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New to me 1993 900 SS

16K views 69 replies 13 participants last post by  NorCal996 
#1 · (Edited)
A few weeks back I picked up a 1993 900SS. It's in rough shape. Not only mechanically, but cosmetically too.



I've been busy sorting things out, one at a time. The engine oil leaked out like it was being poured through a pasta strainer.



Turned out the chain had derailed at some point in the life of the bike and smashed the alternator cover and the crank case half.



Was somewhat successful in fixing the majority of the damage but will likely end up replacing the cover. For now though, it isn't leaking all over the shop floor.



The rear shock leaked too, I have a replacement from a later SSie. I can confirm after measuring that from center of eye to eye, the OEM Showa measures right at 328mm while the later Sachs measures right at 337 mm. That ought to help out some in the "flickability" department.



As anyone would, I have also gotten new timing belts, though I have not installed them as yet.



I removed the rear end completely last weekend. The loose chain sawed through the pinch bolt and made it impossible to remove. I had to drill the head out to get the pivot pin out so I could remove the swing arm.



There is damage to the swing arm, mostly minor/cosmetic from both the loose running chain as well as the improperly installed Cobra F1s pipes that were on the bike. Some numpty used longer bolts to mount the pipes but failed at taking the swing arm travel into account. Needless to say, there are gouges on the both sides of the swing arm brace.



I removed it so those things could be repaired though now, I have the additional task of removing the pinch bolt too.



Also ordered an adjustable set of forks to replace the leaking non-adjustable forks. They'll likely need a rebuilt also but for the time being, I'll just install them in the frame.



The frame is coming off the engine so I can complete the repairs on the damaged crankcase half. I figure, while I have it out I can do the valves and belts on the work bench instead.



Other than that, I've just been ordering parts from eBay and other places. My goal is a resto-mod. I have almost all the parts for the resto part. Then it's down to the mod part which while significant, isn't anything radical. I have the primary parts for the mod, just not all the body work.



It does have all the original bodywork on it. I pulled it all off and found "Ducati" followed by a part number on all the pieces.



It has all been painted, though it looks like the bodywork was left on the bike when it was both prepped an when the paint was buffed out. I don't know why it was buffed out, it's really shitty paint.



My kid at 10 could have done a better job with a paint brush. He's 20 now and definitely could do a better job. Needless to say, that will change. I'll leave that to last though because it is a big part of the "mod" in resto-mod.



That and since the OEM stuff is all there, even though it is in need of a tremendous amount of restoration, I'm contemplating buying some aftermarket glass for it. Just so I can store the OEM stuff.



On the other hand, this is a 30K mile plus bike. I don't know exactly how many miles, the speedo cable was broken when I got it. It also has a salvage CA title.



Thus, I don't think it really matters a lot what I do to the OEM bodywork. It isn't like I'm going to sell it on.



The salvage title means I'd get little for it, and definitely not what I have to put in to it to get it even close to right.



I figure that since it's a salvage title and high miles, I don't care how many more I put on. It isn't a museum quality bike, nor even a living room quality bike. Not yet anyway.



I'll populate this thread eventually with details and pictures. So far, progress hasn't been rapid, nor smooth. Lots of pics have been taken....and in due time, I'll share them all.....sean
 
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#33 ·
Thank you....and yeah, hard work there. Hours worth even with a polisher, sizle pads and compound....sean
 
#34 ·
Update

Lots has gone on since I got the swing arm back from my welder. I've been polishing for a long time now and am still not done.



I've decided that to complete the visible areas and just paint the rest. I'm using Duplicolor wheel paint so it should be good for protection from road debris, weather and fluids.





I cleaned up the fuel filler cap carrier and installed a keyless quick removal billet cap from eBay seller BoBMoto:






I've removed the awful paint on the tank and sanded it back:



There is a small dent in the tank midway between the filler hole and the vent bulge. I welded a nail to it and pulled the dent with vice grips:



Ground the welds flush and then skim filled what was left with some lightweight body filler:









All the welding repairs to the frame are now complete. Just have to sand it and prep it for paint.



Also managed to get the right side outer swing arm bearing out of the engine just yesterday. Ended up welding a nut to what remained of the outer race and used a puller bridge and a bolt to draw the old race out of the engine.






Three more to go. Hope they aren't all as stubborn as that one.



