Ducati Crankshaft Balancing

Click on the these links:

  Ducati Clutch Housing Venting

NEW! FAQ's are at the bottom of the page

New LOWERED Pricing below!

 

Fox Performance Engines has aquired a new Turner Technolgies crankshaft balancer, that's completely computer software driven, highly accurate, and just all around fun to use.

CLICK HERE FOR A MOVIE CLIP ON A DUCATI CRANK BEING BALANCED, Movie #1

CLICK HERE FOR A MOVIE CLIP ON A DUCATI CRANK BEING BALANCED Movie #2

 

The Crankshaft work done at Fox Performance is done completly in house. I can tell you the most important thing about my crankwork, the same end product that the customer recieves is the exact same thing that I race in my own race bikes on the track.

What you are getting has gone from my hands to inside my motor to the track. And won!

I have experimented with many things and found several that work and I offer them to you.

You can send your crank to some blah blah blah crank shop that does all kinds of cranks 4 cylinders, 2 cylinders, 2 strokes, etc... and they can do your crank work, but you will get something that has been worked on by a person that has more than likely never even rode a Ducati.

Or you can send it to some other shop and then they in turn will ship it out to that same blah blah blah crankshop and charge you more than what it would cost you if you sent it direct. Not to mention the extra shipping time, you could easily rack up more shipping miles on your crankshaft than you will put on your bike in the first 6 months of having back on road, by going through a middle man.

Some of the things we do when balancing a crank that some others often over look:

Magnaflux (check for cracks)

Check for straight

Inspect jounal

Remove all galley plugs and clean thoroughly before return

And lastly, actually balance the crank, properly.

Ducati 4V and 2V Crankshaft lightening and Balancing

Stock

Stage 2(knife edge, balance, polish)

Stage 3 (lighten, balance, knife edge, polish)

Stage 1 - $129 Balance only

Stage 2 - $279 Knife edge, Balance, Polish

Stage 3 - $449 Lighten, Balance, Knife edge and Polish

SPS - $399 cut flat like "SPS" and polished(shown below)

SV650, TL1000, Aprillia and 4 cylinder crank services are availible as well(call for pricing)

*Prices do not include shipping costs or additional costs for mallory metal*

*Cranks getting polished will return with a finish like the stage 2 picture above*

,

SPS conversion makes your crank just like the SPS cranks from the factory

998 crank shown above converted from stock to SPS style (waiting to be polished like stage 2)

 

,

Turner Technologies Crankshaft Balancer shown with a Stage 3 Ducati crank set up with a bobweight

 

FAQ'S:

Q: Why do I need to balance my crank?

A: Simple, it's not done very well from the factory to begin with, they are done in volume and do not get the attention the deserve. When done at the factory a crank is balanced to a percentage where it will perform ok for moderate use. A properly balanced crank will increase engine life significantly. A properly balanced crank will give smooth operation.

Q: I am building a motor for my Ducati and bought a balanced crank off ebay, can I install it in my motor with my pistons.

A: No. that crank you bought was balanced for a completly different rod and piston package, and may not have been done properly even for what it was using anyway. Every crank/rod/piston combination is unique to itself and cannot be interchanged if you want a perfectly balanced assembly.

Q: I am changing to high comp/big bore pistons there shouldn't be a balance problem right?

A: Sure if you pretend somethings not there then it will go away. Aftermarket pistons are always lighter than the extremely heavy factory slugs. I have seen people make changes of up to 70 grams in piston weight and say there's no problem with it, but I have then dyno'd these bikes after and I surely can tell, when I see the headlight bucket assembly vibrating and I can feel the bars shake in my hands on a Ducati, I know there's a problem. Think of the forces required to transmit that much energy through the engine up the frame and throught the headstock to vibrate it that much. On a side note, my big bore kit pistons are custom made to the same exact weight of a stock piston, so it is a truely drop in and go kit.

Q: Will a lighter crankshaft make more power?

