Ducati Elite 204cc
Making a few unobtainable parts
Part 3
One of the parts missing when I bought this bike was the front hub plate containing the speedometer drive although the large helical gear which is pressed onto the hub was present and not damaged. These plates are no longer available - unsurprisingly but I found one on eBay (from the States) a few years ago. Unfortunately, although in good condition, it was completely bare, with no meshing drive gear or cable attachment. I managed to get a new drive gear (almost £70 - ouch!) but the bushing and cable attachment are nowhere to be found, so that was the next bit to make. I had a suitable piece of material and after lots of careful measurement this is what I came up with:
The threads are non standard so I had to screw-cut those - the one going into the plate is M14x1.25 pitch and the cable end is M12x1.0 - I had dies for neither size.
These are the component parts with the very expensive (but nearly impossible for me to make!) drive gear
..... and the complete assembly, ready to fit.
Rear brake plate
When I dismantled the bike I was pleasantly surprised that the condition of the parts which are normally completely worn out were actually in a condition which suggested that the mileage of less than 5000 miles might actually be correct. The brake shoes and linings certainly suggested this, even though cosmetically it was very poor.
I usually start with a thorough clean in the parts washer and then when dry, rub all over with 120 grit paper, keeping changing direction - if there are any deep scratches, then they are dealt with using a fine file. Progressively finer papers come next and then Loyblox - or Garryflex blocks which are rubber blocks impregnated with different grades of abrasive grit. The final stage is rubbing all over with Solvol on an old toothbrush and then a buff up with shop towel. This is quite a long process, well worth the effort and I usually only keep at it for 10 minutes here and there, otherwise boredom sets in! I prefer not to send stuff like this to the polishers as some can go 'over the top', removing corners and lettering on some parts.
This is how they ended up - ready for when the rims come home.
Part 1 - Choke lever cover and Speedometer Bezel
Part 2 - Rear brake-light switch and Headlamp bolt spacers