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Back in the fold!

4K views 49 replies 16 participants last post by  Dukerdr 
#1 ·
After a 15 year absence from the Supersport fold, I finally found one I wanted.

A '95 900SS/CR, 12,200 miles. Needs the carbs cleaned.

I brought it home last night.




It already has a new battery and a CF clutch cover. I already have a few parts in the shed for it...adjustable fork (2 sets), 2 good shocks, 2 different aluminum swingarms, a 5.5 rear rim, a CF front fender, a Barnett clutch basket, 2 different ventilated clutch covers, and lower clip-ons.

Need to order some belts, check the oil strainer, etc...

Anyone wanna buy a Monster?
 
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#5 ·
Well, well, well...

Upon further investigation, the chain is too short.

Previous owner had a new chain and a 41T sprocket put on a year or 2 ago. Axle is all the way forward, swingarm won't compress and go over center.:mad:

I can't go for a test ride, I'm just gonna put a gal of gas with some injector cleaner in it (after draining the tank) and run it long enough to get it into the carbs. It started when I looked at it, but it surprised him and I told him to turn it off and not suck any more crap up into them. It can set until I procure another chain.

I just remembered....I have some European needles for this in my toolbox somewhere. I got them before the Cagiva guys quit ordering them. The bikes run real good with them and a pair of slip-ons.

Gotta go look for them..

(I might change my sig line to "Save the Supersports!)
 
#7 ·
Looks like an aftermarket seat too!

I'd say we both got pretty good deals on 900CRs! Accept you've got a whole truckload of extras you've been hoarding for a decade and a half. Excellent foundations for building up really fun bikes.

These things are just mega bad ass motuh sickles.

ROOMbah ..... ROOOOOOMMMMbah ROOMbah room room ROOMbah!

:laugh:

Good catch mang. I'm happy for you. "get on your bad motor scooter and ride"

:wink2:
 
#8 ·
the seat appears to be a Corbin, which I personally love.--I am still fighting the urge to purchase a solo tailpiece for my 91 900ss lol--I'm sure as soon as I get mine running exactly as I want it to-- the little voices inside my head are going to be taunting me to get that solo seat lol
 
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#10 ·
Deja Vu...

I have one of the most comfortable seats that came with my bike. A two-tone Corbin Gunfighter. I just spent a fortune (total) to have a Sharkskinz #1 badged Solo Tail produced and sent off to Jason 'Artistimo' for painting, along with a vintage OEM front fender for a race stripe. I just know its not going to be anywhere near as comfortable, but its the look I want without sacrificing anything stock.
 
#12 ·
Most of my buddies don't want an old air cooled bike with carbs. :laugh:


I wanted one more slabby SS before I shuffle off this mortal world. And to restomod it, tastefully.

I see too many of them being attacked by kids with hacksaws to make cafe bikes, I just wanted to preserve this one.

Let them cut up the Monsters, there's plenty of them...

(Oh, and this bike is a '97...I don't know why he thought it was a '95???)
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#15 ·
I sorta feel the same way....but it really depends on the bike. I say that because I have an old oil boiler GSXR. In some ways, it is like my project 900 Supersport. Both are air/oil cooled. Both have carbs. There were a bazillion air/oil cooled GSXRs around......once.

Mine was a wreck when I bought it back in the mid 90s. I figured I'd fix it up, put some go fast Yoshimura parts on it and ride the ever lovin' snot out of it. I did some of that, particularly the riding the snot out of it part.

Then life happened and I didn't touch the thing for 10 years. I decided at some point to turn it into a track bike....and abandoned that idea fairly quickly. Then it was going to be a father/son restoration....until my son lost interest.

It's been hacked on, beat on, modified and re-modified and left to sit in my garage for much of the last 20 years. Now, you don't see them around anymore. At least not much. Values have been rising for a couple of years at least.

Not that they're worth all that much but a clean unmolested original is worth far more now than say, 10-15 years ago. Who'd a thunk that?

Mine is a later model, a 1992. Last year of the old oil boiler. And worst body graphics of all of them. I've toyed with restoration to the OEM 1992 colors and all.....but can't bring myself to do it.

My plan now is to resto-mod it to a 1989 body and paint scheme. Who cares if it was original that way, at least it won't look like an ADD afflicted pre-teen with a crayon was let loose in the design room.

Like I wrote already...it does depend on the bike....sean
 
#22 ·
Be sure to check the output shaft if the chain was over tightened, I have seen first hand both bent and broken shafts and destroyed bearings from too tight a chain. I have a ST2 customer in VT that bought a used bike a couple years ago and his output shaft is bent due to the cost to fix it we are monitoring the wear and he just needs to be careful at what point he sets chain slack, always making sure to have at least minimum clearance at tightest point.