Finally, I got started on the slab side fairings. I took the right side one down from the rafters in my garage and began to prod the crap paint with a hook scribe like I did on the tank.



To my expectation, the paint began to chip off in large sections. Some as long as 4" and 2" wide. The image below is of a couple of those chips. The golf ball is included for scale.




The end result was a bit of moto-archaeology. I found this residing under all that crappy paint:



Shame it'll end up being removed. The entire side piece is in need of a great deal of repair. There are numerous cracks in the fiberglass.



Some were previously "repaired" by a numpty with no knowledge of fiberglass repair techniques.



I pried off about a half pound of chopped strand fiberglass that was applied with a combination of resin and what appears to be RTV silicone. *sigh*


I still have another half pound of kitty hair type filler to grind out of the back side of the fairing before I can even get down to stop drilling cracks and grinding reliefs for proper repairs.



I'm going to use marine grade epoxy instead of regular cheapo resin to re-repair all that garbage. More later when I make some progress.....sean
 
#35 ·
I got the remaining bearings and seals out of the swingarm pivot bore.



I have detailed that process in another thread so I'll not elaborate on it more here.



It is my hope that someone else benefits from the information in that thread. May they not have to attempt other methods before finding my thread on the subject.



Now that I have the swing arm bearings out, I can move on to cleaning the engine up, checking the valves and replacing the belts.



While I'm at it, I am considering replacing the plastic belt covers with something like carbon fiber ones. Also, will likely change out the bolts in the covers to aluminum ones.



Then there is the alternator cover. I have to address the damage to it also. Just not sure what I want to do there.



I have some special rod for use on things like the alternator cover. I may go that route or maybe just use some JB weld on the inside to stop oil leaking out of the cracks. Then I'll replace all the cover bolts with stainless steel bolts.



After that, it's pretty much ready to have the frame reinstalled on it. Well....after I paint the frame anyway. Getting there.....but now that I managed to get those swingarm bearings out, it is like reaching a milestone. At least, it feels that way.........sean
 
#36 ·
while I have never used JB weld and have only a google search to assist me..

Can you get a product called 'DEVCON" over there?

This is the stuff I would be using. it's a 2 part Aluminium putty that sets rock hard.

I have use it in (now) old borg warner 40 trans pumps when the early ones had incorrect fluid channels. We devcon'd up the channel and re-drilled to correct place then filed a new channel to suit.
 
#38 ·
while I have never used JB weld and have only a google search to assist me..

Can you get a product called 'DEVCON" over there?

This is the stuff I would be using. it's a 2 part Aluminium putty that sets rock hard.

I have use it in (now) old borg warner 40 trans pumps when the early ones had incorrect fluid channels. We devcon'd up the channel and re-drilled to correct place then filed a new channel to suit.

We get DEVCON here. It's more of a "trade" product but I can get my hands on it. The JB Weld is just a cheaper, consumer version of it.



It does work for things like sealing up a hole or crack to prevent fluid loss. It isn't up to structural stuff though. I've used it professionally for stuff like that.


I've used DEVCON professionally too. Same sort of scenario as yours. though we didn't have to make new channels, just repair a bolt hole and a fix a channel or three (some numpty left a bolt out and then bolted a cover down on it, smashing the channels below it).



None of it was load bearing which is where I think you'd be better off welding.



I'll have a look when I take off my alternator cover again and get a good look at the cracks I found previously.


As I remember they were small and not particularly wide which is why I think a properly prepared surface and a bit of JB Weld could be just the thing to fix it.



I already have JB Weld....it will take me a few days to get some DEVCON metal repair. That's really the reason I'm considering it.



Like I wrote previously, I have some special rod for just this sort of repair.....but as it isn't structural I don't feel like it is warranted. ....sean
 
#39 ·
Fun? I dunno about that. At first it was, until I started finding all manner of damage and poorly executed misrepairs. Now it just feels like work.



I do the same sort of thing all day, every day as a mobile heavy equipment mechanic. I hesitate to use the word "technician" that seem to be in vogue these days. To me that implies the use of computers in the job and I definitely don't do alot of that.



It's heavy equipment, so much of what is done is visual diagnostics or just plain using brute force to make metal do your bidding. Not a whole lot of computer use there.



