Id say buy it mate, just take your time and put one thing at a time right . I love mine and I’m sure when your done she will mint
I wouldn’t recommend using car oil. I am no petrochemical chemist or tribologist however I believe that car oil is not designed to withstand the rigours of an engine with an integral gearbox like on a bike. It’s the constant mashing of the oil by the meshing of gears that means that bike specific oil should be used.
Some light reading from Larry O'Brien (aka Shazaam) on the subject: "The main reason for using a higher viscosity 50 weight oil is that the oil loses viscosity because it also lubricates the transmission. The central dogma of motorcycle oil manufacturers and distributors has always been that motorcycles put different demands on their lubricants than do automobiles. In particular, they point to the facts that motorcycles run at higher temperatures and use the same oil in their transmissions as in their engines. The transmission gears supposedly put extreme pressures on the oil molecules, thus causing the long oil polymers to break down. High temperatures can have the same basic effect, as well as additional effects such as the increase in oxidation products. When the size of the oil polymers decreases ("cut up by the transmission gears," as at least one manufacturer claims), the oil thins. In other words, its viscosity decreases, as well as its ability to lubricate properly. For example, what started out as a 40-weight oil could effectively become a 30-weight oil, or even a 20-weight, after prolonged use. The viscosity of synthetic-based oils generally drops more slowly than that of petroleum-based oils in the same engine. Here's the result of one test. Castrol GTX, a non-synthetic car oil at 800 miles showed a relative viscosity of 0.722, meaning it had retained 72% of its original viscosity. Or, if you want to look at it the other way, the Castrol had lost 28% of its viscosity after 800 miles of use in the motorcycle. Just for comparison sake, they also tested the viscosity drop of the same Castrol GTX oil after use in a 1987 Honda Accord automobile. At 3,600 miles of use, the Castrol GTX showed a relative viscosity of 92%. So a motorcycle is definitely a more severe operating environment than a car so the oil change mileage interval should be shorter than for a car. In the same test, since Mobil 1 car synthetic oil had retained so much of its viscosity after the 1,500 mile test, it was the only oil allowed to run longer in the motorcycle. After 2,500 miles, the Mobil 1 recorded a relative viscosity of 79%. One more point. If you buy a motorcycle-specific synthetic oil it's no guarantee that you can extend your change interval. There were two motorcycle oils tested, Spectro 4 (petroleum based) and Honda HP4 (petroleum/synthetic blend). Both the Honda HP4 and Spectro 4 had lost over 30% of their viscosity at 800 miles, and over 35% at 1,500 miles. So, my choice is to use Mobil 1 15W-50 automobile-specific synthetic oil and change it at 3,000 mile intervals. Your oil viscosity selection chart in your owners manual tells you to change to a thinner oil if the expected outside temperatures are lower. As you can see from the chart, a single modern motor oil with viscosity enhancers can be used over a wide range of ambient temperatures and still maintain adequate oil pressure. So oil viscosity not a sensitive parameter." I'm not advocating for Mobil1, it's just what I use. And if this turns into an oil thread we're all doomed. Carry on.
A relatively easy way to tell a 996S should be that it has x4 injector throttle bodies and a 1.6 ECU. The 996S UK bikes were said to be SPS motor (titanium rods and T1 cams, I believe sandcast cases too, though not 100% on that - those look painted). They had x4 injectors but they were fired simultaneously therefore running on 1.6 and not on P8 (that has sequential firing). The wiring of the subinjector loom uses less pins as well since the same signal goes to both injectors. Some people did conversions to run on single injectors which appeared smoother without starvation. If it is a genuine UK S bike, it is quite a bargain at this price. You see some advertised around the £10k and one was on this forum was for £8.5k (quite a bargain and looked very much mint). Though, you have a lot of work to bring this one back to the standard you would expect from such a bike. For starter I would not leave the engine in this condition and it means going right back. Careful it is a US import. The US S bikes where numbered with some bits of carbon but they did not have anything special engine wise. With SPS cams, you want to check rockers and clearances as well, because they are harsh on the rockers.
Thanks - super helpful. I know it's a UK bike from new as I've got the original dealer stamps in the Ducati service book. Book also says 996S (it was an ex-demonstrator) - as does all the paperwork on subsequent dealer sales. So I'm optimistic that it is! I can also check by emailing Ducati with the VIN apparently? I'll keep this thread updated with progress, but I've already got the following jobs on the go: New engine oil & filter (15W-50 Motul semi synth) Brake fluid change Clutch fluid change New Fork seals and oil New fuel filter Investigate oil leak MOT Bike runs well and starts on the button (hadn't realised there was the raise rev button for cold starts!) but full service on the cards as it's been 3+ years since the last one. Tyres I'm probably going to go with 180/55 & 120/70 Metzeler M9RR. Toyed with 190/55 but then it stretches gearing even more. Have got new belts, trying to line up a garage that can do the change for me as I don't fancy it. Then I'll be starting on the cosmetic jobs, starting with pulling the rear shock out and sending it off for refurbishment. Think I'm going to respray the wheels too whilst I'm getting the tyres changed. Any advice on that front? Will colour match to the original finish.
