Ducati Timing Belt Service

[kelee]

Looking to see if anyone has suggestions on a good shop to bring my 2015 Monster 821 in for the 5 year timing belt service? Really just looking for good quality service and without getting ripped off at the dealership.

I would tackle it myself but don't have the specialized the tools and to be honest kind of worried I'll mess it up. This is my first Ducati and the first bike I have that requires a timing belt (I've done valve adjustments on Yamahas and Suzuki's before so I kind of know how to turn a wrench).

TIA!

[Maddevill]

Belts on the air cooled motors are pretty easy to replace. You can buy the socket to hold the cam gear on eBay. The worst thing about the newer Monsters is that Ducati put the exhaust right in the way of the belt covers.

Mad

[kelee]

Originally Posted by Maddevill

Belts on the air cooled motors are pretty easy to replace. You can buy the socket to hold the cam gear on eBay. The worst thing about the newer Monsters is that Ducati put the exhaust right in the way of the belt covers.

Mad

Unfortunately the 821 is watercooled but you're right that the exhaust blocks the timing belt covers

[dravnx]

A couple of my Duc riding friends speak highly of Desmoto in SF.

[kelee]

Originally Posted by dravnx

A couple of my Duc riding friends speak highly of Desmoto in SF.

Thanks Jeff! I'll contact them and see how they're like.

[Mellowtonin]

Or you can book some 1-on-1 time with LucyTriple over at Moto Guild Treasure Island. They'll have the tools and she's a great teacher!

https://www.citybike.com/stories/duc...ment-workshop/

https://www.motoguild-sf.com/pages/1-on-1-help

[kelee]

Originally Posted by Mellowtonin

Or you can book some 1-on-1 time with LucyTriple over at Moto Guild Treasure Island. They'll have the tools and she's a great teacher!

https://www.citybike.com/stories/duc...ment-workshop/

https://www.motoguild-sf.com/pages/1-on-1-help

This might be the right ticket! I've always been fond of doing my own maintenance and having someone there who's done it before guiding is the perfect confidence booster I need to tackle this Italian beast.

Thanks for the recommendation and Ill be sure to give Lucy a call!

[ScottRNelson]

I would strongly recommend taking it to Advanced Cycle Services - https://advcycles.com/

I would take my Ducatis there from Pleasanton rather than go to several closer dealers and Ducati shops. Jim Davis, the owner, does great work, does not overcharge, and fixes other minor stuff that he notices usually at no extra charge. I never bothered learning how to do the belts on any of my Ducatis, even though I had purchased the books that explained it, because I liked visiting the shop so much. I did my own oil changes, though.

[Demoni]

Charging belts on a 2 valve Duc is very straight forward process. Changing them on a 4 valve is a bit harder but something you can manage if you are confident with a wrench. As with most things the right tools make the job go a lot easier.

Made the mistake once of agreeing to help a friend with a valve adjustment on his 996. Think we both agreed the next time it would go to a shop.

I looked online and had a hard time finding info about the belt replacement process for the Testastretta 11 motor used in your 821. Loads of info for the Desmoquattro and the DVT variant of your motor.

Text guide for DIY tools

Video for DVT

I would get a few quotes for the service (Desmoto is a great shop with a, chill atmosphere). Depending on how long you plan on keeping the bike, investing in some specific tools could be worth it.

[kelee]

Originally Posted by Demoni

Charging belts on a 2 valve Duc is very straight forward process. Changing them on a 4 valve is a bit harder but something you can manage if you are confident with a wrench. As with most things the right tools make the job go a lot easier.

Made the mistake once of agreeing to help a friend with a valve adjustment on his 996. Think we both agreed the next time it would go to a shop.

I looked online and had a hard time finding info about the belt replacement process for the Testastretta 11 motor used in your 821. Loads of info for the Desmoquattro and the DVT variant of your motor.

Text guide for DIY tools

Video for DVT

I would get a few quotes for the service (Desmoto is a great shop with a, chill atmosphere). Depending on how long you plan on keeping the bike, investing in some specific tools could be worth it.

Thanks Chris. I've actually read through and watched both of the guides you listed. I also agree that in the long run if I'm planning on keeping the 821 that I should just spend the $ on the tools.

I think I'm going to go to Moto Guild so I can get a tutorial on how to do it (plus I love wrenching and learning new things). If I end up keeping it for another 5 years I'll buy the tools myself the next time and get'er done myself.

Thanks everyone for the response!

[augustiron]

do the valves at the same time w/Lucy.

[kelee]

Originally Posted by augustiron

do the valves at the same time w/Lucy.

The bike only has 3500 miles so not even close to the required 15k yet.

[ScottRNelson]

Originally Posted by kelee

The bike only has 3500 miles so not even close to the required 15k yet.

The belts get brittle over time. They might be better now than they were in the 90's, but those were supposed to be changed every two years but you could get away with three if you rode the thing regularly. If it sat for two years unmoved you were risking breaking a belt.

So regardless of miles, if the current ones are supposed to be changed every five years, it's a good idea to follow their advice.

[kelee]

Originally Posted by ScottRNelson

The belts get brittle over time. They might be better now than they were in the 90's, but those were supposed to be changed every two years but you could get away with three if you rode the thing regularly. If it sat for two years unmoved you were risking breaking a belt.

So regardless of miles, if the current ones are supposed to be changed every five years, it's a good idea to follow their advice.

Agreed - I was saying it only has 3500 miles regarding the valve adjustments.

I was planning on changing the belts regardless since it's 5 years or 18k miles whichever comes first for these newer belts.

[Tom G]

I have heard of several people having the timing belts fail on cars, due to lack of maintenance, a very costly engine fix. My bike has a chain (the only one).