Hairsy

I'd like to second that. If you've got the bug for doing your own maintenance, invest in a torque wrench. Ultimately, you might need more than one but, for now, I'd suggest getting one that will go up to around 50-60Nm. Spend as much as you can afford but don't feel the need to go too crazy. By the time you've changed your oil, you'll have already saved yourself more than the cost of a mid range torque wrench this week. One over tightening mistake can cost you way more than the cost of a torque wrench.

Ever the impatient one, I decided that I'd like to end the day with everything done. So, once again, headlight off and a Guinness Zero can has been put to good use. Pictures are of the original, the test fix that got it through the MoT and then finally the permanent fix. All now back together and I'll do the final beam alignment check when it gets dark.

Well done Chris. There is so much satisfaction to be had working on bikes. I started my tinkering with bikes and then moved onto cars and I'm so glad to be back on bikes - there's very little that's genuinely difficult. You just have to be methodical and logical. So what you need to do now is find a project that you can work on in readiness for passing your test ...

Good news - MoT passed. I'll do the permanent version of the headlight fix in a couple of weeks when I have time. Almost there! I'd like to enjoy the bike for a while but it will almost certainly be up for sale in the not too distant future. This thread is about as comprehensive an honest advert as you could get so if anyone's been following and thinks they might be interested then please feel free to drop me a PM - I can guarantee you a complete lack of pressure selling if you do have questions. There's a few on Autotrader and the market seems to have settled on a standard asking price of £2,500 without panniers - and I do have panniers. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-search?make=DUCATI&model=ST2&postcode=bh235bl&price-from=500&saved-search-id=8a42aba194e0a9c30194f0f7f06e2401

It hasn't been on the road since MoTs went online. And I have tax discs for the first 2 years of its life but none after that. I have a suspicion that it's never been for an MoT before. And, yes, my plan is to make a masking plate to replace the tape. I'm thinking beer can ...

The article you linked to says If it kicks up to the right, or direct from the vertical zero percent line, then you can use a shroud or a mask to hide this. This should only be a temporary measure, but make sure it doesn’t cover too much of the headlight, as it’s at the MOT tester’s discretion as to whether it unduly reduces the light output from the unit.

Thank you - that's really helpful. It confirms that there's no need for a kick up on the left so it will depend whether the tester is satisfied with how much I've reduced the kick up on the right. It could do with a little more than I've achieved so far and I'll aim to do that when I create a more permanent fix. To be frank, I'm just impatient to get the MoT sorted. And, also, tomorrow is my last opportunity to get a free retest as I can't get to the MoT place next week - so there's nothing to lose by trying. And in response to V650, yes, it's possible to pass the MoT by applying stickers - but I'd really like to find a more elegant solution if I can.

Thank you - that’s really helpful. It does confirm that there is no requirement for a kick up to the left. That gives me optimism that a solution is within my grasp, even if the current one doesn’t do the job. Of course I’ll be even happier if it does pass tomorrow, in which case I’ll make a better version of my current solution. The document also says that I could pass the MoT using a deflector made from a piece of tape but I want something more elegant than that.

Yes, it's definitely possible. However the alloy piece that creates the shape of the beam is relatively complex - it's not a flat piece and it will need to be created pretty much perfectly to do its job. I'm concerned that I don't have the manufacturing skills for it. Of course you may be right and that could end up being what I need to do but I think / hope there are easier ways, retaining the current piece as the foundation and then customising it. There's always the option of finding someone who does have the skills who can make me a mirror image of the part. When I talked to the MoT guy about it, he said that the kick up to the right was the problem, not the lack of kick up to the left. I believe that more modern headlights have a flat beam so that they can be used with only a direction adjustment. I'm the first to admit that I could be wrong though - I'll find out tomorrow.

So here's the before and after. Before was taken in the light and after in the dark but I'm hoping the kick to the right has diminished enough. I plan to re-do the modification with some aluminium at some point, and can always add more if need be, but I'm keen to have as much light as the MoT will allow me. I'll find out what MoT guy thinks tomorrow ...

Very good point - thank you. There's a lot of curves to the deflector so making a replacement is probably beyond my skills. However, could possibly manufacture something out of a drinks can to replace my tape and then dremmel out the bias section to the other side. The key thing for tomorrow is whether they agree it's better. If so then it will give me the motivation to pursue this solution.

Initial responses from breakers weren't promising - lots of assurance that headlights were from UK models but also confirmation that they were marked E3 (i.e. Italy). So I got to thinking that this must be a common issue and there would be info online - but, no. I can't find anything. So I decided to delve into the headlight in case I could see any way of resolving the problem myself. The E3 marking to show it's made for Italy. And I suspect the arrow may also be clue to the side of the road that its intended to be used on. Looking inside the headlight, you can see a piece of alloy (looks black in the picture) that is causing the beam to angle up to the right hand side. So I removed the headlight unit from its plastic surround. Then took the low beam projector off. And split it to give me access to the bit of alloy that's creating the beam shape. And then I just used some good old fashioned insulating tape to blank off the section that's letting the unwanted light through. I'm hoping that this will be a good enough way to blank the light but, at this stage, I'm just keen to see if the solution is along the right lines. I can always consider a more sophisticated solution later. So I then put it all back together and tried it out - and its much improved. I wouldn't say it's perfect as the perfectly shaped alloy makes a more defined line than my insulating tape, but I'm really hopeful that it's good enough. MoT retest is booked for the morning. The guy on the phone sounded sceptical that I'd fixed it this quickly!

