fastbob

I don't see the relationship between the torque on the head bolts and the compression readings , not on a static test anyway . Is the compression lower now than it was before you removed all that carbon ? Also did you do a dry test and a wet test ? If there is a marked improvement when you squirt a little oil down the plug holes its unfortunately not good news. Hope it all works out in the end.

They don't necessarily have to be torx bolts .

This lad pops up a lot for someone who flounced off in a strop . I wonder how many pound shop hacksaw blades he got through trying to saw his tacho cable off ?

They put a full page apology in the Metro with the letters FCK in the middle of the page . A refreshingly down to earth response from an American multinational corporation I thought.

I presume that's parts AND labour.

The next place to look in my experience would be the front mudguard and supporting bracket followed by all the fairing securing points and any underlying framework or bracketry that attaches the bodywork to the frame. Look also for cracked welds at all joints paying particular attention to the structure that supports the weight of the clocks, headlights and upper front fairing. That clunk could be hiding in there somewhere.

Didn't we have a mystery noise thread ages ago where the sound was actually coming from the riders helmet ?

I've never had a problem with Varta batteries which I believe are in the mid priced range.

Happy ( belated ) birthday ! 🏍

Right, just googled it , so its a Chinese " Big bike " Well they said it would happen eventually. The best way to get to the bottom of this is to strip the forks , take measurements and compare to manufacturers tolerances assuming this data is available. Could be worn bushes or maybe a loose cartridge. Other than that , having eliminated all external causes, its pointless trying to guess.

So what bike is it ?

I see KFC have run out of chicken. That's it, I'm easily amused.

Just a thing that has occurred to me . I am sure you're aware that when you tighten down the camshaft caps its measured in inch pounds so if you don't already have one you will need a little torque wrench . It's amazing how little force is required on these bolts.

Yeah it wasn’t, but worth a try. W My search still continues! Have you posted on the Ducati Minster Forum ? You'll have to register obviously.

A black wet and sooty plug can indicate a poor spark. Why did the bike need sorting in the first place ? If there are no modifications to the air box or exhaust then the carb should be ok. Carbs don't break and there's not a lot to wear out so I would try a strip down paying particular attention to the float valve assembly. Look for the tiniest specks of dirt behind the float valve needle . Also check out the HT lead and plug cap.

Crickey ! When I saw the first picture I thought you had set the thing on fire ! Anyway its looking brilliant and is a testament to your hard work , top job .

So I assumed @leener was talking about barrels liners The scoring on the valve lining could be manufacturing marks? I think so. No need for a perfect finish on something designed only to be seen once or twice ( or never ) in the life of the bike.

Are we confusing our buckets with our barrels ?

That's a picture of the bucket location not a cylinder bore isn't it ?

OK , I dont think putting a feeler gauge down the side of the pistons is the way to go . What you do is pull the barrels right off to expose all the pistons . I'm not sure what you're thinking about when you mention dropping the crank , you leave the bottom end well alone for this job. When you pull the barrels off you ease them up slowly and insert clean rags in the gaps incase there are any bits of broken piston ring ready to fall into the depths of the engine . If the rings are intact you measure for wear by taking a piston ring and Inserting it in the barrel and then measuring the gap . Depending upon what you find you can often get away with a mild honeing of the bores plus new rings . If the bores are very worn or deeply scored then its a rebore and pistons . All of this stuff is expensive and quite hairy stuff if you have never done it before so watching a few good YouTube videos is a good plan . I feel a little guilty about mentioning all this stuff because I am aware that your original plan was to fix a bike that was just a bit of a smoker in order to sell it .

You're doing great but if you have come this far have you considered going a little further and removing the barrels and pistons ? Imagine doing all this work only to discover that you have cracked rings or scored bores. Just a thought.

F**k me , I must have been still asleep ! How did I not see that , It's right there isn't it !

I thought I would give that a go just out of curiosity and after nearly an hour of Googling I still have no idea what battery it is and I do know my way around the internet. There are plenty of on line traders that will sell a battery for a Pioneer Nevada but they obviously see no reason to tell the buyer what the battery code is . So , yeah, take the old one out and have a look at it.

Ok , got it . It's red and white to each coil and it's orange to the coil that goes to plugs 1 and 4 and grey to the coil that goes to plugs 2 and 3 . This is taken from the wiring diagram in the Owners handbook rather than the Workshop Manual. I've just noticed that the picture is xj 600. There's a good chance it's the same

Just for a month ? Surely not . I lay my GSXR up for six months then just start it and ride it . I don't use one of them Optimate things either and my last battery lasted seven years.