Most of the content that was previously on this page has been moved here.

This page is mostly relavent to owning a 900SS, but there's some 888 stuff tossed in for good measure. The photos are mostly mine, but the text is courtesy of the many wonderful people on the mailing list at www.Ducati.net This stuff is in no particular order. It's just a bunch of juicy tidbits I'd like to remember.

I am not a graphic designer. If I were this page would be prettier. Deal.

Here's a link to the guys I usually ride with. Santa Barbara Ducati Club

My bike is '96 900SS/SP. Her name is Buttercup. She is Italian, red, and fast, so everything must be right with the world.

Oil & Filter:

howdy all, Ive become the owner of a 95 900ss with 20 thousand kays , so far so good except for what might turn out to be a problem dropped the bike off to mechanic for a tune and service and through going over when he tried to take the oil filter off, it could be done by hand and he had to use a made up tool to unscrew the filter which then took 4 full revolutions before it came off, the rubber seal which says is about 4mm think had been compressed down to about 2mm - further there are score marks on the engine casing where previous mechanics have wound the filter down hard against the engine. he put on a aftermarket oil filter ( brand/type which has worked on other 900ss) wound it down hard, warmed up bike and discovered it was sealing properly - leaking oil. looking at the engine casing where the oil filter goes appears it hasnt been cast/machined properly so the oil filter doesnt seal. he is going to try a genuine ducati oil filter, but it concerned that that wont seal either. anybody heard of this and offer any work arounds, i was thinking of either using a selastic, cork or maybe a copper based gasket to try and get the seal. cheers - dave

I've heard of this ... Happened to me. I bought a used SS and the first time I changed the filter I noticed that there were two gaskets inside. I couldn't get the filter to seal after that. Problem was the threaded "stud" that the filter mounts to. It was bent. No idea how that could have happened, it's well inside the case and a short stout bit of steel, but that was the case. - Don Hill

This could conceivably occur with a well placed impact against the filter itself -- especially one of the longer filters which also have rather stout outer shells that would transfer that energy directly to that threaded nipple/stud. I would say your diagnosis of a bent threaded filter nipple/stud is dead on -- the most likely cause of this malady. -John-

What kind of oil you run in your Duc makes a big difference. I have never spoken to a Duc mechanic worth his salt that recommended you use anything other than motorcycle-specific oil. You will get many opinions on what motorcycle specific oil to use, and there are many good ones out there. The composition of motorcycle oil is different, as a M/C imposes different and higher loads on oil than are imposed by cars. Choice of oil is critical to engine life. Personally, I recommend the Mobil One 20-50 Motorcycle V-Twin Oil for any Duc. This oil can be hard to find, but it dropped the average temperature on my VFR by about ten degrees, though the VFR still runs hotter than I find pleasant on a Georgia summer day. I also ran it in my 750SS and will run it in my 900SS that I am lusting for and will have, hopefully soon. - Francis

Chain

I've heard some folks say they clean with WD-40, but I'm afraid the slightly corrosive nature of the stuff will break down the rings. I mostly clean the stuff around the chain (swingarm, sprocket, and so on) with WD-40 and then spray-lube with Silkolene. I don't even mess with cleaning the chain itself (the Silkolene actually washes away a lot of the black grime, and I spray really liberally, so it's best to put some carboard or something underneath to catch the runoff before you start). Got over 19K miles out of my stock chain. -- Rob Lube with Chain Wax. Periodically clean with WD40 and a medium stiff pats washing brush. After cleaning with WD40, wipe off excess with clean shop rag and take for a short ride to warm up the chain then reapply new chain wax. FWIW I "wax" every ~500~ miles and clean the chain with WD40 every ~2K~ miles. More if I've been riding in dirt. - Joe Nassif

Service:

Saturday was the first service done by Kelly Baker's Performance Unlimited. Since I live in the Torrance area he picked up my 996S on thursday and on saturday we got to his place on my SS900. On my 996S, Kelly replaced my clutch slave (Yokodyne) and my stock flywheel with a Nichols lightweight flywheel and also a 3000K service. On my 900 he changed the tires (Michelin Macams X100) and also gave it a 3000K service. After Kelly works on my bikes it feels like a brand new bike...Kelly has been very honest and having someone you can trust working on your bikes is very satifying. His pick-up service is great and the ride out there was not bad at all...if you leave early in the morning to get there by 9 and coming back you can take Angeles Crest Highway...great test ride route. His pick-up service is great and to have someone you can really Give Kelly a try... - Dean

The following pictures are bikes from Guy Webster's collection. Wow. Let me say again, WOW. Amazing. Incredible. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe the amazing machines Mr. Webster has in his museum. So I'll just say, "WOW" and leave it at that.

