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Old 02-06-2016, 11:30 PM   #3
utopia
No turn left unstoned
 
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: leicester
Bike: M750
Posts: 4,545
Its pretty easy really.
Its often said that the hardest part is getting the belt covers off ... but that's because the oil cooler lines are in the way, and you don't have those.
If you're reasonably confident doing general maintenance on the bike you should have no problem.
Actually changing the belts is virtually foolproof. The only real tricky part is setting the tension as this requires a bit of mechanical "feel".
Chris Kelly shows you how in this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vzPZ84ZRjU

Another popular (?) method to set the tension is to measure the frequency of the belt when you twang it, using a guitar tuner or suitable phone app.
I use the allen key method that Chris demonstrates.
Whichever method you use, I would say that, if in doubt, make sure that the belts are a little loose rather than too tight.
Check that the idler and tensioner rollers are smooth running while you're in there, as failure will be devastating.
And you'll probably need a torque wrench.
Be a little wary of the tensioner bolts .. some folk are ham-fisted enough to chew those up.
Turn the engine over to the correct position by selecting a gear and turning the back wheel .. so you'll also need a paddock stand. For fine adjustment I find that its best to "knock" it into the final position using the slack in the transmission rather than use a steady turn on the wheel, which invariably overshoots.
I always mark the position of the tensioners before I loosen them (using a fibre tip pen). That way you can be reassured when you tension the new belts and are then able to observe that the marks line up roughly as before.
I would also recommend having a good fiddle with the old belts before you disturb anything, twisting them at their midpoint and observing that they (should) twist to 45 degrees (another method for setting the tension actually .. and I use both).
I would also test the tension of the old belts using the allen key method before loosening anything, particularly if its your first time, just to get a bit of practice and a feel for the method.
Your old belts should look perfect .. anything less and you need to investigate why. I mark them vertical or horizontal before removing.
Oh and I always fit them so that the part number etc is the right way up to read .. it may help as it identifies the direction of rotation.
Can't think of any more.
I've done mine 5 or 6 times now. At first I was daunted as I was new to Ducatis and there is a bit of hype about the need for costly professional maintenance ... but its balderdash as far as belts are concerned.
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