Bleedin' brakes and batteries

[PasoRoo]

Hi All,

The days are getting colder in Canberra and the Paso has not been out much. As a matter of fact, this morning both the GSX and the Paso decided to throw in the towel with flat batteries. This despite the fact that Massimo is on a trickle charger whenever he is in the garage. I guess it's time for a new battery... Is there any sense in buying a higher rated battery (as in: more powerful), given the Italians' appetite for electrical power?

In a moment of madness I also decided to try and firm up the front brakes a little (the lever is not far from the bars when braking and feels a bit 'spongy'). The Ducati factory definitely has a sense of humour, because the designers must have been rolling on the floor laughing when they thought about the owners actually trying to bleed the brakes. The fit is so tight that on the left hand side I can only get a ring spanner on the bleed nipple after removing the caliper retaining bolts and moving the caliper down a bit on the disk. But even then the clear line on the nipple has to be routed underneath the front mudguard (which then creates the problem of the line going up and then coming down, which of course traps air, which then...you get the drift.)

I'm considering taking the mudguard off to create some space, but three of the four screws are so tight that I'm afraid I might strip the philips heads. I'm going to have another stab at this on the weekend, but I'd welcome any sage advice.

Cheers,

Mike

[persempre907]

Massimo=Tamburini=Paso????

I guess you need a new battery. I'd go to a gel battery as an Odyssey.
You'll find many topics about bleeding the brakes' circuit only just searching on this forum.
Good luck.
Ciao

[jcslocum]

Pull the caliper off and fit a piece of wood in between. Let it Bleed.....

[Duncati]

Have you upgraded your wiring? if you have rubber brake hoses, you might want to fit steel ones, the screws on the front mudgaurd soak them in WD 40.

Good luck.

Duncati.

[Kurt]

Battery-wise, I'm very happy with the Odyssey PC535.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-odyssey-pc535-battery.html
"explosion proof" is one nice feature

[streetsurfer]

I have used a vacuum bleeder, a handheld mityvac, to bleed the brakes and clutch, when gravity bleeding failed to work.

[JWilliam]

There are a number of reasons for the motor being difficult to start.
http://forums.ducatipaso.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3140

The brake lever should travel back only about half its travel

[PasoRoo]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I have ordered a battery similar to the Odyssey. It's a Deka Power Sports which, the battery guys say, has a very high cold crank current, is a gel battery and costs a little less than the Odyssey. They are still pricey, but the longer lifespan should make up for that.

Kurt, does the Odyssey fit OK? When I checked the dimensions it seemed a fair bit wider than the standard one.

John, after undoing the bolts holding the caliper to the fork leg I can move it down the disc. However, due to the to the tight fit of the caliper within the rim, I still can't seem to lift the caliper off the disc. Lowering the caliper gives me enough space to bleed the brake, but I would still like to find how to lift the caliper off the disc at a later stage.

Duncati, I'm definitely going to switch to braided brake lines but that will have to wait til the next pay.

Cheers,

Mike

[Kurt]

Hi Mike --

The Oddysseyyy (damn I cant spell that!) is a bit smaller than the 907 battery box, so I cut some sections of old radiator hose (from an old car I had a long time ago, ya never know when you might need a hunk of old hose) and stuffed them between the battery and the box to wedge it in place on three sides. Works good and nobody sees it but me

[wilbur]

John, after undoing the bolts holding the caliper to the fork leg I can move it down the disc. However, due to the to the tight fit of the caliper within the rim, I still can't seem to lift the caliper off the disc. Lowering the caliper gives me enough space to bleed the brake, but I would still like to find how to lift the caliper off the disc at a later stage.

You have to unbolt the rotor from the wheel in order to get the caliper out. Just let the rotor drop down on the axle and the caliper will come out. This procedure is required when removing the front wheel also. Don't forget to torque everything when reinstalling.

[Desmo_Demon]

Pull the caliper off and fit a piece of wood in between. Let it Bleed.....

I've used a small piece of plate steel and hold it into the caliper with a rubber band or run some electrical tape around the caliper to prevent the piece from falling out.

You have to unbolt the rotor from the wheel in order to get the caliper out. Just let the rotor drop down on the axle and the caliper will come out. This procedure is required when removing the front wheel also. Don't forget to torque everything when reinstalling.

It's been a while since I had my front wheel off the Paso, but I didn't have to do that. I didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. If I remember correctly, I removed the two bolts from the caliper, slid the caliper back a little, gently rolled the caliper to pry the pads apart (pushing in the pistons a little), and then simply rolled the caliper out at an angle to clear the rim.

[Duc906]

It's been a while since I had my front wheel off the Paso, but I didn't have to do that. I didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. If I remember correctly, I removed the two bolts from the caliper, slid the caliper back a little, gently rolled the caliper to pry the pads apart (pushing in the pistons a little), and then simply rolled the caliper out at an angle to clear the rim.

I've had new tyres fitted in the last month to my 906 and that's exactly how I took my front calipers off.

[Desmo_Demon]

I've had new tyres fitted in the last month to my 906 and that's exactly how I took my front calipers off.

It's the same way I have to remove the calipers off the front on the ST2, Monster, 748, the wife's R1, and I think on her '94 GSXR, also. With a 17" rim and 300-320 mm rotors, there isn't a lot of room to work with.

[DaveM]

" It's been a while since I had my front wheel off the Paso, but I didn't have to do that. I didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. If I remember correctly, I removed the two bolts from the caliper, slid the caliper back a little, gently rolled the caliper to pry the pads apart (pushing in the pistons a little), and then simply rolled the caliper out at an angle to clear the rim. "

yep same way that i take off the calipers on my 750 and very easy to do.

[wilbur]

I guess I've been doing some extra work that was not needed. I will try it a different way next time.