[FlyingLow]

I found a 95 900ss/cr (unfortunately not an sp) for sale with 22,000 miles. The person selling it has put 11,000 miles on it and has done no maintenance other than oil changes. He said the previous owner did a valve adjustment and changed the timing belts right before he bought it but has no service records. Obviously the bike will need new timing belts and a valve adjustment. Probably a new chain and new jets in the carbs (I have read they need replacement after ~10,000 miles). I am mechanically inclined and plan on doing the work to the bike myself. I have never worked on a Duc before but have read a lot of articles and watched some how to videos and the work seems pretty straight forward. What are your thoughts? Can there be a lot of damage to the valves since they have not been adjusted in ~11,000 miles?

Thanx

 

[jcarruth]

I found a 95 900ss/cr (unfortunately not an sp) for sale with 22,000 miles. The person selling it has put 11,000 miles on it and has done no maintenance other than oil changes. He said the previous owner did a valve adjustment and changed the timing belts right before he bought it but has no service records. Obviously the bike will need new timing belts and a valve adjustment. Probably a new chain and new jets in the carbs (I have read they need replacement after ~10,000 miles). I am mechanically inclined and plan on doing the work to the bike myself. I have never worked on a Duc before but have read a lot of articles and watched some how to videos and the work seems pretty straight forward. What are your thoughts? Can there be a lot of damage to the valves since they have not been adjusted in ~11,000 miles?

Thanx

I would not worry about it if the valves are still in spec and the engine runs well. Have the PO's used synthetic oil? Using that and not reving the engine too much is the key to keeping the valves in adjustment between checks. Mine went 9K miles and did not need adjustment.

You do need to do the things listed:
valve check and adjustment if necessary,
timing belt change,
oil, filter change, clean strainer screen
change plugs,
check and lube swing arm bearings
check lateral play on swingarm (should be less than 0.1mm)
check steering head bearings
change chain and sprockets if necessary - I suggest 15f/39r and like EK MVXZ chains.
check and replace air filter if necessary
check and clean all grounds
silicone grease to all electrical connections
check all key fasteners for proper torque
check battery
If the tires are more than two years old, I would replace them with some Bridgestone 016s
Make sure the tank is OK and not about to rust through. Replace the fuel filter.

 

[FlyingLow]

Thanks for the reply. I have hear people in the past say that you should never buy a Duc with no maintenance history. The only good thing about the bike is that I know what it needs (for the most part) going into the purchase and the price reflects the fact that the maintenance has not been done. At least I will know for sure the work has been done since I will have to do it!

 

[DC13]

That's a good point

Assuming all other factors are equal, Id rather get a good deal and have to go thru it all myself. Maybe I'm just not trusting enough, but i always ask "who did the maintenance and did they care as much as I do".

Downside is you have to go thru EVERYTHING, assume none of it has been done.

 

[harleyxlc]

I bought mine with a similar "lack of history" and was told the same thing...

You will also want to check for the frame crack.

I checked KBB value and after an incredible price and doing all the maintenance, fixing oil leaks, caring for things that POs didn't, replacing other things that need replacing at 30k....my great deal turned into an average deal.

But, as posted above, I knew the jobs were done and done right rather than relying on a receipt or someone telling they took care of something.

Just some details from my purchase...

95 900 CR with SP forks, aftermarket seat and some carbon bits, 30k miles... $2,000

Things I've done, meaning things I paid the local dealer and indy shop to do...

• Timing belts, general inspection, put stock exhaust back on (no comments)
• Replace most clutch basket parts
• Two new tires
• Fix 3-4 oil leaks at various spots
• New battery
• Replace speedo cable
• Carb work after gas leak
• Another round of oil leaks
• Some minor things like brake switch, gas vent, oil changes, that I did myself

Approx $2200

You can see the results of POs not caring for it, rust spots, cracked fairing, etc...but I have fixed what needed to be fixed...am still happy with the overall cost (in my head I subtract consumables) and love the bike!

And I got very familar with this model

And you know what you are getting into.

 

[wdietz186]

If the valves were adjusted correctly 11k ago you shouldn't have any real problems unless the PO has run the crap out of it.If it has had clean oil in it the rest of the engine should be ok too.Replace the belts,adjust the valves,and attend the the other stuff a 22k old bike will require and enjoy yourself.If you do have any engine issues keep in mind that the engine is fairly simple and not too hard to work on.Plus the hi compression pistons and FCR carbs really make the bike fun to ride.

 

[bradblack]

just do it all and then you know. there's not really anything that can go wrong from minimal maintainance apart from stuff not being replaced when worn out. and if you do have to do it all - big service, chain and sprockets, steering head bearings, tyres, etc then you at least have a starting point for the future.

but remember that this shit is not cheap, as harleyxlc points out.

personally i'd find a clean one, or one i can tell is rough, but honest, as i can fix anything mechanical. depends what you like doing.