This project has been maddening at times and deeply satisfying at others. Fun? Not so much....too much like my daily job for that.. The fun comes when I get it rolling down the road again.....sean
 
#41 ·
Fair enough, and I'm glad you are enjoying the thread.



I'll be that guy with the cracked plastics before long....only it's fiberglass...and I'll be repairing them rather than just replacing.



More later....when I make some progress worth detailing here.....sean
 
#42 ·
Not much progress to report. Finished polishing the swing arm,. Got some lift spools and barrel nuts to install them on the newly welded on bungs.



That's about it as far as progress on the bike goes. Today though, I spent some time cutting and welding up some rectangular tubing and made myself an engine stand. I painted it just before dinner so I'll post pics later.



I hope I did a good enough job welding and the welds hold up. It is a cantilever design that uses the two rear most holes on the case. If my welding is crap it'll surely break under the load of the engine. If I didn't do my homework properly with the measurements, it'll flip over or tip onto the horizontal head. That would be ugly. :blind:


I won't find out until I mount the engine to it though. If I have a disaster, I'll not bother posting pics :eek:


More later........sean
 
#43 ·
Progress and pics of the stand:


The stand held up well, and my engine is now hung securely in it. I haven't made any mechanical progress but I've gotten a small number of parts in.



The biggest of these would be a new to me low mount exhaust. The can's are aluminum from a company called Viper. Not 100% sure but I seem to remember them being a UK company back in the 90s.



They're in great shape and just need some TLC to polish them out and make them look good again.



Also got some OEM mirrors so that's 2 big items off my list. Also got new snap rings for the swing arm bearing install and plugs for the swing arm pivot.



Progress has slowed to a crawl...need to clean up the engine now. After that, remove the alternator cover and make those repairs. Valve check after that and install the new belts.



Clean up is just the beginning. After the repairs are made, it's time to detail the engine.



I'm currently planning on polishing the valve access covers, and then paint the crankcases, covers and cylinder heads. Probably will just leave the jugs black as they are now.



I'll post pics of the cleaned up engine once I get there. Meanwhile, here's a pic of the stand:
 
#45 ·
While I'm visiting (and I have to confess I haven't read this thread right back) but there was usually a cause of those aluminium swing-arms on those '90s 2-valves cracking (and many did).
IE. a maladjusted (too-tight) chain, or (more likely) a failing and 'bottoming' shocker. The shockers didn't last long, and a passenger (or a big rider) could bottom them out, resulting in this sort of cracking.
Check closely around the base where the shock mounts to the swing-arm also. MIght be worth a better (or at least rebuilt) shock while you're doing so much work.
 
#46 · (Edited)
While I'm visiting (and I have to confess I haven't read this thread right back) but there was usually a cause of those aluminium swing-arms on those '90s 2-valves cracking (and many did).
IE. a maladjusted (too-tight) chain, or (more likely) a failing and 'bottoming' shocker. The shockers didn't last long, and a passenger (or a big rider) could bottom them out, resulting in this sort of cracking.
Check closely around the base where the shock mounts to the swing-arm also. MIght be worth a better (or at least rebuilt) shock while you're doing so much work.

As you didn't read all the way from the beginning I'll try to summarize as best I can.



My swing arm was cracked underneath the chain slider on the top and bottom of the swing arm. It was also cracked the full height on the back side. None of which was visible as it was either hidden behind the chain slider or on the back side of the swing arm facing the engine.



It could well have been a misaligned or mis-tensioned chain that caused it. I don't think it was the shock, but the shock was completely shot. I doubt there is any fluid left inside.



The shock mount area is fine, no cracks. If there were, they'd have revealed themselves after the trip through the steam washer. That's when the cracks around the pivot were revealed. As the swing arm was mis-shimmed when I got it, my guess is either that was the cause of the cracks, or a result of them.



No longer matters, as the cracks were "V" grooved out and TIG welded by a certified structural welder/welding instructor. I bought a new to me shock shortly after bringing the bike home. I got a later Sachs which is about 12mm longer than the Showa that I took out .



I have made some progress in the last few weeks so my next post should cover that if anyone cares to follow further.....sean
 
#47 ·
Swing arm is now finished. I decided not to polish the entire thing. As was pointed out previously, it's a great deal of hard work and no one is going to see the inside under the hugger, or the bottom. So I just painted the rough cast parts and the parts that wouldn't be seen.







