DIY Belt Changing

Nix

Nix

New member
Hi all - am considering a Ducati that needs the cam belts changing. Rang local Ducati dealer, £520 for a low mileage service ie belts and oil change. Ouch! This every 7.5k miles or two years whichever comes first.

So my question is, how easy/difficult is this for a DIYer like myself? What specialised equipment or tools do you need and how much do they cost? I understand the tensioning is crucial.

All my Ducatis to date have been bevel so this I have no experience of.....yet.

Interestingly, I did a quick calculation based on this service cost. Worked out that every gallon of petrol you put in the bike, if covering the full 7.5k, would effectively add £3.50 to each gallon you put in making it nearly £9 per gallon!
 
Firstly, I think the dealer is ripping you off at that price for a simple service and belt change. Depending on the model, genuine belts cost from around £90 for a Monster 696 to about £160 for a 999. Oil, filter, air filter and plugs should cost no more than £120, so the rest is the labour charge which should easily be less than 3 hours.
Changing the belts yourself is very easy as long as you approach it sensibly and is easily do-able in less than an hour, although again it depends on the model and how much has to come off to gain access.
The only special tools you'll need is a crank turning tool (not essential but makes the job much easier) and a frequency measuring a for your phone such as the Gates Carbon Drive app for checking the belt tension.
There is plenty information online about doing it yourself or just ask on here :)
 
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Thanks Derek, those dealer charges were really putting me off. I will look into what you've said and sit down and have a think about how to go forward. It's an ST4 I'm considering, either the one on here or another. Time is tight cos of auctions so that doesn't help when needing to make room in the garage.
 
Nix said:
Thanks Derek, those dealer charges were really putting me off. I will look into what you've said and sit down and have a think about how to go forward. It's an ST4 I'm considering, either the one on here or another. Time is tight cos of auctions so that doesn't help when needing to make room in the garage.
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Nice bike and easy to work on. The only bugbear is that the whole fairing has to come off to get at the engine, starting with the top fairing. There is a conversion to Dzus fasteners which makes for much faster and easier removal of the lower panels. If you buy the bike let me know and I'll send you the details for the conversion.
 
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Many thanks again!

Why oh why do Ducati make such flimsy belts? I don't get it, a car's belt set up can last 70K miles with a larger engine. Even a Harley's final belt drive can supposedly last the life of the bike under far more strain than a cam belt and yet, here we are with belts that have to be replaced every two years or 7.5k miles, whichever comes first! I don't get it. The technology and know how is definitely out there. It makes me wonder if this is one of the main reasons some Ducatis are sold so cheaply? I know there'll be some reason to do with efficiency or something but that doesn't really cut it for me. Answer is DIY but not everyone is into that in this day and age.

Ok, bitch over!
 
They are no anymore flimsy but they do run under different conditions with tighter radius pulleys but the only reason that Ducati specify such frequent changes is to allow a large safety margin.
For the ST4 the interval is actually 12,000 miles or 2 years. Specs for some later engines are 15,000 miles or 3 years and for the Scrambler 24,000 miles or 5 years. There have been some changes to the belts but (being a cynic) I think the main reasons for extending the service life is to reduce servicing costs, making the bikes more attractive to potential customers.
 
Another point on this subject is that some of teh belts are the same as those used on renault clios and meganes which have a life span of 72k miles or 5 years
 
patch7462 said:
Another point on this subject is that some of teh belts are the same as those used on renault clios and meganes which have a life span of 72k miles or 5 years
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Same dimensions and number of teeth but are they made to the same specification? 72K miles on a Clio but the belt won't be on a Clio.
 
Derek said:
..For the ST4 the interval is actually 12,000 miles or 2 years..
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Ok, that's a lot better, that 7.5k figure was what was given to me by Ducati Manchester service dept, making a guess as he didn't have the proper chart in front of him at the time.

Renault Clio belts? If it worked, that would boost Ducati sales no end imho! So who wants to try it first? Shame it's a "crashed" engine if the belt snaps otherwise it'd be worth experimenting on..
 
Gates Belt No 5192XS Clio1.2/1.4 8s 90 to 98

Marked Gates Powergrip HTD5192XS-95x17mm ( a direction of travel arrow and white lines for clio timing marks)

95 Teeth x 17 mm wide £18.04 inc vat

Sitting with one on bench
 
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