I think one aspect of getting old is you see what was once trash become valuable again, depends on the details as always. For me there is no doubt what so ever that the carby monster and supersports will go up considerably in value, the question as always will be what time frame. Even the mass produced slab side GSXR's are climbing as mentioned with clean examples hard to find and interest rising it does not take long. I built a 86 750 for vintage racing and it was chosen for a racer only because it was good enough but not too good so we were not fearing a total loss in value. We passed on the 1988 slingsnot the customer already owned because it was too nice to risk racing. Of course then 4 times the purchase price was spent to get it to where it is today and I am sure more to come.

I do not buy based only on future values that is very low on my priority list, and yes it changes often but here is some of my reason list in a loose order.

1. It fits a need in my riding Ie: track bike for track, two up bike for two up, hot rod for play time and project to keep me building
2. It makes me smile when I ride it
3. it makes me smile when i look at it
4. it is enjoyable to work on, nothing is made to be painful to service or mod
5. It does not need to be worked on more than it is ridden after being restored, serviced, maintained or brought back to proper condition.
6. someone gave it to me/ deal you can not pass up
7. future value which only my kids will benefit from because I will probably never sell.
 
#24 ·
1. It fits a need in my riding Ie: track bike for track, two up bike for two up, hot rod for play time and project to keep me building
2. It makes me smile when I ride it
3. it makes me smile when i look at it
4. it is enjoyable to work on, nothing is made to be painful to service or mod
5. It does not need to be worked on more than it is ridden after being restored, serviced, maintained or brought back to proper condition.
6. someone gave it to me/ deal you can not pass up
7. future value which only my kids will benefit from because I will probably never sell.
I’d say your list resembles mine in most respects. Future value represents a big fat nothing Burger to me. It isn’t even on my list of considerations.

I buy a bike to ride it, full stop. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to the point where I want a bike that thrills me. If I don’t look at it and break out in a cold sweat at the concept of what it will be like to ride....welll....I’m not even gonna waste my time on it. If it is, no amount of money I end up spending on it is a waste to me.

I also agree with the concept that if the thing is already thrashed, it is then fair game for a resto-mod. Doesn’t mean I’m going to cut the thing up though.

My project Supersport is a resto-mod in progress. I can’t tell you how many miles are actually on it because the speedo cable was broken when I got it. There are 30K + showing on the odometer and the it leaked oil from every place you can think of.

It also has a salvaged title. The swing arm was cracked. Various parts on the frame were either poorly welded in attempts at repair while other brackets were cracked.

The only reason I took it on as a project is, I always wanted one and the frame itself was not cracked. All else I can make good again in time. After I stared at the CL ad, I formed a plan in my head and that pretty much solidified it for me.

I went back to the seller and bought the bike at his asking price of $1800. Honestly, it was probable $1K too much, but I didn’t know that until I tore the whole thing down. I came to that conclusion when I realized how un-maintained the thing was before I got it.

Thus, it matters little what I do to it, it will still be better than what I started with. My resto-mod plan involves nearly all period correct OEM parts so as far as the “mod” part goes it's pretty light on them.

That said, I could have just gone and bought a fully original Superlight. I was offered one from the same seller. I’ve seen it, it is low mile and 100% original.

I could not in good conscience ride the snot out of such a bike. To risk crashing such a pristine example....I just couldn’t bring myself to push it to the point of finding its limits. A restored beater on the other hand.....I have no problems riding the snot out of that.

If I crash it, yeah, I’d still be upset after the amount of work I put in.....but it wouldn’t have been a pristine original example of an iconic bike. Had I bought that Superlight, it would probably end up sitting in my living room as art.....and that just goes against the reason I buy a bike in the first place.....sean
 
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#25 ·
Some times you are not buying a bike but the largest amount of serviceable parts you can at at one time. It was hard for me to take ownership of one of my monsters because a friend had it built and it was very well done, I almost second guessed tearing it apart and selling off some of the nice bits like ohlins forks. Starting with a project that needs things gives you license to dream of what it will become and test your vision when you build what you think you want.

This for many of us is what we enjoy as much as the riding.

Yes at $1800 you may have paid top $$ for what you got given the things it needs done but the flip side is you probably could not have bought the parts to build what you have and due to the condition you may go a little further and make a greater expression of what you are after than if it were in great shape. Before it may have been a few bits thrown at it but NOW...

weld that frame and powdercoat it a custom color.
engines out check/change stups and this is a great time to drop in some fresh pistons, light flywheel etc.
repair/replace swingarm... there is a cool one mentioned in another thread.

Build some strong bones while you are deep in the bike and the icing on the cake will be the little things added as you go along.
 
#27 ·
... only GSXR I ever really liked (Guy Martin's turbocharged L-frame oil cooled Pikes Peak racer) ... too bad it 1.) never really got dialed in properly 2.) has clip-ons rendering it illegal to run at Pikes Peak. I'd reckon a guess that installing one piece handlebars would create a situation which would require a complete repositioning of the rider/seat/pegs/bars/controls and perhaps even futzing with the rake/trail/offset. May as well just start completely over.