Also removed, wire wheeled and cleaned the valve access covers. Here's a before and after in the same shot:



Both of these are from the vertical cylinder. The upper one is the exhaust valve cover and the lower one is the intake valve cover.


Finally finished sanding the frame and got the paint down on it yesterday. I decided on matte gold for the frame color. To accomplish the look I was after, I used Dupli-Color wheel paint in gold and then matte clear over it also from Dupli-Color.







Today I intended to put the triples back on but ran into a snag. The bearings I ordered did not fit the steering stem so I have to find ones with a slightly larger ID.



In the process of getting all the parts cleaned up for install, I test fit the front axle to the new to me forks. The right side fits fine but the left side threaded insert was slightly larger as the forks are from a later bike. No big deal I thought, just remove the old insert from the leaky old forks.



THAT was a disaster of sorts. I didn't have much confidence the insert would be in reasonable shape as the rest of the bike was been such a nightmare. I wasn't wrong on that count.



The insert refused to come out. The one in the new forks came right out with a little pressure once I loosened the pinch bolts. The old one, not so much. I ended up driving a screw driver into the pinch slots and even then it was really difficult to remove. When I finally got it out after an hour or so, I realized why.



Some numpty used a center punch to peen the outboard end, mushrooming it in the process. I'm guessing to prevent the insert from moving. Just leaving the pinch bolts tight would have accomplished that without deforming the insert.



After some work with a mill file, and my drill press I was able to "mill" the distorted insert back to spec.




The OEM insert removed from the new forks on the left and the old repaired one on the right. Note the marks on the insert from a pipe wrench or vice-grips. I couldn't get those out without milling too much material off and making the insert too small to use.



Finally, I ordered another group of parts from Ducati Omaha. Probably will have to order a couple more still. For now, I'm stalled until I find new bearing roller cones. At least on getting to a rolling chassis. To that end, I also bought one of these from MotoWheels:



I'll post an update once I have bearings installed on the steering stem and the front end installed. THEN I can use the frame tool to mount the swing arm. Got a lot of work to do on the engine before it is ready for the frame to mounted to it. More later........sean
 
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#48 ·
Just a quick update....
Steering head bearings installed, lower triple and forks installed, swing arm installed on the frame tool which is temporarily bolted in the frame in place of the engine.



Rear wheel is done, refinished and clear coated. Looks pretty good too, if I say so myself. I'll post pics of that once I'm ready.



Tank is block sanded and primered. One more coat of primer is needed once the current coat is block sanded with some 330 grit.



Handle bars have been refinished, and I got a new to me subframe from eBay as I found the original one too badly deformed to use. I'd repaired the one obvious broken tube but then I found broken welds.



When viewed from above there was a distinct parallelogramming of the subframe. The left side was about an inch and a half farther ahead of the right side.



On closer inspection I decided the only way to correctly repair it would be to cut the entire thing apart and straighten all the tubes before welding back together. Too much work. No pattern to work from either, so straightening would be hit or miss.



Easier and less time consuming to just buy a new to me one from eBay. The one I have now is actually straight, save for a minor ding in one tube.



Aside from all that, I have a number of things left to order. I've been to look at tires this weekend, and got some 90 degree aluminum valve stems. To my dismay, those did not fit. Tires at my local Cycle Gear were older than I'd like to spend on. At least, the ones I want anyway.



I got new to me switch pods for both sides. The left side though, it needs more attention than I wanted to give it.



It has parts that are not broken on my original but broken parts that I'll have to replace using ones from the original.



In other words, I'll have to make 1 good one from 2 broken ones.



Things are coming along. Not as fast as I'd like but I'm hoping to be done here in a couple of weeks.....sean
 
#49 ·
Some further progress

To start with, I ordered all new bodywork from Air Tech. Should be here in another week or so. After weighing the stock stuff, I decided to just go with Air Tech rather than repair the old heavy stuff. I suppose, I'll get around to doing that eventually but for now, I prefer that I use the lighter stuff. Really, I think combined, the body weighs well over 10 lbs.



With regard to the mechanicals, I got down to doing the brakes this past weekend. I got the entire hydraulics portion completely apart. Calipers were torn down, split, cleaned in an ultrasonic bath and carefully reassembled with a good (ATE) brake assembly paste. I also got new stainless lines for the clutch and the front brakes.



