims on Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:07 am; edited 1 time in total
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2020 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bimota classic parts is "secure"....but....go to M&P....they still sell mechanical gearbox speedo converters.....roughly £25.....it puts the existing cbale drive cable onto it and then it screws into the bottom of the speedo....and voila....your existing speedo is the same/..but the numbers now are in mph and NOT km/h......it keeps your mileage shown by a 1/3 also....if you catch my drift.....
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vort28



Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 2194
Location: Northwest , UK

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2020 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OH the JHP bike , bet that is LOVELY with the extra BHP.

Where abouts in Wales are you ? venture into the north around Bala every now and then.
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wumperdude



Joined: 20 Jan 2019
Posts: 4
Location: Wales

PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 3:33 pm    Post subject: DB4 Speedo drive unit Reply with quote

Thanks all for the feedback - as you can see I haven't got the hang of this yet!
Hence the huge gap in my response.
2bims you mentioned the speedo is same as 900ss and 916 etc - is that the Speedo drive unit too? Bimota Classic Parts have quoted me 180 Euros for one - steep or what!
And yes Vort28 I live in Mid-Wales near Newtown - would be good to organise a meet-up when I finally get my steed back on the road.
Must try to keep my computer on and logged in to forum more often.
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you have a problem with the actual speedo drive unit on the front wheel hub?....left hand side where the spindle goes through it also?

As your bike has been modified I cant recall if its wearing original front forks and wheels?...43mm paiolis front forks....silver anodised lowers with gold tops and drop outs?....Silver Antera 3 spoke front wheels?

These dont normally fail......you will find though that that piece is not standard ducati....Bimota fit hollow oversized spindles and wheel bearings....and thus an oversized speedo drive is needed as it fits through it....which is what paolo is probably quoting you for....but check internal diameter...or diameter of spindle on LHS that goes through it.....

Speedos are as I said...but not the drive unit...speedo cables check the ends....the metal ferruled caps top and bottom....should be same as Ducati units....but they can be different sizes
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wumperdude



Joined: 20 Jan 2019
Posts: 4
Location: Wales

PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, the front forks and wheels are standard DB4.
When I took the front wheel out I noticed the inner face of the main body of the speedo drive was marked up quite badly and looked like it had been rubbing on the wheel, to the extent that the seal and the internal structure was worn also.
Clearly the unit is designed to be fixed, while the turning wheel rotates the gears I assume.
However it looked like the body of the unit was being worn down, which did not look good.
However the device was working the last time the bike was running. Perhaps I should leave well alone until something fails?
I will post a photo tomorrow and see what other people think, provided I can work out how to do it?
Thanks for the support
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You have a pm...
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pictures from Wimperdude.....THoughts anyone?

The metal inner part seems Fine....that pushes against the inner race bearing surface....and the outer part seems fine....and the plastic insert that spins against the metal twin tanged plate thats captive in the front wheel hub.....the black nylon plastic part???...I'd probably just trim with a sharp blade the rough parts.....this is really just a weather seal to stop ingrain of dust/muck......just drop a whole blob of grease inside the unit should be fine....







[url=https://imgur.com/TmSh9VL]
[/url]



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Bud977



Joined: 03 Mar 2013
Posts: 525
Location: Sydney

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All looks good. The inner spacer is pretty thin though and looks like it could crush if you overtightened the axle, which would result in the housing rubbing.
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DB1 860



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 177
Location: Sydney

PostPosted: Sun Jul 26, 2020 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

2bims wrote:
Ah....so youre the fellow....that landed that lovely red/silver/black conversion bike...with a Ducati 1078 fancy lump in it and the original spare engine I believe???

Welcome.....you beat someone to that bike on here by only a couple of hrs.....advertised on JHP's facebook page I believe for a snip at £7.5K?

Speedos in MPH.....easy peasey......Ducati 750/900SSie and Ducati 748/916/996 and 998 all used the same speedo drive cable and speedo....you "may" have to change over the ferruled ends on the speedo drive end from recollection.....as they are a different size...cant recall fully....but check with ducati dealers what the yhave in stock


Im with you Steve its a 916 unit, pick up a second hand one off EBay and see if you have the same problem.

Are the wheels original or after market?
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250GTLusso



Joined: 11 Mar 2016
Posts: 33
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have, unfortunately, seen this happen before. If reasonable care is not taken when installing the front wheel to ensure alignment of the speedometer drive ring gear dog with its mating recess in the wheel hub, this can be the result. On some motorcycles (possibly the DB4) there is unfortunately enough room for the wheel to be installed with the ring gear dog not aligned with the recess in the front wheel hub. When the front axle is torqued, the front axle clamps up primarily on the axle bushing AND to a lesser extent on the speedometer ring gear (its unfortunate that this can happen, as its not obvious that it has occurred when torqueing the front axle). This will result in the speedometer ring gear being subjected to higher thrust loads than its designed to react, and the resulting heat (due to the friction between the ring gear and the internal thrust bearing - usually a washer) will melt the dust seal. This will often result in damage to the speedometer drive housing as it is not clamped properly against the front wheel hub.
Now this may not be what happened in this situation, but I have seen similar results where that was the root cause.
I would recommend replacement if they are available, or a full disassembly of the speedometer drive unit to inspect for galling between the ring gear and the thrust washer and housing, and replacement of the dust seal.
Cheers!
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wumperdude



Joined: 20 Jan 2019
Posts: 4
Location: Wales

PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again for the advice - unfortunately Bimota Classic parts want 120+ Euros for a Drive Unit! Ducati ones won't do apparently.
I have even looked into replacing with a digital Speedo which is potentially cheaper. Has any one tried this?
Clearly it would mean going down the non-standard route which might be frowned upon by some and may effect re-sale value?
At the moment I am tempted to tidy up the old unit, pack with grease and re-install and use until it fails completely. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I am beginning to learn that Bimota ownership is not straight forward, but on the other hand there are some great people out there who are willing to help, which is great!
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2bims



Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7289

PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trim any rough pieces that would stand proud....repack with grease and refit....."If it aint too broke...dont fix it"...is the adage for Bimotas

Digital clocks.....its your bike....you've still got the original stuff if concerned about "resale".....plus your bikes none standard with the engine change anyhow and certainly the mileage on the clocks is probably true of the bikes mileage but not the engines....so whats the issue?...We're not quite so precious with Bimotas as not to change things....If youre using the bike make it the way you want it
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brian



Joined: 22 Aug 2011
Posts: 3769
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wumperdude wrote:
Thanks again for the advice - unfortunately Bimota Classic parts want 120+ Euros for a Drive Unit! Ducati ones won't do apparently.
I have even looked into replacing with a digital Speedo which is potentially cheaper. Has any one tried this?
Clearly it would mean going down the non-standard route which might be frowned upon by some and may effect re-sale value?
At the moment I am tempted to tidy up the old unit, pack with grease and re-install and use until it fails completely. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I am beginning to learn that Bimota ownership is not straight forward, but on the other hand there are some great people out there who are willing to help, which is great!


My 2 cents...... yep as 2bims says, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Clean it up, check it out, pack with grease and bang it back together. If it eventually gives you trouble, look at other options then. Ridi it and enjoy it
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'99 DB4 #104, '96 SB6 #1165, '94 DB2 J #652, '99 DB4 #088, '08 VTX1800, '93 ZXR750R M1, '95 ZXR750, '95 ZXR750 Race Bike, '94 CBR400rr NC29 Race Bike, '94 CB250, '49 BSA C10 250, '61 BSA A10 650, '89 ZXR750, '91 Ducati 851
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