Brendan’s Ducati 620S

Brendan has used the RR workshop before, first with a fabulous 900SS bevel and again with a Guzzi Griso. He’s back here for a third time with a Ducati 620S track bike bought for track day use and possible club racing.

As usual with a well-crashed club race bike, the standard loom and electrics had been adapted to track spec with the bare minimum of care: the lithium battery in particular. It had a large dent in the back where a screw in the crash-damaged battery box had been digging in. That sort of thing dances on the edge of spectacular failure.

Brendan was ready for a total rewire but after an hour or two on the bench it was clear we could get away with just repairing the bodges. This involved making new battery leads and brackets for hardware; replacing all the horror wiring added by previous enthusiasts; sourcing a new, non-lithium battery; and replacing worn-out and corroded switches.

None of this sounds much, but it takes ages. Straightening the battery box, for instance, and mounting it more securely, means an hour with a ten ton press, and another half hour on the lathe. Ditto every other operation.

All this forensic work has a useful side effect: you notice everything else wrong with the bike. The leaking head gaskets were enough to persuade Brendan to ask for an engine rebuild at nearby BSD Performance. He also fancied a suspension refresh at Maxton.

The stripdown, transport and rebuild was handled by my colleague Rupe Farnsworth, who repairs old air-cooled Brits, BMWs and belt drive Ducatis. The pics show his workshop. And the engine rebuild was quite successful too: 63bhp at the rear wheel. This bike is track-ready.