The master cylinders are going to be a complete pain. Front is apart and has been cleaned but is in need of a complete rebuild. As in, all new parts. Internally there was lots of rust so things are pitted and rusted through....I broke the snap ring holding the plastic retainer and the piston in. It isn't like I tried hard to remove it.



Also took apart the instrument cluster. The speedometer head was filled with dust and broken glass. I had to see what that was all about. Turned out someone had been in there before and one of the studs has been pulled from it's place in the back of the speedo head. After a good clean up I painted the needle orange so it was more visible than the white that it was. It could have been another color at one time but was peeling white when I opened it up.



Here is the cleaned up dial with the newly painted needle



The before shots of the brake master cylinders














Rear brake caliper before cleaning



and after an ultrasoinc bath





My restored turn signal switch:



Pretty much all for now....I'll update again once further progress is sufficient to justify a post.......sean
 
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#50 ·
Sort of an update. Mainly parts arrived for various things. New foot rest rubber came in from Ducati Omaha. Also, a new rubber boot for the rear master cylinder and rubber grommets for the instrument cluster.



Today, a very large box arrived from Air Tech. That means I should be painting in a week or two. Though nothing is going to happen this weekend as I'll be away at the West Coast Ducati meetup.



Not much in the way of work has gotten done. I did commit to getting the engine all done so I spent last weekend on that. I spent all day on Saturday just cleaning up the amount of debris that was deposited on the top of the horizontal cylinder, where it joins the "V" as well as the base of the vertical cylinder which was also packed with debris.



It was so bad, I had to fabricate a narrow "shovel" from an old coping saw blade. I couldn't find anything better to get down between the fins and dig out all the gravel and sand trapped in there. Even found a roll pin, 4mm diameter and 30mm long stuck in the fins of the horizontal head.



As all the fluid had leaked out of the forks, the whole thing was also errrr...well lubricated. Degreasing is in progress for that as well. Once I get it all cleaned up, I'll take care of the valve check and install the new belts. Based on the amount of crap I cleaned off it, it isn't going to be clean enough anytime soon.



I figure it'll take at least another 3 days of scrubbing and degreasing to get it close to clean enough to paint. Noting major, just restoring the silver of the crank case and detail the cylinder head and various covers. More later.........sean
 
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#51 ·
Been a while since I dropped in to update this thread. Was off to Monterey for the SBK weekend at Laguna. Had great time....wish I were still there.



The project has taken a turn and I'll update more on that once those developments pan out....or don't. Ordered a number of parts since the last update too.



Mirrors are stripped and primered (OEM Vitaloni Baby Turbos) ready for paint. New body work arrived, tail is fit but still needs work. (was 108 in my garage yesterday so not much got done) I did finish sanding, priming and painting the new to me front subframe so it is ready for reassembly.



I stalled on the engine clean up/degrease/paint part of the project. Discovered some further damage that I had to repair.



Finished up the front wheel last night. I polished the lip and then sanded and painted the center with gold wheel paint. Supposedly it is of tougher formula and will resist brake fluid and corrosive cleaning chemicals. Still have to clear coat it.



Ordered some titanium rotor bolts for the front rotors. The OEM wheel was bent, curbed and twisted so I found a lighter version from a '99 SS on eBay for a song. It uses different rotor bolts for some reason, as the RSR Moto out of the UK has two different part numbers for the early and late SuperSports.



While I was at it, I ordered a new carbon rear hugger for the project too. RSR Moto carbon looks like such high quality stuff I went with them for that reason alone. Hopefully it/they deliver on the promise of the looks. Just waiting on arrival for that stuff.



Anyone on the forum have experience with RSR Moto products? Are they as good quality as they appear in pictures? I'll update here on my experience with their stuff once I have it in my hands.



Next up, new carbon front fender from RSR Moto, once I see what kind of quality the rear hugger is. Also, new 10mm engine mount bolts from Nichols Sport Bikes. There will be more work done on existing stuff as well but I'll detail all that in my next update........sean
 
#53 ·
I would buy from them again and they were really good to deal with.
I don't even have my stuff yet but I"m already determined to buy the remaining parts I need from them.



They've been spectacular to deal with. I placed my order, there was a slight problem with the rear hugger I ordered.