A: No, it will allow the motor spin up faster. The bike will accelerate faster from point A to point B. Plus it will make the entire bike lighter as well, we remove about a pound or so for stage 3 work.

Q: Will a lighter crank cause idle problems.

A: No, lightweight crank will idle no differently than a stock crank.

remember that "sps" and "R" bikes come with lightweight cranks and Ti rods.

Q: Will a lighter crank make less torque?

A: No, a lighter crank will have less inertia, or stored energy because of it's lighter mass. So it takes a little more effort to get the bike moving from a stop. But again you have to remeber we are not making these cranks much lighter than the same cranks that come in any "SPS", or "R" model bikes so you'll be no different than them, but better. You will see no change in dyno numbers whatsoever with a lighter crank

Q: Why knife edge?

A: Aerodynamics. That crank is spinning around faster than humans can comprehend. essentially it is a spinning wing doing it's best to slice through the air and all the oil that is being thrown around inside your motor.

Q: Why polish my crank?

A: It's looks cool. And it reduces surface tension allowing oil to slide off easily, reducing drag.

Q: Why do I have to send my rods, pistons, rings, circlips in?

A: I have to weigh everything that is connected to the crankshaft to properly balance it. Balancing a 90 degree crank takes into account a certain amount of weight percentage of the pistons and rods and a simulated weight(bobweight) is attached to the crank and it is spun on a crank balancer and material is added or removed accordingly. see pictures above showing crank with bobweight on it.

Q: What is mallory, or heavy metal and why do I have to pay extra for it?

A: When using certain combinations of pistons and rods, sometimes extra mass has to be added in some areas to offset the weight of the rods and pistons. Mallory is expensive, a stick of mallory that is 6 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter costs about $130, it is so expensive because it is a very dense material weighing twice as much as steel of the same dimensions. Generally 2 inches or less are required for some instances of stage 3 crank work.

Q: What is the turn around time?

A: Everything we do is done right here, so I can generally get a crank turned around back to you within week. So long as I don't have a race to go to :)

Q: Ok, I want to get my crank done but am not sure what rods to use?

A: I get alot questions about con rods, I have one answer everytime, Carrillo. Period. Titanium rods are too much hassle and just won't last as long as a Carrillo rod. A Carrillo rod only weighs 29 grams more than a Ti rod. 29 grams isn't a lot of weight. Basically about 60 paper clips. It is a lot of weight when it comes to rotating weight. but the 29 grams isn't all on the rotating end of the carrillo rod, some of it is on the reciprocating end. When you compare the longevity of a steel rod and the cost effectiveness, there's just no sense trying to use some old used piece of crap Ti rod that you bought off ebay which will need reconditioned on the big end because it has deformed since it's Ti and new rod bolts which cost $50 each! that's $200 for new rod bolts alone. People ask can't I reuse them? Sure, you can but is a $50 rod bolt worth the destruction of your motor? were those $400 ebay rods really only used for 1000 street miles? why are they being sold if there so great? The rod bolts can only be torqued 3 times as per Pankl's specs, and then thrown away, how many times have those ebay rods been torqued?

Q: I have more questions I am going to email you.

A: That's fine but a phone call is faster and will get you an imediate response, so we prefer the person to person type conversations. I've got cranks to balance instead of practicing my typing skills. ;)

(719) 570-9595

 

Fox Performance Engines can lighten and balance your Ducati crankshaft. A lightened crank will provide the engine with better throttle response and will pull through the gears faster. A crank that is properly balanced will ensure your engines longevity and provide smooth engine operation. A crank balanced by us will be to the proper spec everytime. We use the latest crank balancing eqiupment that is perfectly calibrated.

Stage 3 cranks usually need Mallory metal added to them depending upon the piston and rod combination. Mallory(heavy metal) is placed in the lower counterweight to offset heavier rods and pistons. There is an extra charge for heavy metal if necessary.