This just isn't fair ...

My brand new 853 has died once again ...

Yes you read it right ... she's dead.

"How can this be?" I hear you ask ... read on dear friend & I'll sing you a sad story ...

"Once upon a time there was a little (well really quite tall) man who rode a Ducati ... "

I'll keep it short & by date:
18/12/04
- receive motor from mechanic. Take home & reinstall into frame. Much time & a few beers later bike is complete & working.
- take bike out for a test ride get five minutes from home to find HUGE oil leak
20/12/04
- call mechanic & tell him "Make fix". Drop bike to workshop that afternoon
21/12/04
- receive call from mechanic (at 5:30pm) "are you gonna pick up your bike?"
22/12/04
- collect bike from mechanics in the morning. Ride to work & home.
23/12/04
- Ride to work & home, then to the FAV riding road.
- notice small intermittent miss fire that ejects through airbox ...
24/12/04
- Back to FAV riding road late afternoon .
- Miss fire now becoming a more regular occurance
- half way home, lose front cylinder, pull over & wait for house mate to bring 18mm plug spanner (standard is 16mm D'oh)
- pull plugs & crank to clean out cylinder ... to be met with *crash* *crunch - scrape* *grind*
- trailer bike home (who hasn't done this yet?)

I then spent the rest of Christmas/New year thinking up nasty things to do to the mechanic - being fully of the opinion that THEY HAD GOT IT WRONG ...

Today I pull apart the front head to find the following ...

The timing was a little strange ...



Then I saw this ...



Foriegn object

Which ended up being this ...



One of the bolts that hold the tank tongue in place.

This is what it did ...





Finally ... this is what I end up with ...



Oh yeah ... and a bill ...


Modified by DaDukeofOz at 12:47 PM 1/24/2005

That SUCKS!!!!

Do you think it was an error by the mech.?

has to be. i've seen people leave SHOP RAGS inside a motor after assembly.....

you got left with a bill? what do you mean - mechanic isn't covering it???

Ouch...

Have no fear, your box just left with a new used head, seals and a head gasket

That's odd, my tank tongue is held by two hex head bolts with integrated washers. Not some straight bit screw, what gives with that?

Damn, Richard.... that's got to make you feel sick.

It's a, "If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all" kinda' thing.

I think I'll go safety wire those bolts today....

Timing: is THAT what those little dots are for?
Tank "Tongue"; that doesn't look like the fasteners for mine. I thought everyone knew by now that they either need an in-box filter or loctite those babies in - or both.

Fricking rockers again - causing all kinds of problems!!!

Sorry to hear about this. It sucks. Just look forward to that box arriving from Jason and hearing the roar of your 853 once again.

Yeah, that stinks. I actually wire tied mine after being warned of the occurance.

Come to think about it I can't remember a slotted screw like that on the bike anywhere!

So thats what hapened. I've been waiting for the call and wondered where you were
So who is covering the Stage 2 episode??

Turbo, I was hoping it was the machanics fault ... till I found the bolt ...

Jeff, I think I'll be getting a set now (that the damage is done)

Jason, thanks mate. You got mail

Phil, Art, the screw is an alien that has been doing the job since I bought the bike three years ago ... lol

Capt., I'll take this as a heads up shall I? ... hahahaha ... Errgh

Kel, mate you live just down the road from my place & you didn't hear me screamin' & shoutin'? It looks like it'll be me covering this round ...

Layne, what can I say ...

learn a lesson here people ...

Sorry to hear it Man, Ive got an extral itg filter lying around here if your interested.

Bummer. That really sucks....

"note to self....keep all metal bits away from engine openings"

Man that really SUX...we saftry wire ours. an run ITG filters. We got in this giant discussinon one evenining at the track about the pros an cons of in box filters...i run them an my friend runs nothing....dumbass....the next day he low sided into a gravel trap...no damage picks bike up an it starts briefly than shuts off....afet he got it back to the pits he takes tank off to find air box fillied with gravel....well we all know where the gravel went...to say the least he gave up the 1/4 hp to run the filters now

Help me understand what we're looking at in the first picture? I'm not seening anything that looks wrong?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by viper1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Help me understand what we're looking at in the first picture? I'm not seening anything that looks wrong? </TD></TR></TABLE>

The timing marks look a bit off.

Viper,
on the Horozontal head the timing marks are supposed to point "OUT" of the head.
Inlet dot up, Exhaust dot down ... (this being either side of the head) ... the pully shells are even marked 'O' & 'V'
The pic shows the Inlet dot ... down

As an asside, the Vertical head is supposed to point UP off the head. That being Inlet & Exhaust dots are bothpointing toward the top of the head

Ok,
A few more images ...

Home ... home on the range (race stands)



Decapitated ...



Eerrmmmm ... I don't think it's supposed to look like that ...

Sorry about the misfortune. That is a bummer. I am with Jeff on the in box air cleaner, saves the motor for loose bits and gravel if you crash (like at the track).

I would be interested in the good intake valve and posibly more if you want to sell head parts...