Cleaning the bike:

Delicate paint finishes require careful cleaning and polishing. So, what you need is a cleaner/wax product that has a very fine abrasive and looks very shiny on the paint. I haven't tried them all, but I always go back to the plain green inexpensive liquid Turtle Wax. It may not last as long through washings but I think it shines the best. The key to a mirror shine and removal of fine scratches however, is in the application of the cleaner and wax. So here comes THE TIP. Go to the drug store and get a roll of cotton batting. You know, the stuff they wrap around your arm when they put it in a cast. Now, tear off a small piece, wet it with water and squeeze it dry. Now, use it to apply your favorite cleaner or wax. Pull it apart frequently to reveal a fresh clean surface, and throw it away when it gets slightly dirty with any embedded grime. Polish with a well laundered old cotton T-shirt. - Larry Kelly

I almost forgot. I made a discovery the other day that everyone will probably read and go, "Duh, you didn't *know* that?!??" Early on in the ownership of my bike, which came with gel-coated carbon fiber fenders, I washed the windscreen with Windex or something like that. Some of it dripped on my fender and it turned all white and milky and icky. I eventually replaced the fender. Time munched on and the stock c-f sprocket cover got the same way. This I just pouted about until I was able to score a normal plastic sprocket cover off eBay for like $5. Onward through time and I'm washing my bike, now entirely clad in carbon fiber that I had clear-coated to protect it from milky white water spots. The wifey sees me struggling with some particularly nasty goo and suggests I try a little Oxy-Clean in the water. After washing and rinsing, I discover that the damned clear-coat dude *didn't* clear coat the c-f gas filler cap and it turns all mottled white and spotty. Grrrrr! I entertain thoughts of pitching the bike off a bridge, then settle down to considering painting it over, replacing it, or sanding it down and re-coating it. One day I get some Q-tips and some rubbing compound and try it out on a little patch. It seems to work, but it leaves a gritty residue, which I clean up with denatured alcohol. To make a short story long, I tried wiping the rest of the filler cap with the alcohol and the milky white oxydation spots disappeared like magic! The c-f got all nice and shiny again, and I didn't have to sand down the whole thing!! Yippee!!! Hope this trick helps somebody out there. I suspect it's the gelcoat that got discolored and the alcohol removed that -- so I should probably rub something on it to protect it. Maybe I can buy some gelcoat at AutoZone, or maybe I'll just brush on some clear coat. Cheers! -- Rob Allen

I stopped "washing" my bikes years ago because of the same reason. I've been using the S100 products - be careful with S100 Cleaner, as it must be thoroughly rinsed off (don't use it much any more) - and have found them to be effective. In particular, the S100 Corrosion Protectant has been effective. It's an agent which leaves what Dave Wright suggested re: a waxy consistency.
www.mansfieldcycles.com
www.motoshop.net
www.hawg-wash.com
S100 products can be found at all fine stores near you. ;) I also use this product - Rusteco...really, a miracle agent. Just wipe it off and it's ready for painting or whatever (corrosion protectant, etc.). Rusteco *is* expensive. www.rusteco.com Good luck. - DR

I personally love Mr. Moto. www.mrmotoproducts.com I use this stuff on all my bikes, on all surfaces. Have been for years I even buy the stuff in 5 gal jugs, they last about 2 years washing 4 bikes and the wheels on 3 cars. As a bonus you can spray it on a grease/oil spot on your jeans and throw them in the wash and it cleans them too! I even use it on the rims on my 20 year old Jag! - Brian

I second Don Ross' S100 endorsement. The stuff in marvelous including their engine brightener alonside the corrosion protectant. I can't recommend them highly enough. - Joe

