Just picked up a mint 53 plate 999 to go with my 748. I have done over 4k per year on the 748 since 2007 so I am not new to Ducatis and their foibles. Have already ordered a new set of starter leads from Exige as the 999 nearly does not turn over on the starter despite the battery showing good voltage. What checks and adjustments specific to 749/999 would you all recommend I do to ensure max reliability. What are the usual things that go wrong or need monitoring and where are the electrical problem areas?
1) When you do the starter leads, replace the fuel pump 12V relay behind the battery box. 2) Check for corrosion on the horizontal spark plug coilpack. Those were the only 2 issues I had on my 03 999 when it came to reliablity. The paint normally peels off the crankcases and the horizontal cyclinder rocker cover, quite common.
You can also move the relay to the spare square holder on top of the battery box so that it is away from the crud thrown from the front wheel.
Bananaman and Ricky, great info, thanks for posting. Paint peeling off Ducati engines never seems to get sorted out. One day they may finally crack it
Protect the wires and the connector on the front coil stick connector - I think this was a change they made after 2003?
Change the twist grip for a Yamaha R1 type for a slightly but usefully quicker action. I installed iridium plugs, which are pretty much fit and forget and give a steadier idle and low speed running as well as better throttle response. THe mirrors leave a big blind spot immediately behind. Some are content with doing the funky chicken but I have an Oberon Streetfighter mirror which solves the problem but is small and neat enough to not spoil the looks. It sits over your right hand. I put cheap Chinese levers on mine. They look and work enormously better than oem. Cable kit is a must but you have that sorted. I have removed all my doubled up plain plates and have a friction plate in first. This gives a quiet, light and long lasting clutch. I have no slip and can not only easily tap up into neutral at rest, I can tap down from second as well... Last thing I can think of is a 14 tooth sprocket. Smoother and punchier
Solid list there Except for the 14t front, of course. Get a 39t rear sprocket and slightly longer chain - much betterer There will now ensue a long argument on smaller front sprocket vs larger rear sprocket
Well, the "lighter vs mechanically sympathetic, which is more important?" discussion could rage on and on ... ... but @Old rider totally destroys me on the "lazy and cheapskate" arguments. I concede
Ah yes, I should have mentioned the lights. I have an led multi directional super bright stop/tail bulb in the rear, which still draws much less current than tungsten. I have Osram Nightbreaker bulbs in the headlights. These are are bright white and give much more light than standard. I have replaced the pathetic yellow side/parking light in the screen with a super bright white LED one and use it as a running light for extra road presence.
Mind to put it in the finger of a latex glove and smother in Vaseline and a cable tie to seal from the elements... R1 throttle going on this winter. Rear sprocket and chain upgrade next year.
Old rider, the rh mirror on the 999 is entirely useless so perhaps a small bar ender might work. On my 120 mile drive from picking up the bike, its lack of capability nearly got me a speeding ticket from an unmarked patrol car (black BMW X5 on the M4 near Cardiff-beware) I got a flashed set of blues as a warning (fingers crossed) Looks like I already have Iridium plugs, £6.70 each NGK IXs according to the receipts, have to say the tick over is rock steady. The levers are odd, for a bike with so much design input and machining details they are like a step back to the 60s, they will certainly be on the list to swap. I will eventually do the sprockets but will retain a 15 front, probably 38 or 39 on the back Also the bike has a rather nice tail tidy fitted which has an omni directional led array although I can’t remember if it has a reflector for the mot I will probably do the battery box strip and fit the starter cables on Tuesday so will do the suggested mods on the coil and relay then. Thanks everyone for spending the time to mention these things Now some more questions Does anyone have an alternative part reference for the fuel pump relay so I can get one from Maplins? First thing I noticed on the bike is although the suspension is set up quite well the turn in is much slower than my 748 (last set up 6 years ago by Rich Llewellyn) which is a big surprise. Especially as I run Metzeler Z8s, hardly a balls out sport tyre. Is this just the way they are? Are the recommended tyre pressures OK for the 999? I am used to 32F/34R on the 748 and whilst the back can work 32-36 the front must be 31.5-32.5 otherwise it does not feel right. The half worn 190/50 profile rear on the 999 can’t help much, is the 180/55 much better? It is the back end which seems to be the slowest bit Final question for now. The bike has a rather tasty sounding Termi race box on it which has the dreaded “For Race Use Only” obviously stamped on the underside. Do others on here with this tail box change theirs at mot time? It is no louder than my 748 with big bore JHP Ti cans which has never failed its MoT, do I need to get an original spec box for MOT time? There are plenty on ebay for not much and I was thinking of getting one anyway, I would rather get a bargain with no pressure than pay the going rate for a hasty purchase next April at Mot time . When the 999/749 came out I was one of those that thought it was fugly, it has gradually drawn me in over the years and now having spent time looking in detail I have to say what a stunning bike it really is. Perhaps not in the classic form and function way of the 916/998, but as a study of design and form it is gorgeous. It looks particularly good on the road, better than the 916 when someone is riding it IMHO. The bloke I bought it from was great and he had done very few miles in 4 years since buying it but had done some very nice subtle changes including Rizoma cam belt covers, bar ends, frame plugs, tail tidy and rear light. All I have had to do is desticker it (although the Monoposto fairing will need the stickers removed and a respray to get it where I want it).I am not a fan of stickers and ones that are lacquered in are and pain to restore.
