New S4R owner with questions

[rjc]

I'm getting my new S4R this weekend andm, in anticipation, I've been reading the owner's manual (sad, isn't it?!). I was very amused to read that you're meant to take the bike in to have the chain adjusted - surely not?????

I'm new to Ducati ownership, and new to London too :confused: . Are there any meets coming up? I didn't see anything upcoming mentioned in the forum.

[Melnie Mouse]

ohhhh how exciting......

good luck and have fun... i'm sure you will... :) :D

[PaulS]

If you want to pay £40 for some spotty teenager at your local Ducati dealer to adjust your chain then be my guest. Adjusting the chain on a Monster is no more difficult than any other bike. Yours will be easy as you don't even have to bother about wheel alignment. Don't expect to find the tools you'll need in the toolkit though! It's pathetic. Welcome to the club!

[slob]

as long as you haven't got two left hands or ten thumbs, i'd risk adjusting it myself!

probably be a few monsterisers at the ace cafe on thursday evening, see london region forum for map.

[rjc]

Thanks for the replies. I'm glad to hear that the chain's not tricky. I took a quick look at the one on the demo bike I rode and there was no obvious way to adjust it though! How the hell does it work?

As for Thursday night Ace Cafe, there is a slight chance the bike will be ready then, but most likely Saturday morning, so if you see a blue/white Monster around London with a lost-looking rider it'll be me!

Richard

[PaulS]

I'm not sure that I can explain this very easily but here goes. The rear wheel spindle goes through a round block of metal that is clamped in a boss at the end of the swinging arm. The hole in the block that the spindle goes through is eccentric. You loosen the clamp holding the block and rotate it which has the effect of moving the rear wheel backwards or forwards relative to the gearbox sprocket. Hope that helps! If you look at the end of the swinging arm it should be fairly obvious.

[NattyBoy]

Hi mate..welcome and all that..youve just bought a gem of a bike :D :D Dont pay too much attnetion to the manual - especially the running in section etc !!! If you pay attention to that youll NEVER take your bike above 6k revs !! :eek: Ironically - if you talk to ducati UK they say that the latest generation of dukes dont really need to be run in at all (although I still treated mine gently for the first 1k miles!).

PeteS4 is organising a club meet on 12/9 at the new ducati aylesbury showroom and this would be a good opportunity to say hello..??

Cheers and good luck with the new bike..

Nat

[JMo]

PeteS4 is organising a club meet on 12/9 at the new ducati aylesbury showroom and this would be a good opportunity to say hello..??


Was just going to suggest the same thing... check out the thread in National Events section, but basically - meet at the drive-in McDonalds on the A41 as you leave Aylesbury on the way to Bicester - 11am.

Also, you could even put a few miles on it on Saturday and come down to Brighton for the Speed Trials Lunch...

Hope to see you at the weekend...

xxx

[rjc]

Wow, such hospitality! Thanks! Saturday sounds perfect, especially as the dealer says the bike might be ready on Friday. I'd do Sunday but got people coming for lunch ... and they just won't take a 'no'. Could someone give me details for the ride down pls.

Richard

[peteS4]

hello fella.............. shame you cant make sunday but sure we'll see you soon.......... there always seems to be a few heading to the ace cafe on sunday for coffee........... i think slob is from your neck of the woods and is out often............. look through the events section............. always something going on............. and jmo doesnt seem to far from you. shes always doing something or other !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just dont call her lara !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JMo]

Wow, such hospitality! Thanks! Saturday sounds perfect, Could someone give me details for the ride down pls.

Richard

Hi Richard - can't think of a nicer way to put a few miles on your new bike!

You can either meet us all at the restaurant itself (see the map/directions in the specific thread in Sussex Events) from midday, or if you wanted to hook up with a few others beforehand, P&H motorcycles in Crawley which is en route south - J10 of the M23 (tap postcode RH10 9RD into multimap.com and you'll find it ok) - they are on Gatwick Road, about 200yds up from Suzuki GB HQ, from 11am - leaving 11.30... just look for the Monsters (and a red 800SS) outside - they don't bite...

Hope to see you on Saturday then!

xxx

[slob]

...... i think slob is from your neck of the woods and is out often.......
That's quite a neck! I'm over in the East(Docks), so I tend to ride out Essex way...the roads are emptier and Londoners seem so busy(antisocial?). I'm not even sure who the London Rep is!?

[rjc]

Hi Rob, I'm in Docklands too, 2 mins walk from South Quay DLR. Where are you?