Paint:

Dupont has a match for the new Ducati red, they call it New Red (Rosso Red): This is their Chromabase paint and this mix is for one quart. Any Dupont shop should be able to mix it using these ingredient codes.
Ingredient # Description Amount
850 Brilliant red 325.3
866 Red violet 43.1
842 Lt Yellow 23.5
802 LS white 15.7
150 B/C balancer 480.6

Exhaust:

For those of you interested in spaghetti headers, the Dutch firm Bos make one. See www.bos-exhausts.com I have Bos cans on my SS and the quality is good. I haven't seen the header though. - Derek

And one more... (though it looks like a one into one with no crossover) www.hindle.com Select the middle "views" button on the right to see a pic - Jeff in ATL

Where do you find???

Honda dealers sell dielectric compound aka silicon grease. Industrial suppliers also sell silicon grease, I believe under the GE brand, try Graingers, McMaster-Carr and the like. - Rich Roberts

You can buy an expensive tube from your local Honda dealer or you can go to an electronic supply house and get it cheaper. As to the starter, if the starter is puling the battery down too hard as it sounds like it is doing, then there isn't enough surplus voltage going to run the engine and charge the battery. I don't know what the threshold voltage is for the Ducati ignition, but when the voltage gets too low, the ignition will have problems firing. This can vary from ignition unit to ignition unit. Good luck...Hopper

Amusing Anecdotes:

Back in Norton's Commando heyday, the old monocoque and space frame racers had Volkswagon mechanical fuel pumps mechanically hooked up to the swing arm. This was necessary due to the fact that the "frame" on the monocoque doubled as the fuel tank...nice low center of gravity, etc. The fuel then had to be pumped up to a smaller holding tank to gravity feed the carbs. Now you think..."Oh, neat idea!", but when the bike was sitting on the grid..there was no motion of the swingarm..so no fuel moving either. Well, one of the mechanics would then stand behind the rider and work the bike up-n-down to actuate the pump, until just before the start of the race. Well...the Japanese saw this and got the same idea..well almost...they started doing the same up-n-down on their riders bikes...thinking the Brits were doing this to "warm" up the shocks! Nice bit of trivia gleaned from Norman White, mechanic extroidinaire and racer for the old John Player Norton Racing Team. - Hopper

'Reminds me of one that a psych friend likes to tell which reflects the subtle nuances we all pick up from the multi-generational influences of our early primary care-givers. Daughter asks mother why she always cuts the ends off the ham before she cooks it. Mother says that her mother always did that to affect better cooking. Daughter then asks grandmother the same Q. Grandmother gives the same reason. Daughter then asks great grandmother the same Q. Great grandmother says that the only pan she had for cooking ham was always too short. :-) DR

Anything worth shooting, is worth shooting twice. - ra2bach

Tire Changing Equipment:

I just had an idea; we were thinking of mounting to a wall etc, in which case the floor 'box' could just be 2x4s, How about a vertical channel/tube with holes for the lever end, welded onto a 2x2" tube or even bolted onto a cheap trailer hitch stub? Then you plug it into your trailer hitch; driveway or track.. and there you go. Probably not the first, and don't sue me when you test the pressure on your toe etc.. Cheers, - Rick

Thanks for the links, Rob. I was REALLY hoping for a personal recommendation. You know, something like, "One time I got a flat in Ventura on my way up to Laguna to watch the superbike race. I was stuck on the side of the road and didn't know what to do when this gorgeous blonde pulled up in a Ferrari and asked if I needed help. Apparently she runs a bike shop between modeling gigs. Anyway, she called her shop and 5 minutes later there was a truck there with all the gear on board to change the tires on my Maraschinis. 20 minutes later the bikini-clad crew had a brand spanking new set of D208s mounted and balanced on my Duc. The owner then told me she was just about to head up to the race herself, but wasn't sure how to get there. No charge for the tires if I'd just ride up with her and help her find her hotel. We drove over to her shop and she climbed aboard her new 999 and off we went." You know. Something like that. -Mikiel

www.mad-ducati.com
Directions to make a cheap front frame stand that I can confirm works. Cost about $40 in parts from home depot - David Terry

