Fits and Starts

Log Item: I was under the weather for a few days and that led to a fall-behind and accumulated work that I had to see to. Mia culpa.

Tire Repair by the numbers:

Pull the pin

The fancy star socket

Breaker bar

And that's as far as I got because I had to stand on the brake while pushing the breaker-bar and it didn't budge. Archimedes 101 "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." I need to buy a strong 7/8" diameter (1/2" hole) piece of DOM to extend the length of the 18 inch breaker bar to kick the "Jesus nut" that holds the wheel on off the axel. I have a place to go to buy one, but ran out of daylight today mainly because of phone calls, arranging tomorrow's schedule now that I'm "healthy".

The drama continues.

Limping Devil

Log Item: All suited up and ready to roll, I walked out to the garage and noticed that the Diavel's rear tire was flat. Not a tragedy, a flat tire. My plans for the day were shot.

I hadn't given much thought to changing the rear tire, and the owner's manual that Ducati provides gives no hints on the matter...neither does YouTube. Closer inspection revealed that I will need a special socket to pull the rear tire. Are they available -- anywhere? Apparently not. Ducati is reluctant to sell them. They would prefer that I have a flat bed tow truck haul my bike twenty miles to the dealership so that they can do it for me.

While I understand rice bowls and their interest in protecting Ducati's, this one is ridiculous. 

For the record, I understand that the actual removal of the tire so that it can be patched involves quite a process. I don't plan to do that at home, but simply throwing the bad tire (mounted) in the back of my truck and driving it to the dealer is much easier than flat-bedding it to their shop.

At the moment, I'm frustrated, and will be casting about on the internet for the proper "star socket" so that I can pull the tire.

Bike Wash Photos

Log Item: There was a carnival atmosphere today at the Ducati dealership in Brea, CA, and the Foothill Ducati Owner's Club was there to participate in the bacchanalian atmosphere of free food, horsepower on two wheels and women washing bikes for fun and profit.

The Foothill Ducati Club is officially sanctioned by Ducati (Italy) and has about 55 members based on the latest count. Of the 55, three have Diavels, and mine is the only Devil which is completely flat black.

If you want suds, they give you suds. If you want to pitch in and help the young ladies wash your Ducati, they don't mind.

Getting wet is half the fun, and when the guys get a bit dirty, the solution is to wash them too. You'll notice from the audience in the background, that the bike owners present were almost universally male.