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7 year itch - Refresh n rebuild project

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Mallory 
#1 ·
Howdy All,

My how time flies, looking back over my posts here it's almost 7 years to the day that I brought my '93 900SS home!

They say owning a Ducati makes you a better mechanic, and for me its true... but its a journey that I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years ( a few frustrations here n there) but combined with this forums knowledge (I'm more of a lurker than a poster) I have learnt a lot and enjoyed developing my mechanical understanding, from near total noob graduating to not entirely incompetent!

As the bike is getting close to 3 decades, I have been wanting to do a tear down and rebuild for a while, as much to keep learning as for the personal challenge. With my first baby on the way shortly, the reality is my riding time is going to be greatly diminished, and after talking with my wife we agreed on the idea that having a "me project" in the garage will be a good thing.

This is also good timing as the belts need doing, and the valves, the FCR's are probably due a breakdown and clean + a smattering of other things, and registration is also due any day now which i can avoid with a rebuild and rego at a later date.

The objective:
My main aim is to get the bike cleaned up and restored to a near newish condition, with a few choice modifications. I'm hoping to avoid mission creep, and am not attempting to make the fastest bestest lightest SS... just nice Italian gal who's up for the odd mountain canter on a sunny Sunday.

Rebuilding the brake callipers, getting the forks rebuilt/resprung, maybe splash out on a Ohlins at the back, paint the frame, get the loom looked at, maybe a fancy swing arm or light wheels if the budget affords... a few choice parts here n there.

Initial Questions:
I'm about to store the bike before break down, planning on draining the fuel tank and carbs and removing the battery, I am open to any other suggestions, for initial storage and prep.

Also open to any thoughts tips when tearing the bike apart -I plan to be meticulous with photos and labelling of bolts and parts, but happy to receive any wisdom on offer so as not to end up with a "bike in a box"

Hope some of you guys and gals are up for the ride with me, will likely be slow n steady progress but thats all part of it.

Thanks all, j.

(Pic is a few years old, bike looks good from far, but is far from good)
 

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#2 ·
Pretty sickle!

How long are you planning on storing it? And will it be stored far from home?

I ask because it's actually best to leave the bike fueled up while stored and start it/run it about once every two weeks rather than draining the carbs and tank. Many times when carbs are drained for summer months (which will be sneaking up on you in that part of the planet) the gaskets and seals can dry out and actually shrink and/or crack, rendering the carbs in need of a full-on rebuild. So if it's not too far from home, and it's not a major hassle it's best to leave the bike fueled and run it no less than once every two weeks or so. Run it until it gets too hot to leave your hand on the heads (about five minutes or so).

Best of luck! Again, sweet looking bike!

:smile2:
 
#5 ·
Pretty sickle!

How long are you planning on storing it? And will it be stored far from home?

I ask because it's actually best to leave the bike fueled up while stored and start it/run it about once every two weeks rather than draining the carbs and tank ... the gaskets and seals can dry out and actually shrink and/or crack, rendering the carbs in need of a full-on rebuild....
:smile2:
It's also a good idea to leave fuel in the tank so it doesn't rust. 3/4 or 7/8 full is best, leaves room for expansion but not enough room for moisture to condense. Assuming you don't already have a bunch of water in the tank to begin with.
 
#3 ·
Take lots of pictures. I put the fasteners and small misc. in zip lock bags and label them. I have a large legal pad and take notes. I put groups of related things in smaller boxes so I don’t need to search for anything.
 
#7 ·
Thanks all for the kind words, it's these little corners of the internet that help remind me how awesome people can be when they come together, this forum in particular has such a generous vibe.

Rex Coil 7 - I am lucky to have my own garage under the house, its not a dream man cave but its dry and secure with an ok selection of tools. Thanks for the good tips noted from yourself and others re keeping some fuel in the tank to prevent moisture & gumming up. It's easy enough for me to fire her up every couple of weeks and share some Ducati love with my neighbours!

Progress will more likely be slow rather than steady, but the joy is in the journey... or so I've heard.

cheers, j.
 
#8 ·
Hi y'all, just a little update.

So 8 months later and im the proud father of a lil baby girl. She's amazing, but has left me both time and money poor, with bike work waaaay down the list of priorities in time scheduling.

Anyway, have finally made some progress in tearing down the bike. I'm trying to be meticilous in labelling and taking pictures of all bolts and screws, and not biting off more than I can chew in a session.

Hopefully things speed up a bit, look forward to asking some questions and making this thread a bit more exciting, but hey, slow n steady wins the race!

Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Car Motor vehicle
 
#9 ·
Congratulations, Jimmyjojo ! I kind of knew that time and money thing was going to happen. Stay organized. You can use the spare time you get to clean and organize your shop and your tools. It will really help in the long run. lve had my SS apart for a couple of years. I’m gone half the year, but when I’m home and get some free time I try to get little things done that will make things go smoothly later, like cleaning up fasteners and parts, repainting small items, rebuild sub assemblies like carbs, brakes, forks, and have them ready for re-assembling. Kiss your new baby girl for me !
 
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#10 ·
On previous similar projects of mine I would first decide, for every part that came off, if that part was going to be replaced, restored or reconditioned. Nuts, bolts, wheels, light bulbs, everything was subjected to that decision process. Once to work on that part was completed, the second action was then to package, label and store those parts before moving to the next part(s). Once I started doing that, I did not lose anything and when it came time for reassembly, everything was clean and ready. Made the work much more enjoyable.

YMMV.
 
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#11 ·
I did a similar resto to my SS a few years ago, I kept it mainly original (aprart from stoving the frame and wheels in white) but what did help was upgrading the electrics especially fitting a Mosfet type R/R off of an R1 and Eastern Beaver wiring kit & upgrading the main starter and earth leads so that it now spins over nice and easy.
I have the bike for sale on Fleabay UK with links to suppliers etc Ducati 900SS, Very Good Condition, Engine Rebuilt by Iain Rhodes. | eBay
 
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