I not only got an email, I got pics, a video and a phone call regarding the issue and what my options were.



I emailed back a response and got follow up emails...sent well after standard business hours. So absolutely, great to deal with. They'll get my business again, that is certain.....sean
 
#55 ·
Hahaha....SCOTT!! Glad you enjoyed the read...and yeah, I probably told you most of that in person. Well.....at least the story minus the pics. Those tell a more complete story though.



A great deal has transpired since my last update to this thread. Including the acquisition of a new to me engine. It took quite a bit of research to come up with anything definitive (without sending an email to Ducati) but I've determined it to be an engine from a 1996 or 1997 900SS.



It has the oil cooler mounted above the horizontal head which is consistent with either any year Monster from back then, or a 1997 model year SS. The engine number is consistent with a 900SS and the inclusion of a tachometer drive eliminates a Monster as the donor.



Paintwise, if that is all OEM, the right side of the engine indicates a 1996. If the left side is OEM, it's a 1997. By engine number, it is a 1996. Could be that it has a 1997 alternator cover.....or it could be that it was just painted silver.

None of that really, truly matters. Just a need to satisfy my curiosity is all.



What does matter, is what is inside or installed on it. I took that alternator cover off because a) it appeared to be painted sliver and b) because it had gray sealant all around the exterior seam.



Inside I found a Nichols flywheel!!



The head studs didn't look chrome exactly so I checked them with a magnet. It appears, based on the lack of magnetic pull that they are stainless steel. Not sure what that means. I took a look a Nichols head studs and they don't look stainless which leads me to believe they were manufactured by someone else.



Also, a Nichols billet aluminum clutch basket was included in the deal, along with a PSR timing cover. All trick stuff and huge bonus for me...considering how bad the original engine was.



Got through a bunch of stuff on the engine while I await more parts. Belts changed out, valves checked, new breather, oil pressure switch and fill cap installed (all were missing when I took possession of it).


Ordered new plug wires from NGK. New spring keepers from Corse Design. Speedymoto engine mount bolts. Corse Design stainless steel case saver......I think that's it for right now.



Cleaned up the air box and found this in the process:



Looks like baling wire...you know, for baling hay? holding the stainless frame down. The anchor pins were as bad. Looked as though they were fabricated from a coat hanger with a pair of diagonal cutters.



I couldn't take it. I ordered some spring clip hold downs for a Husqvarna chain saw from Amazon for like $6 and fabricated new pins:
old ones above, mine below...and a close up below that






Air filter clips:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JJN362Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1





Installed,on the airbox it all looks like this:



All for now really. Got work to do on my 996 and finish tidying up the airbox before my new plug wires arrive..........sean
 
#56 · (Edited)
It's been a few months so I figured it was time to post some sort of update.



Progress has been slow, mainly due to waiting on parts or just not having the energy to head out to the garage on weeknights after work.



Since my last post, I've finally gotten the bike back on its wheels for the first time since I tore it all down and took the frame off the engine.



Also, got the engine stand off the engine for the first time since I don't know when. It was on the engine when the previous owner picked it up. I don't know how long he had it nor how long it was on the stand before he got it.









The front wheel has been a real pain. I went with a later wheel, from an SSie. That presented a number of problems, some of which I am just finding out. For one thing, the diameter of the later axle is 25mm. The forks I have are off a 1995 or 1996 SS with a 20mm axle.



There are no bearings available that fit the OD while having a 20mm ID and being 12mm wide. The OEM bearings for a 1995 wheel are 14mm wide. So, while I had new bearings for a 1995, they did not fit.



My solution was to simply get new bearings and have a spacer machined to take up the space, not only in the bearings but also the inner spacer which also had a 25mm ID. I this had made from aluminum tube that was already close to the OD and ID and required minimal machine work at a local machine shop.



I replaced the OEM rotors with some alloy carrier rotors with iron bands. Lighter by far than the OEM steel carrier units. My only issue now is, the offset required for the later wheel is different and the calipers no longer line up with the rotors. Working on getting rotor spacers now. Worried that I'll need another set of Ti bolts to account for the increased thickness.



Also, the speedometer drive had to be replaced as the original 17mm ID drive was cracked when I got the bike and now didn't fit the axle anyway. I got the new to me drive but the original drive ring that fits in the wheel no longer fits now. Gotta replace that now too.



