[gizzo]

Fitted a new back tyre, which in itself was easy enough. Removing and re-fitting the wheel however, quite another story. Of all the bikes I've had (constantly since 1977), this one has by some distance, the most awkward rear wheel set up. Ducati 916 was by far the best!

Try propping the bike up with a wooden block under one foot of the centrestand. It doesn't have to be very thick. Inch, inch and a half. With the bike leaned over a little bit the wheel goes in quite easily.

Here's a vid I made a while back for someone else's amusement. You can briefly see the little block I use at some point. It helps if you have a dog helping.....
https://youtu.be/Z24NHKayVpc

[KC1961]

Hi Gizzo, thanks for your help.

I'd watched your video before setting out to change the tyre as I'd struggled on each of the previous times I'd  changed tyres.. I put wooden blocks under both sides of the stand. I also removed the brake pads. The biggest problem I had was getting the wheel / cush drive/ sprocket assy in place. In saying that, the whole job took me just under 2 hours so maybe it wasn't a total nightmare. Still not as easy as a 916 though.

[gizzo]

Ah right. Each time I have the wheel out I think that if I need to rebuild it, I'll skim a few mm off the cush drive blades while it's apart. That should make enough clearance for it to slip right in there. You did leave the sprocket and carrier in place, right?

The 916 looks like a no brainier. So good. It's probably the only easy job on the bike though 😉

[KC1961]

The sprocket carrier was left in place. Even removing the wheel isn't as easy as it should be. Once the brake assy is out of the way, getting the wheel/cush drive away from the sprocket carrier is still pretty fiddly in the limited space. Thankfully, the bike doesn't eat tyres in the way that  the bikes I had in my younger days did. As an aside, I fitted a new michelin tube. The original tube looked like a heavy duty off-road tube by comparison.

[ozpacman]

Just picked mine up yesterday so am going through it and seeing what's needed. Removed the chain and gave it a good clean before refitting and oiling. Bled the front brake and adjusted the angle of the clutch lever to suit me a little better. Adjusted tyre pressures and did a bit of alloy polishing.

[gizzo]

I finally got around to looking at the clutch/starter interlock switch. The one on the clutch lever that stops you starting the bike unless the clutch is pulled in. The one I never knew was a thing for the first 50,000km until it started to work one day.

The switch itself is a really nasty looking/feeling piece of plastic crap, open to the elements. Nevertheless, once cleaned with contact cleaner it seems to work as intended. Plugged back in though, the bike once again starts with clutch in or out. Won't go with the switch unplugged though.
That's why I'm a mechanic, not an electrician 

[KC1961]

Clocked up 14000 miles. When I bought the bike I thought that I was taking a risk and the novelty of "nostalgia" would soon wear off. Almost 7 years later and I'm enjoying it more than ever.

Turned over 15,000 today, still enjoy it.

[gizzo]

Awesome. 

[gizzo]

Washed it. Still scrubs up OK, this one...

[Marcosgt]

Sorted out aesthetic around front wheel ‘unfinished’ hub appearance RH side.
Painted it GT red and painfully applied gold pin stripe to rim. Them fitted a Hitchcocks Continental GT 250 look alike wheel trim.
Complete transformation in my eyes for little money.

[gizzo]

Sorted out aesthetic around front wheel ‘unfinished’ hub appearance RH side.
Painted it GT red and painfully applied gold pin stripe to rim. Them fitted a Hitchcocks Continental GT 250 look alike wheel trim.
Complete transformation in my eyes for little money.

A bacon slicer? Have a pic?

[Marcosgt]

Hopefully idiot guide to posting images here works?

[Arschloch]

Cool.  ...You may not need it in the future though, if it goes accordingly to Greta than there will be only vegetarians on the entire planet, no bacon.

[gizzo]

Hopefully idiot guide to posting images here works?

Cool, very retro. The front hub does look unfinished now you mention it.

Cool.  ...You may not need it in the future though, if it goes accordingly to Greta than there will be only vegetarians on the entire planet, no bacon.

You can get fake bacon in the shops called "made with plants". Ironically, that's how real bacon is made, when the pig processes plants (OK, maybe a gangster or two, but it's for the greater good) into sweet, sweet bacon meat.

[Captain Bob]

Would you believe tightened the steering head bearings?  Only 848 original miles on my 2014 CGT and I had to tighten the steering head bearings...  I thought that was a bit odd.