We have all had our rims mangled by the shop flungie at one time or another and then charged for it! Luckily I have a sponsorship from a shop that lets me use there equipment, like tire changer and balancer. Before this god send I was considering this appliance: www.harborfreight.com - PaulM

Now this is an intriguing idea. I do have the welding gear already.... And the tires I just ordered won't be here for another week... And my truck does have a class III hitch receiver.... Why, I could even rig up the bead breaker with a cheapo car jack so I don't have to lug around a long steel tube for leverage.... - Mikiel

I don't think that is too much of a problem, and I think hand work might be safer than jacking if anything ever got wonky. Let's say you need 1in. travel at the rim, if the verticle pivot is 3-4 in out from the solid pivot you shouldn't need more than a two foot bar, and you can always make an extension. Your 2x4's will be 2 ft long anyways. Garage... we don't need no stinkin' garage... Cheers, Rick

888 History:

Here in the States, 888s were sold in '93 & '94. The '93 US model is known as the 888SPO and in '94 we got the 888LTD. The LTD was a limited production (hence the name) standard 888 for the US market. Mechanically about the same as the '93 although for some reason, they tested a tad faster. They built 100 of them and it's said that around 75 made it over. They're bringing about $1k more than the '93 SPOs and remain the most desirable of the "standard" 888s. Homologation specials like SP3s, 4s & 5s were never road legal over and built in very limited numbers so consequently there are only a few to go around. Expect to spend anywhere from around $18k to upwards of $25k for one of those, if you can find one. I know of a couple for sale in other countries, but getting one in here at this point would be a complete headache. Anyway, a bit of history ... According to "The Ducati Story" by Ian Falloon, the 9/89 issue of Cycle declared the 851 to be the fastest two-cylinder bike they had ever tested, covering the quarter mile in 11.61 seconds at 116.28 mph. That is indeed a pretty strong twin for 1989. The book goes on to mention that the '90 851 as tested by Cycle World weighed in at 506 lbs (heavier subframe), covered the quarter in 11.26 seconds at 121.29 mph and touched 150 on top. The numbers for the '91 851 were almost identical, so not worth mentioning. Ditto for the '92 851's times (which were actually a tad slower) and amazingly, Cycle World's test of the '93 888 saw that bike churn out similar performance numbers as well. Excepting the various SP variants of course (3, 4, 5), it wasn't until it's last year that the bike made a significant leap: Cycle World's test of the '94 888 LTD saw that bike cover the quarter in 10.81 seconds at 128.02 mph while on its way to a 157 mph big end. The lovely 888 certainly went out with a bang.

More specifically regarding the Sport Production homologation bikes ... The 888SPS or SP4S was built in '92 and was basically a '92 SP4 with the slightly more powerful '91 spec Corsa motor, carbon fiber tank & mufflers, same Ohlins forks & other stuff. A pain in the ass on the street with it's fat cams and non-fan cooled radiator. An SP4 you can read about at my site. The SP5 followed in '93 and came with the same motor as the '92 SPS, but with a Showa fork and a steel tank. None of the above were road legal in America. For a prospective buyer there's not much in the way of common problems to watch for with the 888. When looking at one to buy, a buyer should have the seller yank the bodywork and look for obvious stuff like head and base gasket leaks. Early 4Vs didn't like dawdling in traffic. It's best to use a flashlight and be thorough. An antifreeze weep can be cleaned up, but it'll usually leave a trace somewhere. Also, old water & fuel lines can harden and spring the odd leak even if the bike's just sat its entire life, seen that movie. Like any other Ducati, a prospective bike would have to have updated & fresh belts tossed in unless that hadn't provably been done in its recent past and of course, the same goes for valve adjustments, etc. I dunno, it's such a personal thing. Mine's a collectible so I can't sit here and carry on about its limits because even if I were out beating on it regularly, they'd still remain high above mine. I'm reminded of that each time it gets out. Like a 996, 888s were built with racing in mind and in the end, if I were planning to own just one sporting motorcycle and had to chose between the two, I'd own a 996 simply because they're everywhere so parts & spares are readily available. Wad one up or have one stolen and its just matter of settling with the insurance company & fixing it or finding another. In short, either one will do whatever pace its rider can muster. It's up to individual owners to determine their own comfort level with regards to rarity, risk and value. Here are some excellent online resources to monitor...
www.ducati.net Enter 888 in the model name field.
www.cowin-tech.com
www.amasuperbike.com
And I gotta hit the sack... :-) Arch