When this thing arrived, it was in pretty bad shape. It was filthy for one thing but it also looked like it still had the OEM lithium grease in it. 25 years on, it had solidified to a glue like consistency and the drive would not turn. It took a pretty good deal of cleaning before I could get the thing apart.



Cleaned out all that old grease from the drive gear as well as the worm gear and repacked it with fresh grease. All works super smooth now.



The rear wheel was relatively painless by comparison. Got a "Stealth" sprocket in 40T for the rear, reconditioned the OEM rotor and installed the wheel. Bearings and spacers all were done previously.



Replaced the axle carrier blocks with NOS pieces I found on eBay. The old ones were just crap. Also replaced the axle nuts with nice new Ti nuts from Strada Fab. The chain adjusters are also now Ti parts. The axle itself is still the OEM part from 1993. I did have to clean up the threads with a die.



Luckily, my old shop had a very nice Snap-On metric tap and die set that included sizes that large. 16mm X 1.5 IIRC. The Ti nuts would not thread on smoothly until I did that. I wasn't going to just run them down and risk damaging the threads.



Got a new RK XSO ring Ti nitrided chain for it. Cleaned it all up, just have to cut it and install the master link now. Might get that done this weekend....if I feel like going out to the garage.







Obviously to get to this point I had to install the swing arm itself. This presented no issues at all really. I cleaned out the bearings with brake cleaner and then repacked them with good synthetic bearing grease. I dry fit the swing arm first to get the shims set properly.



Interesting that I took a dozen or more shims out, before I knew the swing arm was cracked. Once welded up and rigid as it should be, I fit just one 2mm shim on each side, and two .10 shims on the right side. I even went back and measured the original engine to make sure the two were the same distance across at the pivot. They matched exactly, down to the mm. I also double checked the amount of play and found less than .10 mm.



Once mounted up, and the shock from an SSie bike fitted, I installed the rear hugger I got from RSR Moto. Took a little bit of "massaging" to get it to fit the way I wanted it to but it was not major surgery or anything.



The front fender is also from RSR Moto as are the Ti fasteners for the brake rotors.Almost everything pictured is not yet torqued to spec. I mostly put everything together and just snugged down the bolts with an allen wrench. Nothing more. I'll go back and torque each fastener before I progress to the next part of assembly.



Next up is to fit the exhaust, as well as electrical parts and wiring loom, controls, carbs and airbox etc. Brake rebuild kits are still to be ordered as is a battery and a whole bunch of misc fasteners. That will complete this phase of assembly.


Finally starting to look like a motorcycle again....more once I make some progress worth updating.....sean
 
#59 ·
Not so much the previous owner. He bought the bike to use as a parts bike but decided it was too complete to part out. He sold it to me as a project. It's the owners previous to him who neglected or effected really poor repairs on this bike who are to blame for the poor condition I found the bike in.

I've actually gotten started on completing this project and might have some progress to write about in another few weeks....thanks for reading........sean
 
#60 ·
Got into some parts boxes to find the starter relay and associated mounting parts. Turned out, I’d already cleaned them up and gotten them ready many months ago. Got those put together and mounted up.

Wiring harness is all laid out, just need to get it routed correctly and zip tied in place.

When I found the starter relay bracket, I also found the low fuel light sender that still needed some attention. I got the neoprene o-ring out after a struggle. It came out in multiple pieces.

I ordered a new one from Ducati Omaha but it isn’t here yet. Not that it matters as the tank isn’t done yet. Anyway, here’s a few pics:
Before:
171870


After:
171871


171872

171873


The remains of the o-ring:
171874
 
#61 · (Edited)
Guess I should really update to get this thread to the current state of progress…..or lack there of.

It has been many months now, but here’s what’s been going on:

Before I get into project stuff, some personal stuff that has had an impact on progress. Back in ‘19 I started a new job. One not related at all to the career I’d worked in when I began this thread.

That has impacted my garage workshop time in a way I hadn’t anticipated. I’m one person deep in my job so time off is far more difficult to come by. Along with that, I previously worked a schedule that allowed for an extra day off, every other week.

Between those two things I haven’t made the kind of progress I’d like and things have slowed greatly. I have made some progress though and this is where things currently stand:

I installed the wiring harness temporarily as well as the carbs, new plugs and plug wires. After connecting a battery and turning the engine over, I noted that starter sprag did not engage intermittently.

