Back to the original subject, sport has steel swing arm and non adjustable suspension, and post 2000? Bikes have slightly higher bars. How much difference does it make? Probably not much. There seems to be no obvious pattern to what has the plastic inserts at the bottom of the tank and what doesn't. The starter lead upgrade applies more to the carbies, if it's turning over slow when hot try cleaning the earthing point, also unscrew the earthing point from the engine and clean that too - it's a two part affair. With the earthing point clean and a strong battery it should spin over like a champ. The injected bikes don't apparently suffer from the crank blanking plug backing out like earlier carb bikes did as the ie has a steel plug. Remember, the SS is a very simple bike with an engine that had been around a long time by then, so it's generally very sorted. A good SS should be very reliable, and a great bike with tonnes of character out on the road.
The 750Sport ie had Marzocchi non-adjustable forks and a rear shock that has pre-load, comp and rebound damping adjustable. The 900Sport ie had adjustable forks, Showa IIRC.
thanks fellas.....well you've seen her, and yes getting excited. Going to have a go a the 12000 mile service - she's only 9k up but stood around for a good while. So may as well do clearances, belts all the fluids and plugs n filters. Still haven't tracked down a workshop manual for torques n clearances. Will keep Googling. Big thanks for the tips on electrical gremlins to watch out for.......any of the relays known to blow on these? My experience of 1 Ducati in the family was a fuel pump relay - once known about easily sorted. Oh and as for the banter - didn't understand a word of that !!!!
A link to Ducati spec sheet for an '02 Sport, not sure on accuracy, as it says alloy swingarm, which they don't have, ....... Ducati
The SS I had suffered two major problems. The first one was the frame, they are notorious for cracking at each end of the welded-in reinforcing plate where the top frame rails under the tank meet the headstock. I think I may have had the very last free frame handed out by Ducati to fix this known fault. There is a guy who manufactures a brace to combat this problem, I think it's about fifty quid. Check carefully for hairline cracks in the tubes, running upwards from the ends of the plate. If there are none, I would recommend getting the brace because the chances of getting the cracks are pretty high, unless of course, the injection model had a modified frame - mine was a carby. The other notorious problem is the alternator nut. I was warned to listen for a knock and to check the nut if one developed. I was lucky and suffered only a damaged pick-up, which I managed to replace with an Electrex one. the main symptom was dropping onto one cylinder. I didn't have this but another problem is supposed to be broken cylinder studs.
Workshop manuals can be found really cheap £13 at Halfords… [DOUBLEPOST=1424375368,1424374318][/DOUBLEPOST]I have this exact same bike. Got it with only £4k miles on it (over 12k now). Have a done a lot of work making it more comfortable, because its is really tough on medium/long rides. Your wrists and fingers will never be the same. Things that have helped make my Duc more comfortable: Sergeant World Sport Performance seat (best thing I have ever bought), not cheap, but your arse will thank you. Adjustable foot pegs, dropped them down as low as possible, I'm 6'2... Also, got hold of these street fighter style bars (photo). Haven't put them on yet, but looking forward to it! And of course, you have to put some carbon fibre Termis on there. They sound amazing, give a huge boost performance wise and surprisingly gave me 30% better petrol mileage… Love the bike, but it's not cheap to keep on the road. But I guess that is the same for all Ducs. I actually bought a 2nd bike for more regular riding as the Duc was killing my wallet with regular maintenance costs (clutch, belts, tires, brakes)… Keep my Duc for out of town and fun rides.
thanks for that Dude my son's gonna the main rider - he is 6' 4" So will look at comfort. Saw a nice conversion top faring with single projector light Seat needs replacing as previous (short of leg) owner cut it down. thanks for the tips PS manual from Haynes bought
Oh yeah, grab one of these: 5D carbon fibre vinyl Ducati 750 800 900SS '98 clock surround protector cover | eBay Cheap as chips and looks great…. [DOUBLEPOST=1424377619,1424377448][/DOUBLEPOST]Another thing, you may find that the headlight is a joke (mine is). Can't see a damn thing when on a dark unlighted road at night... If you come up with a good answer for a better light, let me know!
That's good to hear. I've seen the steel plug replacement defined only as being "2000 model year on", which has always left me a little worried, as I have a 2000 registered ie but I'm not sure when it was built, and I know how variable the parts list for Ducatis can be from one bike to the next. I'll continue to keep a close eye on what's on the oil screen though! One other item to watch out for is fuel leaking at the hinge plate at the back of the tank - it's only spot-welded on and not mounted in a vibration-proof fashion.
Another thing, you may find that the headlight is a joke (mine is). Can't see a damn thing when on a dark unlighted road at night... If you come up with a good answer for a better light, let me know! we all want to know :Watching:
In the garage...she runs. Fresh fuel plugs. Had no air filter (a mouse ate it) Oil n filter new battery Checked belts. Turned over in gear Only bloody started first prod. Lot of oily smoke. And leaking out the exhaust joints Gonna do belts and clearances next week end
It's been a busy day of sourcing bits... Carbon Termi Oval slips ons (crash damage on one, but they were a steal at £50.....) Power Commander Quick Shifter All panels tank seat clutch cover new dials indicators Methinks we will be quite busy over the coming months....
I checked my oil screen when I did a service on Saturday and it was completely clear. It does look extremely likely I have a steel plug in my 98 SS ie.. Baines racing say they really don't see ie's with engine problems, both the crank plug and the head studs had been sorted on even the earliest ie's, so your 2000 model should be fine. Given the age and mileage of most pre injection SS's I'd suspect the crank plug issue will be falling off the radar now, most will have been affected and fixed, or won't be affected. It does not seem to affect 750's, 600's and ie's at all. (Ditto head studs)