Picked up the project 996 today, fresh from full service and MOT… Was expecting it to be difficult in London traffic and be uncomfortable, hot and have everything not work - but it was bloody brilliant. Clutch very biddable, seat quite low, throttle and sound sensational - wow what a bike! Love it! Only a couple of wrinkles - the speedo doesn’t work, and an occasional misfire/fuelling chug at 4-5k rpm at mid throttle. Is there a common fault that leads to speedo non-function? The garage told me that the fuel filter I got (Mahle KL145) wasn’t the right one (didn’t fit). So it’s got the old one in it - perhaps this might be the cause of the fuelling chug / misfire? When the engine warmed up it seemed to be much better behaved - but still think there’s something here that needs sorting. Also - where’s the red line? First gear is long isn’t it - actually use it on the road for more than just pulling away, which is novel! I’m assuming super is the way to go with fuel - can’t imagine they like E10 much?
Thought I’d post an update on progress. Done a number of jobs on the car now: Replaced fuel filter (that o-ring is a sod eh reinserting the pump unit!) Replaced belts - old ones were in good condition but massively slack, and timing was a bit out as a consequence! New chain and sprockets - went to a 39 tooth on the back. Front calipers cleaned up (yes those attachment bolts need replacing ASAP!) Tired rear shock has come out. New brake master cap (a small but pleasing change from the rancid old one) And exhaust headers been Harpic’d and looking much better. Also taken the rear wheel off for refurb - that should be done tomorrow. Next big jobs are to strip the fairings and tank down to get those resprayed red and decal’d up and get some new dashboard bungs in as it wobbles about. Getting there!
Man alive, that is the very definition of a “bike project” Wish I had that skill set! Great to see the posts & good luck with it all
Well to be honest I’ve got a bit of help here and there - wouldn’t have undertaken some of the jobs by myself! I look at threads like the 916 then 996 restoration one on here with a bit of awe!
If you haven't already got one, get yourself a copy of the workshop manual. It will allow you to tackle the harder jobs with confidence and in the knowledge you are putting it all back together as it should be. As for costs mentioned earlier, as always it totally depends on how far you want to go and to what level of finish you desire. A full restoration including engine tear down, stripping and coating cases, rebuild, consumables such as bearing, oils seals, gaskets alone will cost you north of £1500. Then you have the frame, suspension, wiring, bodywork, the list goes on and on. If you were going the 'whole hog' I'd anticipate it being somewhere in the region of £8000, and that's if you did most of the labour, however you could simply get the cases soda blasted without stripping the engine for a fraction of the cost of a rebuild and just paint the frame, which will make a huge difference cosmetically. Not sure what has happened to your frame on the LHS above the footrest, has it been repainted? Good luck with the rebuild, the 996 is soooo much easier to work on than the current crop of bikes. Incidentally if you are after some engine work or having bearings, bushes replaced, overhauling eccentric hubs, suspension etc, all of which usually require expensive tools and incur a lot of labour and therefore cost, try Carl Harrison. He's nothing short of a magician with Ducatis and has over 25 years of experience working on them. More to the point he is significantly cheaper than others and only carries out what needs to be done so you don't end up paying over the odds. More info here: http://www.carlharrisonmotorcycles.co.uk/index.html
Thanks for all the info! The frame on the LHS has a bit of rash from the PO using a chain to secure it every day - this is the original paintwork that has just got mashed up. I'll be looking to see if I can get it repainted without stripping the whole frame down. I'm not sure I'm going to do a whole engine tear down - the bike has been very well looked after for most of its life, regular services and a lot spent on it. It's just had a full service with new plugs, oil, fuel filter, belts etc and is running very nicely. As for suspension, I've had the front fork oil replaced with new seals, and the rear shock is getting sent off to an Ohlins centre. I'm slowly working my way round the bike pulling out all the old or rusty screws / jubilee clips etc and soaking them in solution to bring them up fresh. A number of other bolts I'm straight up replacing. I get the refurbed back wheel back today, and once the fairings are repainted it's going to come up pretty nicely I think!
Few updates on this front! Rear shock is off with MH Racing getting refurbed. I’ve resprayed the front headlight holder and mirror arms, a bunch of new stainless bolts have replaced the tired old rusty ones. New dashboard bracket to replace the old tarnished one. Exhaust system has been polished up. Got the fairings back today - getting close now! Just need the shock back and I can start to rebuild the bike, if I can remember how to put it back together!
good shout with MH, Mark down there is spot on workshop manual needed for the reconstruction mate, they're priceless
