[Swagger999]

Hi all. First time Ducati owner after trading my 2007 R6 for a 2004 999 Biposto last weekend. It has roughly 26.4k miles on it, and the previous owner claimed that at 24k mi the engine was fully rebuilt, which was also roughly 3 years ago. He claims he hadn't done any maintenance to it since, which has led me to a few things I believe will need replaced.

1.) Belts. Any recommendations for these? I've seen a supplier named "Exactfit" or something similar with decent prices.
2.) Forks are leaking. This I have not been able to find the proper seals, bushings, circlips and dust seal/cover for the rebuild. What oil is also recommended, and how much should be added (I believe that I have the Showa GD051 forks, and have found a video and a PDF on how to do the process, but just need pointers on what to use).
3.) Brakes need to be flushed. There is no brake feel as the previous owner wasn't able to finish bleeding them before the trade and left it as is. I won't be taking it to a track anytime soon, so any sort of DOT 4/5.1 recommendations would be appreciated.
4.) Clutch... The previous owner swapped it over to a dry kit. What are some things to know about these over that of a wet? How often do these get replaced with normal riding? I assume this is a hydraulic operated clutch with a second reservoir on the top of the fork, what do I need to know about that? Type of fluid to use, how often to replace, etc...
5.) Battery is dead. What is the recommended battery/most used around here? It had the Xtreme XTA12B-BS AGM in it. How well do the lithium's perform? Is it worth the cost?
6.)What else do you think should be checked?

Something else I'm curious to know is the starting procedure for the bike. For it to be fuel injected, and have a choke, as well as the servo-start system, what is the typical cold & warm weather startup? Do I use half choke to start or full? I assume full is pulled back and no choke is pushed forwards?

Finally, after getting the bike home off the truck, I attempted to start it up and noticed something was causing it to smoke/vapor after 2 failed start attempts. The smoke was coming out from what appeared to be a lose plug, just in front of the rear cylinder on the right side, going into what I assume is the airbox? Any clue on what that plug is for?

As a college student away from the bike for most of the week, I'm unable to post that many pictures to give a better representation of things but I appreciate any help that I can get.

Thanks,
Jacob

 

[Danbuc]

Call Racetech for thr fork rebuild. They can supply the full bushing/oil/dust seal kit. For what it's worth, the All Balls Racing fork seals i put in my 748 have weeped oil since the day they were installed.


The plug may be a vacuum port? The crankcase breather is on the rear of the motor on the right and vents into the breather box on the right side of the bike. Sounds like a light backfire, check the plugs aren't fouled and make sure you've got fresh gas.

Clut h gets the same Dot3/4 brake fluid as the brakes. The clutch plates...well that depends on your style of riding. If you commute or ride in tiwn a lot, it'll get hot and wear out.

Lot of people running Shorai batts in here including myself for years without issues. LFX14 or 18 will be fine.

Belts, CA Cycleworks are great or Ducati. Plenty of places to snag, Motowheels, Desmotimes, the dealer etc. Check the sponsors section as well they might run some wibter maintenance specials.

If the service history is queationable, belts, valve clearance check, fuel filter and intank lines, oil change and ao on. Any wear and tear items, plus a once over of all the bolts to makw sure everything is tight. It's a smooth Vtwin, but it's still a twin and it does vibrate stuff lose.

Best of luck on the new wheels!

 

[Swagger999]

My primary worry about the forks is that the coating hasn't been etched/scratched thus making them worthless. From the light wipe down I did, I couldn't see anything around the dust seal, but I could be wrong and there may be a problem higher up where I can't see. I'll need to see where I can pick up the tools for the job as well, as I don't believe I have much of them currently. I suppose harbor freight might have a compression tool.

You are close with the breather box, however this "plug" is about 4-5 inches above that (Almost even with the frame), and directly in front of the vertical cylinder. Spark plugs will be checked once I drain all the fuel out to and refill.

Not much commuting will be done but rather open country roads so I suppose the clutch will be saved by that.

Thanks for the help. I'm glad I made two forum accounts and judging by the activity levels on this one, I assume that this is the more commonly used one.

 

[xracer]

If it’s the Ti coating don’t fret, it’s hard chrome underneath. The coating is that thin that any wear won’t tear at the new seals. It isn’t a “choke” lever it’s a fast idle lever. The water and air temperature dictate the fueling map for cold starting and as these bikes aren’t fitted with IAC valves they need the manual fast idle lever. Or like the early superbikes, a fast idle button on the throttle.

 

[Swagger999]

Thanks.

I've also contacted racetech about the forks. Does $210 for all the components in a full rebuild sound about right coming from them? It seems like that's about what people were paying 3 years ago for both parts and labor.

 

[Ghwallice]

Might pay to check the fuel filter and fuel lines inside the tank. I didn't on an ST4 that had been laid up for a while and got to hitchhike home....It also came up on this forum that the 999 can be prone to rust in the tank.....

 

[Swagger999]

I was able to look inside of it the other day and it looked clean, but since I'm taking the tank off to do the belts I'll go ahead and replace that too.

 

[Swagger999]

Question on tire sizes too. What is the actual OEM rear tire size to put on? I've found a manual that says a 190 but have read on these forums that 180 is as well?

My R6 had 190 Michelin Road 5s and they were great, and I'm probably putting those the 999 now. Just curious to see.

 

[xracer]

180 is what you want. 190 makes the front push and feel ponderous. Don’t get suckered in by the width.

