I saw a Ducati 400SS on Facebook Marketplace while i was on holiday. It was a project, but looked complete and like it wouldnt be too-much of a nightmare, so i messaged the seller, agreed to pay the asking price £600, sent a deposit £150, and started to organize transport via Shiply (as i wouldnt be home for a few weeks - holiday then straight into a business trip, etc...). I got the bike delivered to my parents house, collected it on my first day home, and immediately started working on the 'to-do' list. As an aside, this is my 3rd Ducati. I owned a 750 Paso which was a nightmare, it blew oil everywhere, overheated, and ran rough. I sold it at Newark Autojumble (probably around 2005-06) to a couple, the bloke had a Ducati, and this was to be a project he was building for his wife. I hope he had more success than i did... On one had i regretted selling it, on the other i was glad to see it gone, i swore i would never buy another Ducati! Then i worked in the Netherlands for a few years, and bought racebikes in the UK, then sold them in NL as a bit of a side-hustle (where due to a 'leisure product tax, all motorcycles are more expensive - but as there were racebikes i could buy in the UK and sell in NL without incurring the tax as the bikes were never registered). I bought a Yellow Ducati 998 racebike (probably 2010-11), which turned into a nightmare to sell, and it never started... i again swore i would never buy another Ducati! So here we are, Ducati number 3, a 1992 400SS Junior Project. It was cheap, and it looks complete. Its got plenty of mold and mank on it - presumably from being left outdoors - or maybe from being shipped from Japan to the UK (i assume its a Japanese import). I've already realized this will be a bigger project than i envisaged, but i bought it without viewing, and it was cheap, so i cant complain. My goal is to 'restore it' as much as possible, without making it 'new'. I dont want to stripe, powder-coat, paint, and have a 2024 condition bike thats 32 years old... I want a tide 32 year old bike, age related wear is fine, but i would like it to be the best it can be. Obviously some stuff will need replacing with new, or painting... but i will be as sympathetic to the age of the bike as i can... Here are the pics from the ad on facebook:-
First thing to send off for repair is the seat, as its terrible, and the first thing i have to remove. Here are the 'before' pics... will post 'after pics' when its back (one evening this week)... These are the pics i sent to the upholsterer in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, via WhatsApp, thats why there are so many...
Next is the bodywork... The tank has a terrible guard/cover to protect from zip scratches... some flaking paint near the breather, more rust than the titanic inside, and all internal components look very-much sorry for themselves. :-( Ive ordered new internals, and im working on the rust issue... Patio cleaner was very good (but i ran-out), now im soaking the insides with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda for 24H at a time... Nevt i might actually buy rust remover... im just using what i have to begin with... No rust has eaten through the paint, so the tank seems solid - its 'surface rust'. Removing the he zip-guard has revealed the remnants of a prior adhesive that looks like its raised the lacquer, or eaten into the paint somehow... not sure what to do about that... but one thing at a time... And of course, ive ordered a new filler cap, as the exiting one needed drilling out as the lock was seized...
The rest of the bodywork needs a good clean, t-cut, and polish. Nothing is perfect, but all should be fine (good enough for me) with some TLC. I had to drill out some seized fairing screws, and i need some more rubber nut things... any recommendations on fairing kits are welcome. For now though, im just removing it all, putting it on the shelf and focusing on the rest...
I finally removed the clocks after struggling to find the little screw on the trip-meter cable... gggrrrrr Im getting quotes for new foam (thanks for the file Gary), i ordered a new light panel thing (ebay), and i will paint the bevels...
The instrument panel bracket was in bad condition, so i took lots of photos while removing to help re-route the wires properly when refitting, but im spraying that myself with Hammerite Smooth, black 'direct to metal' paint.
The rear hugger, license-plate holder, mirror rubbers, headlight rubber surround, headlight adjustment frame, pre-airbox and chain guard have all been through the dishwasher when the wife wasnt looking Ive cleaned the 'subframe', replaced the rear indicators (as one was held together with tape) - although the bullet connectors are different sizes so i need to re-solder new ones on), cleaned the rear-light and refitted, cleaned the headlight and repainted the 'black', and removed the airbox to expose the carbs (which need removing and cleaning next...). The bike looks rather sorry for its-self now:-
So, next jobs... I am waiting on the postman for:- A new filler cap, ignition barrel, seat catch, with new keys Fuel tank filler cap insert New fuel pump Fuel lines (for breather) Top hat washers and rubber grommets I need to:- Resolder bullet connections on rear indicators Finish painting and refit the IP bracket Remove the carbs, strip and clean Buy a rear paddock stand, so i can use the front one i have to remove the forks and replace seals Fit new belts (i have new ones already), drain oil, order an oil filter, air filter, battery, plugs Kinda unknown stuff:- The RHS exhaust is damaged, so i might need to replace it, or both... :-( I want to replace clutch and brake lines with braided ones. the front master cylinder looks in bad shape, the threads might be knackered, might need replacing I need new air and fuel hoses all around - not sure if i need molded ones or 'off the shelf' ones from ebay (tbc) Need to remove handlebars and paint Need to replace a lot of rusted bolts and screws Need new chain, sprockets, tyres, defo brake pads... Nice 'cheap' project... lol
This is such a beauty!! White frame, white Cagiva era decals, white wheels, what’s not to love about it? You must get this back on the road for the sake of other’s pleasure. See it as an act of generosity. And we will help you (find/source/troubleshoot) as there’s plenty of knowledge around here. Can’t wait to see your progress!!
Glad it arrived OK You look to have all the expensive bits there, even if the tank does need a refurbish internally. I'm surprised it still has the single seat converter fitted, in good condition that's a £100 part in itself. Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to keeping up with this thread.
The 400 will be great, provided you are a compact bloke. If you're a heavyweight, might be a bit underpowered for you.
Hi dude, I've just completed a full restoration of my 1992 900ss. I'm going to follow your project with great interest. Do you have a link for the indicater lights cover thingy for the dash?
I refitted the IP bracket, and reattached some wiring, etc… still all very ugly, but with less rust and flaking paint. What about this light? Is this an aftermarket alarm, or is it original? Wires are just taped-off so i prefer to remove and fit a little rubber grommet to the hole. The fusebox lid is also broken, although i have found a generic 8-fuse box & lid on ebay (its not Ducati, but looks identical), i am hoping that will fit, and ive ordered a decal too. I also soldered on correct bullets connectors for the rear indicators, and then refitted the undertray, rear light, indicators, hugger, etc... Again, not much to see really, but its a small update. I need a touch-up pen (ordered) and new lockset before i can fit any more parts to the rear-end.
Fantastic. I've restored both a 750SS and a 900SS of similar age. I had lots of issues with collapsing fuel hoses, so would recommend the ones under the tank be replaced with new; they can fold over when the tank is in place, causing running issues and overflowing, then appear to be fine when the tank is raised and the kinks opened back out. That one took some diagnosing! Also I've resolved rustier tanks than that with simple white vinegar. She'll be reet!
If you want to give her a « fresher » look, you can spray all the insides (including wiring harnesses) with WD-40, and then wipe/friction with a clean rag and old tooth brush. It will digrease things, get rid of old dust and grime, as well as tar, give a shiny aspect and nice smell. It only takes a couple hours and some elbow grease… Also, bare (unpainted) metal gets back to shiny using 0000 steel wool.