Maintenance:

I don't know for sure what comes from the factory, but if there's any kind of sticky or slick stuff in [your new speedo cable], I wouldn't mess with it. If it comes dry, I'd put a thin film of bearing grease/white lithium grease on it before re-assembling. WD40 is too thin and would probably dilute any lubricant already there, maybe some teflon-based thing would be ok to add. be cool bro, - Warren Egger

Suspension and Handling:

Okay...since I see no reference to any real suspension set up just references to vague feeling etc I will presume you have not set up your suspension in any scientific way, by scientific I mean step wise with some general principles as a foundation. First and foremost, most of the info is out there in many fashions, you could probably turn up several suspension articles just by doing a internet search but here we are...first and foremost is sag, this is the amount bike settles under your weight and the bikes weight. It is a function of spring rate and has nothing to do with hydraulic damping, for track days this number should be in the neighborhood of 25-30mm. If no amount of spring preload gets you there then your spring rates are too soft or too hard depending on which way it ends up. If you weigh 300 pounds maybe you compress it so much no amount of preload can overcome it, if you weight 100 pounds maybe you can not soften it up enough to compress at all. So sag or sack is where you start. Damping both rebound and compression is next, and that is very much a function of personal preference and track/road conditions. In other words once sag is within reason this is where the fiddling comes in. Some say start in the middle, some say use as much rebound damping as you can stand. If nothing you do proves satisfactory to you and you have exhausted all options meaning you have made incrimental adjustments, followed factory recommendations or fellow listers/ riders settting of what worked for them, nothing works, you may need to turn to an expert and have them reshim both front and rear. It is entirely possible that damping is inadequate to your personal needs. It does not cost very much to redo the damping on both ends, note for most this means compression damping which means reshimming. Rebound damping can also be adjusted but most often it is compression first. It is not that difficult to do the actual work. Another issue is very often rear shocks are just worn out, what that can mean most usually to me is the gas is all gone in rear, oil is in need of freshening up or a change in viscosity front or rear may be in order etc. Several shops that do this kind of work spring to mind though some say they have had mixed results. RaceTech, PPS, Lindemann are folks that have been used by many for simple effective rebuilds, of even supposedly non rebuildable shocks. Spring rates, from Ohlins, Eibach etc are readily available and what works is out there but you have provided very little usable info for anyone to advise you. For many spring rate, oil viscosity and preload is a cheap place to make improvements. I recall transforming the suspension on my wife's Ninja 250 years ago simply by increasing lenght of preload spacers in front forks, cost me all of 5 bucks for several feet of Sch 40 1.25" PVC Pipe. cut it up in .25" increments til it felt right. Stiffened the front end right up. Sometimes a good oil change does the trick for little time or money. I think changing fork oil every year or so is a good idea for bikes that really are ridden. Want better,faster action go lighter, want slower action go heavier. making sure oil level is right is important, too low and the very progressive nature of compressed air becomes your spring. Air gap is important and often overlooked. Oil level is supposed to be measured with spring removed and fork fully compressed hard to do if it is still installed in triple tree. Though many of us just add the supposed proper mls of oil it is not very scientific, too much, too little different volumes one fork vs another unless it is supposed to be that way. So maybe I have given you something to think about it, track days I would spend all my brain cells on rubber and suspension and forget about how fast you get around the circuit, too much is made of speed and not enough about how smooth. Sounds like you are pushing it way too hard for the setup and that my friend can be a very dangerous thing. Slow down and make small changes and see how that goes. Have fun. - Rich Roberts

Engineering Stuff:

