Ducati Elite 204cc

Battery Box

Friday 6th April 2007

    Having recently finished my Honda 350 Four, I have, at last, turned my attentions to the plight of the Elite.  Over the last few years,  I have been collecting many of the difficult to find parts which were missing when I bought it all those years ago.  I found a pair of the small triangular toolboxes, which have now been blasted ready for very minor repairs and refinishing.  I had bought a genuine  new Silentium silencer some years back from Mick Walker and a carb and a few small parts from his brother Rick.  Since the original purchase, eBay has come along, making it far more likely for the amateur restorer to find those otherwise elusive parts.  In my case I got a new, replica exhaust pipe from Italy, which is a perfect fit and a very good finish, a gear lever from a chap in England and a front hub cover/speedo drive plate from the States - all at very reasonable prices. 

    I could not imagine ever finding a SAFA battery (I have tried though), or even a redundant rubber case in which to house a modern Yuasa type, so I spent may a happy hour poring over Mick Walkers excellent book on restoration of these lovely little bikes, to find as much detail as possible so that I could construct a replica casing.  The battery is such a prominent feature of the narrowcase singles, that I felt it would spoil the whole thing without a suitable copy in place.  I decided on a closed box of 10mm MDF, glued together with Cascamite powdered resin glue.

 

The top section of the casing and the lid are, from the many pictures I studied, slightly bigger in section than the main body, so I built those areas up with UPOL smooth and easy body filler. 

 

Once all was rubbed down and about the right shape, I set the box on a thin packing strip and band-sawed the lid off.  This method of construction ensures that the lid is an exact fit on the body of the box.

 

 

    The original has some rather bold lettering on all four vertical surfaces, which appears to be raised by a millimetre or so.  I am going to spread a pad of the UPOL filler in these areas to build up to the required thickness and then draw the lettering onto the filler before carving out the shapes.  Another feature on some surfaces is a kind of 'textured' finish.  I have experimented with various methods, but the one which gives the best result is to thinly brush paint the surface with black Japlac and when tacky, to cover in dry sand.  The excess is then shaken off and when dry, a further coat of paint produces a really good copy.  The last stage will be to finish the whole case in 2 pack satin black and highlight the lettering in yellow.  All of this might seem a bit OTT, but it's the detail that counts to me - don't get me wrong, I don't mind some deviations from standard, but this battery is such an obvious feature when the bike is viewed from almost any angle.  The other thing which will need a bit of work is the two terminals for cable attachment.  These are brass posts going through the side of the case near to the top, with a thread on the outside.  These will be a lovely little turning job on the lathe, when I am allowed out into the big workshop following my recent inguinal hernia repair, but the other bits are ideal therapy whilst sitting at the table in the summer house.

 

 

 

Buying the Ducati Elite

 

Making some parts

 

Refurbishing the wheels

 

Rebuilding the Rear Spring/Dampers

 

Reassembly

 

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