Fuel Tank Removal

spooky said:

It’s a bit harder to fit something correctly when the subframe doesn’t line up with the frame…

There’s enough flex to pull it into position but, call me old-fashioned, I think it should line up without having to be stressed to do so…

I get your point with some stuff but a subframe designed to go with a specific frame should directly line up and simply bolt together.

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SuperDomestique said:

Be careful putting those subframe bolts into the engine case under tension. That’s a recipe for cross threading. Would either bend it until it lines up or widen the holes. Either way I’d contact Pierobon and see what they have to say first.

Typical Italian manufacturing unfortunately…

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andyb said:

What a load of inflammatory ......,,,

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SuperDomestique said:

Your hemorrhoids?

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andyb said:

Yes you are hanging around like them ..

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spooky said:

The tips about using some WD-40 and pushing with a hex key worked perfectly. It actually pushed one of the metal bits out so I took the other one out and then pushed the rubber bit through and put it onto the new subframe.

The tank was a bit of a tight fit over those parts, but it wiggled on fine.

I remembered that this is aluminium and so I ignored the torque settings from the workshop manual and went hand tight, which for me is quite tight, with some thread lock on most of the screws.

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I need to turn the bike on and let the fuel pump prime to make sure everything is okay. I was very careful with the fuel line and so I’ve left the original on.

The data logger fits in there very nicely. I had to bend the seat holder a tiny bit to line everything up but I don’t think that’s unusual from what I’ve read.

I need to figure out where to put the GPS unit – I bought a roof version, so that the cable goes straight down and I think I can put it on the bit that pushes in and is released with the key.

Really pleased with it and I appreciate all the help.

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spooky said:

The tips about using some WD-40 and pushing with a hex key worked perfectly. It actually pushed one of the metal bits out so I took the other one out and then pushed the rubber bit through and put it onto the new subframe.

The tank was a bit of a tight fit over those parts, but it wiggled on fine.

I remembered that this is aluminium and so I ignored the torque settings from the workshop manual and went hand tight

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baggerman said:

Torque those bolts, they are in bending and shear. The torque preloads the bolt with tension with the intent that it is greater then the bending moment being applied therefore the bolt isn't being cycled in use. Same reason they want you to replace them. Grease the underside of the heads first.

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panibadboy said:

I missed this whole thread.

Can anyone summarize it ?

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bp_SFV4 said:

Much cheaper to skip a few dinners and workout more if weight reduction is the goal.

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spooky said:

Honestly, I didn’t really have a goal or reason for doing this other than I fancied doing it and the cost was not something that concerned me, plus there’s no downside to removing some weight from the bike. If I needed to do things cheap then I probably wouldn’t be on a Ducati…

I was buying the Pierobon stands as a little treat for myself and threw the subframe in at the same time on a whim - unnecessary of course but very nice. Having said that, the rear stand is nicer to use than the DP one (the bit that goes into the hub is rounded at the end so it goes in really easily) and it’s lighter. The front stand also enables me to turn the wheel while it’s on the stand and that’s been more useful than expected. I’m very happy with it and I like the look of it on the bike and the more exposed engine looks good as well.

I should have weighed the subframe though - it would be interesting to see exactly what the weight difference is, although I doubt it’s a huge difference. If someone happens to know the weight of the Pierobon STK subframe then let me know! The OEM subframe on its own with the plastic engine covers and the metal bar that ties the two sides together is 2.2kg. It’s probably saved only 0.8kg or so.

Replacing the rear plastics with carbon, particularly a one-piece carbon cover, would make the weight saving more significant but I wanted to retain the ‘storage’ section in the tail as it’s a perfect place for the data logger.

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baggerman said:

I didn't know the subframes existed. I find my SF rather porcine. The SF subframe is steel. If we take Pierbon's claim of 40% weight loss or 0.88kg their subframe weight is 1.32kg. The density of steel is about 2.5 times aluminum so assuming the two subframes are identical otherwise (of course they're not) the weight savings of one of these on a SF is about 2kg. 415 euro per kg reduction. Nice part and anything that moves the CG forward even a little is always good.

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KarlKani said:

These parts are made on a jig by hand, there are going to be larger tolerances then most parts. My tank was touching on my SBK subframe to the point I had to grind a good mm or 2 off to fit. Does that make a regular consumer happy about spending the money on it and then discovering slight issues - no. Keep in mind that financially selling to non race teams is not important for this brand and in a way is a courtesy that is quite nice for those of us that are nerds about having race kit on our bikes.

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SuperDomestique said:

Spooky had questions about the fuel tank coming off. Rant about fuel connectors. Got fuel tank off. Couldn’t get subframe off. Figured it out. Couldn’t get plastic piece to fit. Dremeled it to fit. Couldn’t get subframe to fit. Bent it to fit. Couldn’t get tank to fit (?). Got it to fit. Andy being a .....

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