2018 August update...

Cleaned off most of the caked on dirt and grease from behind the front sprocket. Still need to pull the swing-arm bearings from the case and replace.

Cleaning up the swingarm after it was removed. Look into having it vapor blasted by https://www.restocycle.com/, but the price would have killed my already blown budget.

The left side swingarm needle bearings are shot, rusty and missing needles. The right side bearings look fine, but we are replacing both sides.

Looks like I'll need to remove the alternator cover and reseal to keep the oil from leaking. Seems to be a problem area based on posts from the forums.

The effects of corrosion in the left side swingarm bearings can be seen in the picture above. Time to pull out the rusted bearings and replace with new.

Took apart the kick stand for cleaning.

Getting the left side clean!

Took apart the shifter and added some fresh grease to the pivot bolt and cleaned all of the accumulated grit and grunge from the spherical joints.

Put fresh fabric tape on the ECU harness plugs.

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The process begins...

After multiple delays, I finally began the tear down process. The ST4S is much easier to strip down than the Honda ST1300. Hopefully the valve check and belt replacement will go as smooth as the tear down. I have placed an order for the required tools and shims with www.ducatitoolrental.com . I've got four weeks to replace the belts and adjust the valves once the tools arrive. Also ordered some belts and gaskets from Ca Cycleworks. I have the 2003 version of LT Snyder's Demo maintenance book, but there is a multitude of resources on the web which do as good of job (if not better) of explaining the process. The Ducati tool rental website also has a good set of instructions with some pictures . Still need to remove the air-box and relocate the throttle body assembly in order to access the valve covers.

Inspired Stupidity...

The Bad... The previous owners of the 2003 Ducati ST4s ABS had an unique approach to modifications. Need to mount a license plate, no problem let's just grab some sheet metal screws and screw into the inner fender. License plate light hanging down? No problem cut off the wire and push the loose end up behind the tail light. They broke the mounting boss of the right side rear cowling and attached the cowling with an industrial sized zip-tie. They also mangled the rear brake light switch, I sourced a used switch, but it was also bad. Trying another used switch before going with a new switch. The Good... They managed to keep all of the maintenance records from the owner number two along with nicely setup three-ring binder with all sorts of helpful pages. New rear tire. The all important red key and three black keys and extra side case keys. The Ugly... The biggest kicker was that they lost the key card and the tool kit, I even asked and they said they...

End of July update

Finally getting some time to work on the bike. Managed to remove the swingarm so some deep cleaning can be accomplished and the swingarm can be refreshed and renewed. Retaining/locking bolt finally out! Before Picture.

Saving the Duck

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