I hooked up a remote fuel tank and finally got the engine to fire off. Seemed like it didn’t want to stay running, like it was starving for fuel. I presume that is related to insufficient fuel pressure to the carbs.

After that initial start up, the starter sprag seemed uninterested in continuing with the program. I was able to replace it with a KTM/Husqvarna sprag sourced from an eBay storefront. Once I pulled the alternator cover and replaced the sprag I tested the the new one, and it seems to engage consistently.

I’ve since replaced the heavy, old AGM battery with a new Shorai. Scored a set of rear sets from eBay. They’re modified OEM rear sets with aftermarket pegs. That’s pretty much it with regard to mechanical parts/progress.

Gas Electronic device Audio equipment Font Electronic instrument


Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive lighting Automotive exhaust


I got new bodywork from Airtech some time ago but I’ve concluded the body work that came with the bike was worth saving.

It’s in really rough shape, and needs extensive repair work before cosmetic restoration can begin. However, all of it is OEM Ducati complete with part numbers.

I’ve been slowly, and I mean slowly getting after removing all the poorly executed previous attempts to repair the damage. Some so poorly done that they failed before I ever even took possession of this project.
 
#62 ·
Here’s some pics of the poorly executed “repairs” to the body work:
Lip Automotive lighting Hood Helmet Automotive design

That’s Fiberglas reinforced filler packed in about 1/2 to 3/4” deep to fix a crack. One that could have been fixed with far less filler and some proper fiberglass and epoxy resin.
Plant Flower Automotive tire Automotive lighting Petal

More of the same piece. Also, more packed in fiberglass reinforced filler. Royal pain the behind to remove without resorting to a grinder.
Automotive lighting Hood Automotive design Fluid Tints and shades

The front side of that, complete with crack.
Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Hood Automotive tire Automotive mirror

And a profile view to show how thick the filler was piled on. The filler wasn’t even completely cured and a scraper dug out this “repair” to the point seen above.
Pink Magenta Geological phenomenon Wood Pattern

The backside after chipping out a bunch of the reinforced filler. I’ve already applied a fiberglass patch to bridge the crack using a mesh tape and epoxy resin to form a base for the rest of the glass repair. More later with more pics
 
#63 ·
It’s understandable and you’ve got further than I would have, or more honestly…. Have.. getting and replacing coils on The Boss’ monster.. 3 years ago.

but you’ll need new belts soon.

carbs usually run with less than 2 1/2 psi pressure. So I would have thought gravity would have worked.
 
#64 ·
I’d have thought so too…..but I came up with that theory based on how it struggled to run without application of more throttle than I figure it should take.

Some more pics of the amateur hour repair work on the body:

Automotive lighting Liquid Human body Insect Fluid

This is just below the area I’ve been writing about. Not sure but I think this is an entire tube of RTV. It took a razor blade and about a minute and a half and all of it just came out.
Tire Shoe Wheel Bicycle tire Automotive tire

Underneath I found what is best described as a spiderweb of cracks. So far, I’ve stop drilled the ends of the major cracks. Once the epoxy resin sets up on the other repairs, I’ll grind things back and V groove those. Then lay down some fiberglass to stabilize the area.

I did manage to get all that fiberglass reinforced filler out:
Tape measure Ruler Wood Office ruler Rectangle

Tape measure for some idea of scale.
I wound up using a wood rasp to cut through the semi-cured filler on the outside of the panel:
Shoe Motor vehicle Bicycle part Font Gas

This is where the filler was built up 1/4” high but not fully cured. The wood rasp made short work of the semi soft filler. More to follow on that.

Wood Plant Tree Natural material Twig

Also used the rasp to take down reinforced filler around the crack at the side scoop. Stabilized the crack with the fiberglass mesh and epoxy resin.
Rectangle Paint Material property Art Tints and shades


More to follow once the resin sets up good and I can grind out the rest of the filler from the back side.
 
#65 ·
I would have ‘plastic welded’ it with a soldering iron first. But the PO really stuffed it up hey.?
The running thing just feels wrong to say not enough fuel or pressure to idle but ok when you use more throttle.
That just seems arse about. Should starve on throttle.
 
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