Uraling to Alaska - Day 5: Repairs and Upgrades for Valencia

Today I rode over to Salem, Oregon, to have the guys at the URAL dealer there check out my clutch adjustment....in and out in a few minutes I thought.  Not quite.

I was warmly greeted by Cal and Robert who work there.  Then I was taken inside to meet the owner, Jim Petitti, who while quite a bit older than I, is still running the business and does work that he loves.  During the day, I'd learn many things from him about the care and feeding of URALs and also stories of his youth when he raced cars and also established records "on the salt" alongside the likes of Burt Munro!

But, onto the main reason for being there.  It was pointed out to me that it looked like the rear main seal between the engine and the transmission had failed and caused oil contamination of the clutch.  They convinced me to take the clutch apart for further examination.

Now, here's the best part, once I gave the go ahead....three guys, Cal and Robert who would do the more complicated stuff and Tony who did more of the general tasks jumped on Valencia and started tearing her down for repair!  It was like the entire shop was dedicated to my rig, and I'd just shown up, no real appointment or anything!  You read stories about shops going out of their way to help a rider on a trip, well these guys set the bar for such service!  Valencia became "their mission" so I could complete my trip to Alaska!

So, to give you context, here's the major tasks that were done:

1.  Replace the pusher tire, it was shot.  "I swear it had some thread on it last night!".  It would also have the upgraded bearing kit installed.

2.  Check the clutch and repair as necessary.  It would end up being covered under warranty, with several seals being replaced and of course, the clutch plates themselves.  (Warranty)

3.  Align my sidecar rig, it was set too far in it's toe-in and causing accelerated wear on my tires, especially the pusher tire.

4.  The rear upper support strut's mount was found to be loose, along with the clapper bolts both front and rear.  These are the bolts that hold the subframe to the tug.  All were tightened up per spec after the rig was aligned and leaned out correctly.  Not only was my toe-in too much, but my lean out was not enough.  FYI: They use 3/8" Toe-in as good starting point and a leanout that leaves the tug with a leanout between .7 and .9 degrees.

5.  As the clutch and seals were warrantied, I elected to have them install an upgraded ignition system called Powerarc, this will replace the stock Ducati System.

6.  Got carburetor intake "perch" rings to provide a more secure mount point for the airbox tubes.  Check and synch the carburetors after engine was re-installed.

7.  Re-route engine crankcase tube from going to airbox to venting onto a small filter.  I'll be replacing same with a catch bottle soonest.

8.  Replace bearings on the pusher wheel with upgraded bearing kit and hardware, another Raceway
Services offering.

9.  Add in-line fuel filters, upgrade fuel "T" fitting to a metal one.

10. Replace exhaust pipe gaskets with upgraded versions.

11. Cable lube kit which I'll use to lube all the control cables.  This extends their life significantly.

12.  Quick disconnect fitting for the gas tank's crossover tube.  No more spilling of fuel now when removing the tank!

13.  Replace cam shaft seal at front of engine, not warrantied item.

 Valencia's Pusher tire, as it showed up at the shop.

It was installed at 16,841 miles, and it made it to 25,000.  Not bad, it 

was a Heidenau K37, but the excessive toe-in I had contributed to the excessive wear

I was told, I should hopefully get as long or better wear from the new tire.

 Above is the engine, out of the frame and ready to be worked on.

You're looking at the rear of the transmission.  Both the clutch actuator seal and the 

seal for the transmission output yoke were leaking, causing the mess you see.

 Above is a special tool, manufactured by Raceways, to help adjust toe-in.

 Transmission is off, you can see the clutch cover plate before it

was taken apart.

 Clear evidence of oil contamination!  Enough oil had leaked into the

clutch housing to cause clutch dust to clump together as you can see above.

 Above, another special tool manufactured by Raceway Services to 

extract the flywheel.  No way in hell I could have removed said flywheel while

on the side of the road!  The flywheel has to come off to access the rear main seal.

 Here's the rear of the engine, failed seal removed and the area cleaned up.

Cal also put Loctite 515 on the screws above and re-torqued them as he

found several were loose.

 One of the old damaged clutch plates, note the cracks in the 

clutch material!

 More evidence of oil contamination, note the spalling marks left

behind as radiated lines on the above clutch plate.

 Special tool used to compress the clutch plates for assembly

 The aftermarket ignition system I bought, pricey but the performance increase!

 Above, the new sensor used by Power Arc

Below is the old Hall Effect Sensor used by the stock Ducati Ignition

 The toggle switch now controls whether the Power Arc Ignition System

is running in Advanced Mode (on) or Retarded Ignition Mode (off)

Since the rig is loaded up, I am to run in the off mode.  Once she runs unloaded, then 

I can turn the control on.  Cal said to try both modes and see how I think it performs.

The Retarded Ignition mode will work best on big hills with a full load he told me.

 The carburetor adapters/perches sold by Raceway Services.  

They provide an extended lip for the air tube to "mate onto" as

now there's a tendency for the air tube to come loose.

 Here's the crew who helped me get back on the road with a road-worthy rig!

Left to Right:  Robert, Cal, Jim and Kurt.

Jim Petitti

Even with the cost of labor and parts for the stuff under warranty, there was significant costs borne by me out of pocket for the upgrades and the fixes such as the alignment of the rig.  Still, the work had to be done, and the upgrades I truly believe will go to ensure a successful and enjoyable ride to Alaska and back.

Both Cal and Robert, while steadily working, also answered all of my questions.  I learned quite a lot from them, much to think about, a lot to rethink in terms of servicing and maintenance concepts I thought I had a handle on, and just tips and info on being a URAL owner.

My thanks to the crew at Raceway Services!  Cal and Robert were the main mechanics doing the work and they were pretty amazing to watch and they not only worked methodically and carefully but swiftly!  Every move was sure and confident and they explained what they were doing to me as they worked.  Thanks Gents!

As to that aftermarket ignition system.  I'd read about it before but had been skeptical, not to mention its pricey cost.  It's early of course, but in the run from Salem to Portland after I left Raceway Services, Valencia ran like a scalded cat!  I was not only able to catch trucks and cars on the slow lane but do it while climbing slight hills and grades!  No longer (more riding will prove this I am sure) am I the slowest vehicle on the highway!  Now, where those Prius' and gigantic RVs that passed me before?!

I didn't have to shift down to third gear any time I got to a hill on Interstate 5 and there was even some throttle left as I drove along at an indicated 60-70 mph.  Now, let me clarify, the speedometer needle (which is apparently not used to spending time above 65) is swinging a bit wildly, kind of like a windshield wiper, when above 60 MPH.  

I am going to have to get Lock-Ease, to lube up the speedometer cable to get it to steady.  I hope that works, it didn't on my previous URAL whose speedometer looked like a windshield wiper in cold weather but it wasn't really cold here today.  I am going to try and measure my speed with my phone's GPS tomorrow if I can find a stretch of road that allows this testing safely.

I don't have to roll on as much throttle anymore when coming off a standing start and while I am still getting used to the new clutch AND the new throttle performance, the power delivery is quite immediate and smooth now.

More info here on some of the upgrades I bought and Raceway Services personnel installed: (Note, all these items can be installed by rig owners, I just paid to have Raceway do it)

Upgraded Wheel Bearing Kit.

Power Arc Ignition Systemn : IMPORTANT NOTE: Check with your URAL dealer re warranty impact from installation of this device!

Fuel Line Quick Disconnects

In-Line Fuel Filters

Truly a great dealer, providing great customer/rider support!  If you're in the Salem, Oregon area, stop by and check them out!  You won't regret it, your wallet might take a hit, but I think you'll be pleased.