Well that was frustrating! The bike shop was ever so complimentary about the bike - and then failed it. The reason is that the headlamp unit that's fitted is for right hand drive. I didn't even think to check this but it's clear from the beam that it kicks up to the right, into the eye of oncoming traffic. I've taken the headlight assembly out and it appears to be the original, with a manufacturing date that matches the bike. It's marked E3 which, having done a bit of research, means that it's for the Italian market. The V5 says its a UK model and the speedo is mph only which backs this up so I can only think that the factory simply ran out of the correct parts and chucked the wrong headlight on. So I now need to try to source a correct headlamp unit. There's plenty advertised on eBay and they claim to be UK models - but if I'd sold mine before today then I'd have advertised it as a UK model too. So I've started the process of contacting sellers to ask them how sure they are that what they're selling is genuinely for the UK market. As I say, very frustrating.

Chris, if you're able, see if you can follow all the thick cables that come from the battery. Particularly from the negative terminal on the battery. This could be a weak earth problem - there will be a thick cable that goes from the negative on the battery to the frame of the bike. There will be similar thick cables attached to the solenoid - if you can find out where the tick is coming from then you'll have found your solenoid. If you're able to check both ends of the cables that go to the solenoid then, again, you might find your problem. With all of these checks, you're looking for either loose connections or connections that have some sort of corrosion on them. If any are suspect then remove the nut / bolt that is holding the end of the cable and give everything a good clean. Ideally, use a file to get the connectors really clean - if you don't have a file then a screwdriver can be used to scrape of any muck and leave you with some shiny metal. If you're in any doubt about your understanding of bike electrics then disconnect the negative terminal of the battery before playing with any of these. This will mean you can't mess anything up by accidentally earthing a positive cable.

I decided yesterday that any owner is going to need to trickle charge the bike from time to time and currently that requires 20 minutes of fairing removal. So I fitted a cable directly from the battery to a connector for my Ctek charger under the seat. It all worked fine but then I pondered my work yesterday evening and decided that I wasn't happy not fusing that cable. If the cable melted or got caught on something (either in day to day use or during an accident) then it could very easily earth itself. And then there would be a rather fast unimpeded dumping of electrons from the battery. So today I took it all apart again and fitted an inline fuse at the battery so now I can sleep easy. Except I can't - I've booked the MoT for tomorrow ...

Or might this be what you need? https://nrp-carbs.co.uk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=5260

I've just had a look at my current O ring collection. I have some 6.07mm x 1.78mm and some 7.65mm x 1.78mm. Not exact spec but these might do the job for your internal seal and shaft seal. If you can't get hold of the exact spec you're after then feel free to PM me your address and I'll post them to you so you can give them a try. They're ethanol compatible. I'm afraid I don't have anything bigger than 20mm so can't help with the two larger ones.

Battery is the most likely explanation for your issue. Is there any chance that you left something on? On many (most?) bikes, if you turn the key one click beyond 'steering lock on', it puts the front and rear lights on. Could you have inadvertently done that? If so then you may have just flattened the battery and you might just get away with a jump start and then ride it for half an hour. Don't panic yet!

That's somewhat kinder than the reaction I get at home to such things ... "Dad, you're such a sad loser".

Specifically ... circumference is Pi x diameter. Diameter = diameter of the wheel PLUS 2 x the profile of the tyre (i.e. top and bottom). Circumference of your current 140/60 17 tyre Pi x (17 inches + 2 x 60% of 140mm) 3.142 x (432mm + 168mm) 1,885mm Circumference of a replacement 140/70 17 tyre Pi x (17 inches + 2 x 70% of 140mm) 3.142 x (432mm + 196mm) 1,973mm Your replacement would have 88mm greater circumference which is an increase of 4.6%.

Well done - those days are tough. But fantastic that you've got it making noise again. This may be stating the bleedin' obvious but ... with the main fuel tap working OK but it not working so well on reserve, could it be as simple as the filter on the reserve pickup in the tank being clogged? The reserve is always at higher risk of blockage as it sucks up the sediment in the bottom of the tank.

I've also recently insured with Bikesure. I got quotes via money supermarket.com and Bikesure were the cheapest. There were a couple of queries and I was really impressed with the way they handled them. In my case, TPFT was cheaper than 3rd party only.

Forgot to mention - the speedo is working fine.

Sorted insurance this morning and so I've just taken the bike round the block for a pre MoT shakedown test. All seems as it should be. The only work when I got back was to slightly lower the gear and brake levers to my preference. Too early to assess the bike. Only notable things are a little less front brake bite then my Z1000SX but more rear bite. The rear on the Z1000SX is terrible. I then called the local MoT guy to find he's off sick. Hopefully back tomorrow, in which case it might still be done this week.

As has been suggested by @JRH , fitting a relay yourself to create an ignition switched supply that can handle a good level of power is fairly easy. Fused relays are really cheap and can be bought with the right connector (e.g. click here). You just need to add some wire of appropriate gauge and a few connectors. If you didn't have any of the tools or supplies then I would guess you could do it for c.£25 (a little more for quality tools that will last you forever). If you've already got the basic electrical stuff and the tools, then sub £10. Either do some research online on how to do it or start a thread on here and I'm sure people will help (myself included).