Mikiel, the formula for mean piston speed is stroke x rpm x 0.166 feet per minute where the stroke is in inches (too tired to work out the formula for metrics but the thought process is the same). You can see that as stroke goes up so does mean piston speed in a linear progression. Certain materials only have so much strength and can be described in a manner that relates to mean piston speed. In other words, say cast iron rods and cranks are good for approximately 3500 feet per minute and if these are forged, the speed goes up to 3650 fpm. This will hold true as a general rule of thumb. Your new manufacturing techniques and new metallurgy will alter this some what. Now consider that you have a fixed volume rule in a race class, i.e. the 600cc class or the 1000cc class. You can come up with this volume in many ways: volume=Pi x radius squared x height or in thinking automotive...cylinder volume is equal to Pi x bore radius squared x stroke and in the case of a Ducati, divide this by two cylinders. If you increase the bore, the stroke must be shortened to still maintain the fixed volume, or if you increase the bore, you must shorten the stroke. In the mean piston speed formula involves rpm and stroke. If you increase either the msp will increase, but again you're fixed to a speed where you can maintain reliability such as 3500 fpm. So if you increase the stroke, your must by necessity, lower your rpms. But...since an "infernal" combustion engine must be considered an air pump, ten the more air you pump, the more HP you make (within limits that is). Now one more thing to consider and I'll grossly exaggerate so as to make the point clear, let's say you have two 1000 cc engines (and don't hold me to the formula!!!), but each configured differently...one with a 100cm bore and a 10cm stroke (Just an analogy..don't work the formulas!!) and the other has a 10cm bore and a 100cm stroke. Which would produce the most power? Consider how much room you'd have on the 10cm bore for valves...not very much at all, but you still have to fill a 1000cc volume! On the other engine, with a 100cm bore, you can have humongous valves to fill the 1000cc volume. Also with the short stroke now you can really rev the engine up and still be with in the safety values for the engine components. Volumetric efficiency is great. now the other engine...well because of it's extremely long stroke, the rpms must be kept down to keep the engine within the mps allowances. So in a down and dirty sort of way, you can see why modern engines have gone to high bore/stroke ratios or grossly "over square" in their configuration. One last formula and you'll see why the rpm factor is so critical.... HP = (torque x rpm) / 5252. the higher the rpm, the higher the power output (within design limitations). WOW...hope y'all aren't as brain dead as I feel after that typed dissertation! Hope it was clear enough so that you get a feel for engine design and why it evolves in certain ways. - Hopper

This is the place for everything you ever wanted to know about the internal engine and how it applies to our Ducati's, no matter it being a Bevel, Belt, or Round Case!
www.docv.org
It's better than staying at a Holiday Inn! - Art Ramos

There is a period between the engine's exhaust stroke and its intake stroke where both the exhaust valve and the intake valves are open at the same time. More radical cams typically have higher lifts and longer durations. This is indicated by the "valve lift @ TDC" numbers on a camshaft manufactures specification sheet. The valve overlap is provided by cam manufactures to promote efficient cylinder filling on the intake cycle using the vacuum created in the exhaust system from the exhaust gases to pull a fresh air fuel mixture through the intake system. - Frank

Shop Tools:

What's the best paddock-type stand for my new (to me) '94 900SS?
Rear - Pitbull
Front - Woodcraft
- Charlie McCullough

hey Chris...don't weld some spools on your swing arm! get a different swing arm stand.

I just grabbed my MAW catalog and the same type of stand that i use on my '96 900SS is listed for $65.95 It's the Adjustable Swing Arm Stand Series II and in fact with closer examination, the picture they show with the stand in use is a Supersport Duc!!

I have one that I use all the time and it works fine. Just remember to shift the stand to the left when you put it under the swing arm, otherwise the lefthand support will drag on the chain sprocket. I use a front wheel stand that I got from Chapparell. It had two "pegs" that go up under the fork leg below the axle. Woks fine too.

Keeps your swing arm nice-n-tiddy! - Hopper

I have had the same stand (Lockhart Adjustable Swing Arm Stand Series II)for years, used it on my 750SS, 900SS and 750Sport. Works ok, the problem is the bike slides back all the time and the rear wheel end up touching the ground. It's around 10 years old, the paints chipped off and rubber is worn and ripped up on the lift points, probably why it slides around now. Really can't complain too much after 10 years of service. My Aprilia RS250 has spools and for it I use a Pit Bull stand, it doesn't slide down and always lifts in the right place. Once I get off my lazy butt, I'll have the spool mounts I have laying around welded to the 750SS, it should look fine.