 

[Swagger999]

Okay so back to the forks... This has been a head scratching experience for a first time, and I haven't even bought anything for them yet.

Dave Moss was kind enough to send a few messages on reddit with regards to the forks, with recommending Maxima 10W fork oil and oil height to 130mm. I've read stuff about 5W and I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes between the two. Personal info: I'm located in Georgia (US) and will ride mostly from March-October, and with gear weigh around 140lbs (If that). I tend to leave rebound/compression at 50/50 and not push it hard. No track days are expected with the next year.

Would 5W be better suited for me for faster movement? What specific kind of Maxima fork oil should I be searching for? After contacting Race Tech I was told USF05 is needed and that I need 2 Quarts. Is two quarts enough or too much? If I use 5W do I still go with 130mm of height?
Also told for both seals this:
FSOS 43C P $21.98 Oil seals
FSDS 43 P $34.99 Dust Seals

Does this seem reasonable or should I contact Ducati o/Omaha?
34911011A - DUST COVER
Regular price$28.21

93010051A - SEAL OIL, FORK
Regular price$25.14
And do these seals come in packs of two or single (God I hope I'm not getting screwed with that being only 1 ea.)

This is the manual I'm using to reference parts: https://issuu.com/ducatiomaha/docs/999_usa_04_ed_00?e=1222863/10927278
What about greasing the seals? And should the circlips (Part #4) be changed too or no?

So many questions, but honestly anything dealing with suspension has always confused me since I was a kid...

 

[belter]

i would use maxima 5wt fork fluid, bottle has a blue label i think. my manual shows the oil spec for those forks at 104 in the text or 108 in the little picture next to it. i'd go the 130 - 135 personally. more oil height just increases the air spring effect in the last 1/3 of travel. you could drop it more if you liked, and if you're that light you'd probably be best respringing it too with softer springs front and rear.

ducati parts are generally each, not a pair.

skf seals seem very good too. kitb-43s.

think you need to stop fixating on price and just buy some shit.

 

[Swagger999]

i would use maxima 5wt fork fluid, bottle has a blue label i think. my manual shows the oil spec for those forks at 104 in the text or 108 in the little picture next to it. i'd go the 130 - 135 personally. more oil height just increases the air spring effect in the last 1/3 of travel. you could drop it more if you liked, and if you're that light you'd probably be best respringing it too with softer springs front and rear.

ducati parts are generally each, not a pair.

skf seals seem very good too. kitb-43s.

think you need to stop fixating on price and just buy some shit.

Thanks. It's not so much price but getting all the ducks lined up. I know it's probably simple shit to most people who ride and work on their own bikes.

 

[Swagger999]

So while I wait on a few things to arrive I pulled out the seals from SKF (kitb-43s) and noticed that the dust seal doesn’t remotely look like any other seal that I’ve seen before on normal or inverted forks. Does anyone else use these on theirs or have I goofed up and purchased the incorrect parts?

Also for the timing belt change, after watching CA Cycleworks video Chris is tuning the belts to 110 Hz, where as the packing recommends 99 Hz, but is safe to 110. Every other Ducati model I see also has the belts tensioned to 110 Hz so I assume that all will be well.

 

[belter]

that's it. spring helps keep crap out better.

i'd use 110 on the belts. rotate the engine a few times between checks / adjustments.

 

[Swagger999]

Sounds good. For the oil seal, did you use the spacer or no?

 

[belter]

the skf seals are thinner than the showa, so you put the spacer under the seal.

 

[Swagger999]

Just to make sure on install, spacer goes on wheel side or clip-on side?

Also while I was pulling the snorkels off, I didn’t realize that the right snorkel has a reservoir attached to it, but it had absolutely nothing in it. Is this supposed to be empty and act as overfill or do i fill it within the level marks?

 

[belter]

i always put the spacer under the seal.

coolant res should be filled between lines.

 

[MonsterHPD]

Hello,
I have used the SKF seals for about 6 years now, with nothing but good results. initially, I had problem to fit the snap ring when using the spacer, so I´ve ended up not using the spacer, just nocking the seal all the way down,. Ihave not had any problems with this, but maybe I should check with the spacer again next for I do.
Since I take it you´re new to this, maybe a few tips might be useful:

• The edges of the slide bush recess on top of the inner leg are very sharp, and will likely slice the sel if you do not cover them. I use electrical tape around both edges, and stretch the tape well when putting it on.
• Heat the outer leg before instaööing the seal / guide bush. I heat it the bush recess area so I can put my finger there, but not wanting to keep it there. It will greatly facilitate knocking the bush down.
• Get one of the sliding hammer tools for ramming the seal an bush down. It´s about the same cost as one SKF kit, and will save you aggravation and damaged seals.
• Smer the inside of the seal and dust scraper with a thin lyer of good quality grease. I use to then smear that layer with a little fork oil; if nothing else the seal slides very easily over the fork leg and electrical insulation tape.

Hope this will be useful,
Torbjörn.

 

[Swagger999]

Thanks Torbjörn.

I have installed one of the seals but have not added any oil to it yet. It seems like the seals fit around the inner fork very loosely and has me slightly concerned. I plan on using 5 inches (127mm) of maxima 5wt but will finish up tomorrow morning.

As far as measuring goes, is the outer leg supposed to be all the way bottomed out and then measured from top of outer leg? The workshop manual shows the measurement is done with both tubes close together.

Although I have thoroughly cleared up all the high spots on the inner tube, I would rather avoid sliding either seal down that low. Or is this measurement made from the top of the inner leg?

Thanks