[rspete]

Hi
I've been a member of this forum for a little over a month now however this is my first post.
My name is Pete, live in England and have recently become the owner of a 1995 900SS.
I bought the bike via ebay in a rather rash attack of "gorraveone" logic that in the cold light of day perhaps doesn't possess much logic at all!
The bike has been fitted with high comp standard bore pistons and that was about all I knew about it apart from nearly two spare engines and some other odds and sods. (It does have V2 stamped on the heads however I have no reason to think they are from them.)
No brainer bought it on the spot.
Previous owner had pointed out it had been a bit tricky to start and thought it was the starter solenoid.
Not a problem! Easy fix....swapped over solenoid from my Monster. No difference. swapped wiring from battery through to starter. No difference! New cables, no difference. Different battery ditto. Pull starter apart and pick remains of brushes off the floor whilst thinking Aha!! Replace brushes (easily obtained from Ducati dealers, even those who deny their existence, just by asking for part no 067050815) still not playing!!!
Anyway somedays it starts easily others it tries to kill the battery with the added bonus that if the bike is left for 48hrs the battery is flat anyway! On the bad days just jump it from the car and it runs ok.
Thing is I know I've bought a bit of a lemon however I really rather like it! Just to see how much I rode it over 500 miles last weekend, 250 each way and its great
I did however find another problem though which is the rear wheel bearings are on their way out.
Soo... I have a couple of questions
First, can anyone advise on the correct rear wheel bearing size/ type for this model please?
Secondly, what modifications are the most sensible, practical or essential that I could or should look at making?
I have a feeling this could very easily become a money pit if I am not careful
Many thanks in advance for any help or advice.
Pete

 

[rspete]

Hi

Many thanks for all your suggestions and advice.

To date I have replaced the wiring between the starter solenoid and starter with new cable also new earth leads between battery and frame and frame to engine.
It is currently running the old cabling between the starter solenoid, two way connector and battery which I will replace shortly.
I have rebuilt the starter with new brushes.
I have also substituted the starter solenoid from my 600 Monster on the 900ss.

When pressing the starter the solenoid appears to work (and on the 600 the starter spins the engine as though it has no plugs fitted.)
The comment about the two pin wire into the starter solenoid is something I will look into further as I suspect this has a potentially poor connection however it has always tried to turn over so I feel it may not be the main cause just a potential problem for the future!

When I try to start the 900 and it fails to fire it tries to crank but its as though it has too much compression and just can't get it over tdc.
On other occasions it fires on the first crank.
Frustrating and worryingly inconsistent!!

The battery I am using, or rather batteries as I keep swapping them over, both seem to be in good order. One of them is a yuasa and I had that charged and checked at work as good.

I think I have two problems here, one of which is typical of wiring on older vehicles, corrosion and poor connections, especially where the previous owner may have meddled with it. Not uncommon with a 14 year old Italian motorcycle!
The other is the battery going flat if unused but left connected on the bike. Means there is a drain somewhere that I have yet to find. Something that doesn't happen on the Monster fortunately (touch wood!)

More than twenty years ago I used to earn my living on Italian motorcycles, mainly Guzzis and Laverdas, so I should have known better than to buy an old Italian motorcycle!!.
Still once motorcycling gets in your blood there is no turning back and I have always had a soft spot for Italian bikes

Still, when it goes its worth it.

Will update you with my progress.

Thanks again.

 

[rspete]

" Please allow me to introduce myself...
...I'm a man of wealth and taste.


Wooo wooooo..."

I can assure you I'm a man of no wealth and with questionable taste!

 

[rspete]

An update on my battery going flat.
Finally had some time to look at the bike last night and did a quick check for a parasitic drain. First check appears to have revealed the culprit.
My regulator rectifier is pulling more than 4amps. This is almost certainly a failure that has been getting progressively worse however that is a pretty good way of frying a load of other electrical bits so fingers crossed there.

Has anyone got any recommedations on alternative re/rec units?
The one on the bike is an Electrex RR51 unit which I guess is cheaper than a Ducati genuine part.
Anyway now I have an answer to that problem it makes me wonder if all my starting issues are connected. I am also going to go through the whole wiring harness with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing else is waiting to catch me out!
Cheers
Pete