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DB7 fuel light

 
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nflpats



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:09 am    Post subject: DB7 fuel light Reply with quote

I've had a problem with my fuel light for 2 years now. I reported this problem to Bimota last year just after the local dealership closed down. I was able to get a new sending unit directly from Bimota and have a local Ducati mechanic replace for me. Last year when he tried to replace, he said he wasn't able to remove the bolts because the thread was spinning inside the tank. Both the mechanic and I sent Bimota an email asking for advice but never a reply. I am done waiting and would like to know what recommendations for removing this bolt. My other option is to just reset my trip gauge each fill up. It is very frustrating that I cannot have an operable fuel light after spending a pretty penny on this bike.
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FMB



Joined: 09 Jul 2012
Posts: 1
Location: SaO Paulo

PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:44 am    Post subject: Fuel light Reply with quote

Ive had the same issue with the fuel light, will send the db7 bike for repair at the local bimota repair center. Can tell you what procedures have been taken to fix it after they solve the problem.
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nflpats



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is great. I appreciate the help. Its terrible that we don't have a Bimota dealer in the US. Good luck on getting your fuel light fixed
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Spyvito



Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 21
Location: North Georgia Mountains

PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What about Bimota Spirit in Raleigh or DucShop in Atlanta?
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nflpats



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have the part that Bimota sent me last year and I have a local Ducati/Bimota tech who tried to install it however there is one bolt head spinning inside the tank. The mechanic is worried about cutting the bolt because if something goes wrong I will be without a gas tank. He tried sending them an email several times the past year without any reply. I rather we not take a chance at cutting this bolt. The inner head should have been glued or inserted properly so the bolt could be removed. This guy is one the best Duc mechanic on the West Coast.
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deebee4



Joined: 08 Jan 2011
Posts: 266
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nflpats wrote:
I have the part that Bimota sent me last year and I have a local Ducati/Bimota tech who tried to install it however there is one bolt head spinning inside the tank. The mechanic is worried about cutting the bolt because if something goes wrong I will be without a gas tank. He tried sending them an email several times the past year without any reply. I rather we not take a chance at cutting this bolt. The inner head should have been glued or inserted properly so the bolt could be removed. This guy is one the best Duc mechanic on the West Coast.


Dunno how the fittings in the db7 fuel tank look like, but IMHO it's either a bolt protruding from the inside out, so that you can fit a nut on it, or a nut fixed to the inside of the tank, so that you can srew a bolt into it. The other bolts/nuts that came off well should give an indication of how the last fitting is.

So if it's a bolt head that's turning inside the tank, like you descibed, then it must be a threaded part sticking out (the bolt protruding) with a nut screwed on it.
I would take a dremel with a cutting wheel and cut the nut (just the nut, not the bolt) free from the threaded part (the bolt). Protect the rest of the tank with cloths against the sparks before firing up the dremel. That should to the trick and will save the bolt.
After you took off the fuel pump/sender unit, the hole in the tank should give enough space to see what's wrong with the bolt and fix it.

If it's a nut turning inside the tank and the other bolts came out well then I would take the dremel again and cut off the last bolt head. After removal of the pump/sender unit you should be able to fix that last fitment too.

A good epoxy, like JB Weld, normally gives good results for securing nuts and bolts, provided the surfaces are clean.

Obviously all this is performed with the tank taken off the bike Wink

Good luck!
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Last edited by deebee4 on Fri Jul 13, 2012 11:40 am; edited 2 times in total
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deebee4



Joined: 08 Jan 2011
Posts: 266
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

double
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tassie v2



Joined: 28 Jun 2012
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just another idea that may be a short cut seeing that you would not remove the tank that often. Can you drill a hole into the end of the bolt and maybe tap a smaller internal thread so you can screw another bolt into the tank bolt and then undo the nut ? Question
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nflpats



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just took the tank off and now there are two bolts on the fuel sending unit that just spin. Bimota uses a threaded nut that is melted into the nylon gas tank. This nut is spinning inside and I am afraid to cut the bolts because if I mess up something, I might not be able to re-install the new sending unit. Getting info or parts from Bimota is a JOKE!
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deebee4



Joined: 08 Jan 2011
Posts: 266
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nflpats wrote:
I just took the tank off and now there are two bolts on the fuel sending unit that just spin. Bimota uses a threaded nut that is melted into the nylon gas tank. This nut is spinning inside and I am afraid to cut the bolts because if I mess up something, I might not be able to re-install the new sending unit. Getting info or parts from Bimota is a JOKE!


OK, that would opt for the dremel method of cutting the bolt heads and remove the fuel pump assembly.. Since the tank is not leaking there must be a way to glue the cast in nuts into position. The fuel tank is a plastic painted one? Yeah, that's a bummer, but it can be fixed.