Anyhow, thought I'd throw in my $0.02 pennies on the gixxer sub-discussion.

:wink2:
 

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#29 ·
... only GSXR I ever really liked (Guy Martin's turbocharged L-frame oil cooled Pikes Peak racer)...
I think that bike is incredibly ugly, however I would not pass up a chance to ride it once - it looks like a real screamer!

Full disclosure, I also think all the Terblanche designed bikes for Ducati are ugly too. (the Paul Smart one doesn't count as his, imho,...)
 
#34 ·
Back to old Ducatis...:wink2:


I got my new chain yesterday, and put it on with an SP shock I had laying around. Now the suspension could work as it was supposed to.

I went for a short ride before the rain showed up, and she ran great. Carbs sure don't feel like they need cleaned, and it feels like it has a jet kit in it. I'll go through them later, but for now it runs too good to mess with. She has a little burble at a 3k cruise, like the midrange is a little rich. Happens a lot with "jet kit needles".

She's a rocket out of the corners with the 41 tooth sprocket on the back...still not sure I like it. The 39T on my Monster seems perfect...

Now to get rid of the 15 year old tires. They feel like a pair of bowling balls!!


 
#35 ·
I too had the burbling on my 91 900ss--I got it dialed in today--Factory Pro stage 1 kit, 40 pilots, 135 mains, slide needle 2nd groove from top, plated emulsion tubes, fuel screws 4 turns out, float lvl set to 15mm---stock air box lid (no mods), K&N air filter, Carbon Tech high pipes. it is now clean & crisp. --I live @ dead sea lvl, & I run 100 octane LL, non-ethanol fuel.
 
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#37 ·
Thanks, she looks good from 20 feet away, she has a lot of garage scars on her...little tics here and there. Plus someone didn't run a good battery drain tube at some point in time. There's some eczema on the left side of the frame I need to touch up.
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#39 ·
Thanks, I'l keep that in mind...but my budget is kinda thin right now until I sell a bike or two.

I would like to keep my Monster since it complements the SS so well. The Monster is a better city bike, and I've done some pretty long days in the saddle in the past. Like 350 miles to the Indy MotoGP a couple of times.

Might do some more in the future on it, unless I sell it and buy an ST-2. I still love them.

But the ministrada is on it's way out...
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#40 ·
I dont have a Monster---I'm stuck with my 91 900ss & 91 907ie lol. I would like to at some point do a restoration on my 900ss, but these bikes are just not worth the $$ to do a real restoration. --Restoration in my book means it's a New Bike, everything has been disassembled and restored to new---too many people think that a restoration is a paint job but they are 2 completely different things. but I would consider a paint job on mine for no reason other then 28 year old paint lol---but I really would hate to lose the Team Agostini decals that are on my bike that the original owner put on, --He was the head technical service adviser for Ducati in Italy ( Renato Aime ) I know they were there when the 2nd owner purchased the bike -I talked to him and he verified this. So Since these decals were installed by the main tech rep of Ducati -in Italy they were installed at the Factory lol sounds good at least -maybe the only one with these decals. Of course I could get a graphics company to replicate them. Paint job would cost me very little, cost of paint, decal set & paint supplies. my guess is under $400.00. so who know's what the future holds for this toy, I am going to keep it as close to stock as I can. But my 907ie needs nothing it's bloody nice--only 4800 miles on the clock-
 
#41 ·
Well I finally got out for a quick cruise around the outskirts of town with a bunch of new parts on it. (5.5 rim, better tires, adjustable forks, better shock, carbon front fender, and a lot of Loctite and Antiseize.) Did 45-50 miles around on the backroads. She feels great...but...

The countershaft seal is shot from the chain being too tight before I got it. I could smell oil on the exhaust as I idled up the driveway.

From the looks of things on the parts fiche, the seal goes on from inside the cases. Which means pull the engine and split the cases.

I wish I still drank.

I'm going to bed sober and pissed off.

http://c8software.com.au/image/57/fiche/45/F8207C47D33DFF0FBD7A6C86B4599AFF.png
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#42 ·
The countershaft seal is installed from the outside, no problem changing it.

I have not seen a seal be damaged by a tight chain without a bad bearing behind it as the bearing is what keeps it centered in the seal. Double check the bearing and shaft and if you want to try seals are not that pricey or hard to change.
 
#43 ·
The countershaft seal is installed from the outside, no problem changing it.
/------------/
Thank you, thank you, thank you...wonder why it shows it going in from the inside on the fiche?

I'll check the bearing while I change the seal, but it doesn't make any noise and it shifts like a dream. Maybe it just dried out sitting around and cracked now that I started riding it.

I always dreaded splitting vertical cases and messing up a perfect gearbox. The Jap stuff is pretty good about going back together and shifting O.K., but the european stuff always bothered me...
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