So, for the last few weeks, it seems like all I've been doing bike-wise is looking for RS cams. 


I've been talking to people all over Europe to find 4Y cams in any condition. Race teams, dealers, collectors. I'm told that supply from the factory dried up in 2005 and even Caracchi couldn't find them. To put this into perspective, it's possible to find new 998RS and 999RS cams relatively easily. These 749RS cams are the proverbial.



Then I heard about a dealer who may have had a few RS parts. There was no information about what was available or the condition - new, used or worn out. The package contains many small engine parts: blanking plates, gallery plugs, ti bolts, circlips, secondary timing housings. And sets of brand new, never opened cams. 


Straight from the factory in their original Corse packaging. V == vertical head, O == 'orizonal, A == aperture (inlet), S == scarico (exhaust).

This cam clearly shows the steep ramps which opens and closes the valve. The valve is opened and closed much faster than in the production motor. The duration is also much longer than the standard R cam  (itself a worthwhile upgrade to any testastretta motor) although the lift is identical to the homologated cam to comply with Supersports regulations.

The photo on the right illustrates the lengths the factory went to in order to reduce weight on the bike. These parts are the cam cover retaining screws and the cam retaining bolts (parts 14, 15 and 16 in the parts catalogue below) and are reproduced in titanium. Interestingly, only one set is supplied in the kit: the horizontal head retains the production material. I believe this is also the case on the 999RS.


All the small parts come in Ducati Corse packaging. Cool, in a really geeky way   : )






On a general note, thanks for reading my blog. It's a fascinating journey and it's an honour to be able to share it with so many people all over the world.