OUT OF THE DARKNESS




3 new looms, sure getting busy in here!

 I have always considered Lucas as the "Prince of Darkness" but Ducati with their wiring prowess has
also put in a major challenge for the title. Finally the mystery switch with 3 reds and an orange is now
back where it should be and won't give any more problems now that the find the two hot wires game
has been won!....... and then get them the right way to their fuses.




The "fun plug" with 3 apples and an orange

 Flush with today's success its time for a breather and then put the rest back tomorrow and see if the
system will charge as it should.



Charge baby, charge




Nearly ran me out of cable ties!


 Assuming no other major issues apart from those awful fairing allen screws which were obviously
designed by every manufacturer as a "once use" item in so much that you can undo them once but try
and refit same you will find the center has magically turned out as though you were using a torque
wrench. Very clever, and of course expensive if you can find the required set.

 Like all motorcycles the Ducati and I are now familiar with each others quirks and this time I hope to
see the charge light extinguish as we put on the revs. As I've said in the past most things Italian are
temperamental but today the sun is shining, the birds are singing so all should be well ........

 Time to try the "New" birthday hi-tech camera which is nearly everything proof, not sure if Idiots are
included in the list ? The last one, which had served me well and taken many of the photos on this
blog finally succumbed to the author's stupidity having placed same on the garden seat after a flower
shoot and then proceeded to put on the lawn sprinkler for a couple of hours. Result was a non 
camera but very, very clean! 

 Phase 1, tank back on, crossfeed pipe connected along with fuel supply ....... turn key, run switch on,
bit of choke and pleasant clanking begins and Ducati's monster Elefant roars into life ........ and THIS
time the charge light goes OUT !! Well yipee do! Shade has triumphed once more over petulant Italian
wiring. All that remains are side panels, headlights and seat bits and then a road test after checking
tire pressures. Might have to get my Italian Sidi road boots out to celebrate.



Ducati DONE!

 Well not so fast the right front flasher doesn't again ! Change the bulbs left to right and still nothing
on the right but the other bulb works fine in the left so again not much wiser other than a poor
connection somewhere. Off with the headlamps and recheck the old nasty wiring, quick brush up
and terminal clean and it all works again so unless there is something I don't know about
MY WORK HERE IS DONE !



Ducati with flashers

 
 With the red one complete time to ring Richard and see if he is back from his Laguna Seca trip and if 
he wants his herd back from rehab. Next up will be the other pachyderm in the form of the SWM Jumbo
that needs new boots, a decompressor thing, the kickstart spring and the associated oil seals on that
single shaft.

 The weather turned nasty at lunchtime and rained for the rest of the afternoon so not a day for test
riding Ducatis after putting them back to showroom condition. My Sidi boots have now gone into an
Italian sulk.



The 2 Ducatis back in "showroom"

 OK, Hannibal come collect your herd and see if your happy Elefants can cross the Alps under their
own power this time and actually see where they are going.




"C'mon Dick, it's been fun but we want to go riding"




"Somehow I've come to like Dolores"


TONY DOWN