The only response I would suspect from Bimota - should you ever get one - is that they'll advise you to replace the fuel tank. I assume your db7 is out of warranty?
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nflpats



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't even get a response from them to even buy a new fairing. I have a crack from a falling rock and I've been sending emails daily without a reply. The fuel problem happened when it was under warranty however the local bimota dealer went out of business. I was able to get a new fuel sending unit. It would be a miracle for bimota to help me. It's ashame though because I ride my bike everyday and attend many Italian bike events. My bimota gets a lot of attention and free advertisement for their company
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oily



Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Posts: 4788
Location: worcestershire

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nflpats wrote:
I can't even get a response from them to even buy a new fairing.


Nothing changes Laughing
I must of tried to contact them a 1000 times over the years and each time I think it may be my lucky day ................... but no, two reply's since 96. One in Italian which said they couldn't help and one meant for a supplier Laughing
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deebee4



Joined: 08 Jan 2011
Posts: 266
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nflpats wrote:
I can't even get a response from them to even buy a new fairing. I have a crack from a falling rock and I've been sending emails daily without a reply. The fuel problem happened when it was under warranty however the local bimota dealer went out of business. I was able to get a new fuel sending unit. It would be a miracle for bimota to help me. It's ashame though because I ride my bike everyday and attend many Italian bike events. My bimota gets a lot of attention and free advertisement for their company


Trust me, it'll be cheaper to have the crack repaired and the fairing resprayed than buying a painted item from Bimota. In 2010 I lowsided my db4 on track, cracked and scratched the left side of the fairing heavily and also the tail piece. But the local repair firm did an excellent job for a fraction of the price of new parts, even if these would be available. Good repair firms nowadays can achieve the same (or even better) finish a the Bimota paint shop.

I once had a reply from Bimota too, they said I should go to the Bimota dealer to have them look at it.... The bike was out of warranty anyway and there was currently no official local Bimota dealer, so I gave up on that.
After sales never was a strongpoint of the Bimota factory. Most of the service and warranty issues were resolved by the dealers themselves, sometimes even at their own expenses.....

Nevertheless, this is also part of the Bimota legacy..... Wink
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zombie



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 272
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A stab at a few little Bimota ownership survival hints that I have come up with...please feel free to add more..........

a) Find out what the equivalents are - not too much bimota stuff is specific. The latest era bikes seem to have a lot in common with the new Benelli range??? But the Italian Ducati/Guzzi/Aprilia/Derbi, Buell or KTM, Aerox collective parts bins are usually raided for everything except the body work, seat, silencers, frame and swinging arm. Bearings are all standard too.

b) Buy spares whenever you can, don't wait til you need them. Maybe getting some pattern bodywork and windshield would be the order of the day, just in case

c) Garages or tuners don't really understand the FI Bimotas. If you have a weird problem, if they are your average outfit, they probably won't be able to fix it, they may well ruin your bike and end up taking your money too.
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deebee4



Joined: 08 Jan 2011
Posts: 266
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

zombie wrote:
A stab at a few little Bimota ownership survival hints that I have come up with...please feel free to add more..........

a) Find out what the equivalents are - not too much bimota stuff is specific. The latest era bikes seem to have a lot in common with the new Benelli range??? But the Italian Ducati/Guzzi/Aprilia/Derbi, Buell or KTM, Aerox collective parts bins are usually raided for everything except the body work, seat, silencers, frame and swinging arm. Bearings are all standard too.

b) Buy spares whenever you can, don't wait til you need them. Maybe getting some pattern bodywork and windshield would be the order of the day, just in case

c) Garages or tuners don't really understand the FI Bimotas. If you have a weird problem, if they are your average outfit, they probably won't be able to fix it, they may well ruin your bike and end up taking your money too.


May I add some more "survival hints":

- every part you took off the bike, even if it's not broke: look for a part number + firm that made the part and write it down for future reference. Do this with headlights, tail lights, indicators, mirrors, fuel pump assemblies, throttle bodies etc, Write down the numbers on the wheel bearings when you took off the wheels and sprockets. Electronic parts all have a number and/or a code.
Should you ever need a replacement google the number and be surprised that most of the time it's a very commonly used part in Italian motorcycles and scooters.
- spark plugs, brake pads, oil filters, chains, bearings etc are all generic. Dont waste time and money to buy these parts from bimota or through the bimota dealers if you can repair your own bikes.
- If you stumble over parts like footrests, brake- and gear levers, windshields and specific bimota parts that get damaged easily in a minor crash, buy them as spares. No use buying swingarms, subframes, mainframes etc because if you have to replace those kind of parts, that might be one of your smaller worries....
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