Richard

[slob]

I'm over by the airport, I didn't think there was much residential building at South Quay(I used to work at the top of Limeharbour, a few years back).
Mind you, the landscape changed a bit after 'the big bang' in '96.

[DesmoDude]

Congrats man! Time ta start doin some mods. :D

[rjc]

After my chat with my my Ducati dealer a few days ago that translates as "time to start invalidating my warranty"!!

[NattyBoy]

After my chat with my my Ducati dealer a few days ago that translates as "time to start invalidating my warranty"!!

Your dealer needs to do his homework then!!..coz as long as you use ducati performance parts...it will not affect the warranty is my understanding.. :D

Cheers
Nat

[rjc]

That's what I thought but was told that if I fitted the DP pipes for my bike (Termis in this case) that it'd invalidate cover of engine failure (ie valve probs, etc - anything possibly attributable to exhausts).

[Richard_S]

Richard any man that knows about Mr De Niro's restaurant acquisitions and general good taste is much more of a contender in match with a red tape, pc oddball buffoon. They know the score and the decent ones admit it!

[NattyBoy]

That's what I thought but was told that if I fitted the DP pipes for my bike (Termis in this case) that it'd invalidate cover of engine failure (ie valve probs, etc - anything possibly attributable to exhausts).

Hmmmm...id get a second opinion on that..and id like to know how a pair of silencers and a upgraded ECU marketed in ducatis 'dp' brochure would cause engine failure..!!! Some of these ducati dealers are right herberts..got termis on mine the minute I got it and the dealer commented how smart they were (I also double checked with them about warrantry implicatios before fitting them).

Cheers
Nat

[A Yerbury]

slob is yours red with carbons, poss high levels? if so I may have seen you in canning town a couple yrs back. I was living in "lovely" east ham at the time.....some things improve et least...

[claicerrig]

My S4 came from the dealers with all the mods you could throw at it :cool: :cool:
it had been raced :) and i got a full 2yr warrenty that they honered the 3 times i had problems :D

[NattyBoy]

..and Phil (logyk)'s had a shed load of stuff..carbon..ohlins/mag yoke....bargain termis of some dodgy bloke :rolleyes: ;) ...and most of that was fitted when it was new (ducati manchester I think)

Nat

[slob]

slob is yours red with carbons, poss high levels? if so I may have seen you in canning town a couple yrs back. I was living in "lovely" east ham at the time.....some things improve et least...

Not me, mines a dark with low DP/Remus ally ovals and corse badges on the tank. I've only been 'monstered-up' for about eighteen months.

[martins]

I am not the most mechanically minded person, but I fitted my own quick change carrier which involed work on the chain, you need a C Spaner, an a torque wench-top quality one, you loosen the two pinch bolts, then adjust the chain tension with the c spaner on the concentric hub, re do the pinch bolts to the right torque settings, easy!

[Elmo]

adjust the chain tension with the c spaner on the concentric hub, re do the pinch bolts to the right torque settings, easy!

Where can i get a c spaner from and what are the torque settings for the bolts?

[rjc]

C spanner is in the 996 tool kit (which is a much better kit than the standard S4R one anyway!). I've no idea about the torque setting - I go fabout 2lb/ft short of as-hard-as-I-can and then stop turning!

[Gee]

Regarding your chain adjustment, You will need a special spanner which is particular to the S4R. That may be the reason Ducati want you to take it to a dealer, oh and the cost. You can buy the spanner off of ebay for about £15, cheaper than a dealer visit. Once you have it, its far easier to adjust than a bike with a standard swing arm. 2 minute job.
Torque on the rear nut is 176nm and the chain adjuster is 33nm.

[Elmo]

Gee thanks for the info will look on ebay later. :D

[rjc]

£14 got me a geniune entire 996 tool kit and it's a great replacement/addition to what the S4R comes with.

[remo6966]

Just bought a C spanner from Ducati Coventry, £15.40 plus £2 p&p.
Asked for a Workshop manual as well, (I'm a bit fussy about torque settings) 85 english pounds, quids, coin of the rhelm. :eek: :eek:
After picking my jaw of the floor I politly asked for just the C spanner. :(

Any clues where I can get an S4R workshop manual for a reasonable price, ie the £35ish I'd normally pay? :confused:

[tommo]

Hi, i think u can get some downloadable manuals from ebay, about a fiver. i have bought some for different machines before and they were fine, u then just print the bit u want for the task in hand. just

[remo6966]

Have searched Ebay & googled, but can't find online manual for S4R. Anyone know where I can get workshop manual?

[Shauns4]

I bought a genuine manual for my S4 not so long ago which was about £30 (new) so it seems Ducati have lifted the price !