Front stands, use a Pit Bull under the axle and Woodcraft under the steering stem. I end up using the Woodcraft 95 percent of the time, since it feels more secure and is a breeze to use.

Good Luck with whatever you do, - Vito

Fun Stuff:

Formula 1 team programs engine to play music. astro.temple.edu First you'll hear a 10-cylinder, 750 horsepower Asiatech F1 engine being warmed up. Then it performs a rousing version of "When The Saints Come Marching In", to the delight of assembled pit staff and journalists. Here's how the magic was achieved (technical/musical details via F1 Racing magazine): As we all know, a V10 engine produces five combustions per revolution at a frequency per second of 60/(5 x revs per minute), which equals 12/rpm. Therefore, to work out the revs you need to hit a particular musical note, you multiply the note's frequency by 12. To play a 440Hz 'A', for example, you need 5,280rpm. For 'C', use 3,139rpm, for 'F' 4,191rpm, and so on. Asiatech's French technicians (the engine, despite its name, is derived from a Peugeot design) simply programmed their engine to run through the various rev/note ranges in the correct sequence. The result is delightful. And think of the possibilities - BMW's F1 engine, which howls all the way to 19,050rpm, could rip through the entire Hendrix songbook. Even better: imagine a massed NASCAR choir performing "The Star Spangled Banner"! Being eight-cylinder engines, the frequency per second would be 60/(4 x revs), which means you'd multiply the note frequencies by 15 instead of 12: 'A' would arrive at 6,600rpm, 'C' at 3,923rpm, 'F' at 5,238rpm, etc. - Dave Wright

Wheels:

For some reason people can justify spendint 1800.00 for pipes ¬ justify spending the same for wheels. - Pick

Truth is wheels much better investment than pipe. Unless you are building motor. Ducs do fine on Intermediate system, that is standard headpipe and then up to 50mm in collector to cans. Wheels will for the most part knock off about 10 pounds give or take...butthose pipes sure do sound better. :) -Rich Roberts

I'm taking my new mag wheels in to be powder coated tomorrow and was wondering how hot the curing process got? Will I need to remove the wheel bearings, or will they be ok in there? TIA Dave J.

Typically 325-375F metal temp. - REMOVE the bearings!!! Besides potentially hurting the bearings, the slightest drop of grease will melt out to ruin the new finish! - Dave Wright

Brake light:

Oh, I pull on the lever,
But there ain't no brake light comin' on,
Mmmmm, but if I step on the pedal,
Then I got a brake light comin' on,
Is the problem the switch at the lever?
Or is my electrical connector gone?

Since I woke up with this tune running through my head, it's sure to be an INTERESTING day. Is there a "usual suspect" for this little problem or should I grab my multimeter and start probing away? Every other electrical bit on the bike seems to work just fine. - Mikiel

Try checking the little switch that the brake lever actuates. I had to replace that on Laura's M750, same symptoms.... -scott

Be careful when removing the switch, there is small ball bearing about the size of a BB that is very easily lost. I spent about twenty minutes on the shop floor looking for it when it hit the floor and rolled away. And yes, the micro switch does fail. - Wally

There is a _tiny_ black plastic cylinder that sits between a recess in the inside plane of the lever where it contacts the switch and the switch itself. Yours could be missing. When the lever is off, the buffer piece makes the contact to the switch (_allowing_ continuity if I remember). When the lever is pulled back, continuity breaks, and the light comes on (maybe I have this reversed, but you get the idea). If your taillight seems to be always on, that's a good indicator too that the piece is missing. This happened to me once, and I ended up testing continuity to both brakes and replaced the bulbs before I realized there should've been that piece there. And that's what it was. Try that. Good luck. - Kath

My bet would be that it is the switch. On my '96SS I have gone through about five of 'em. I just buy a similar switch at Radio Shack for $1.99, it has an arm to actuate the switch which I just rip off and it works just fine. It probably isn't sealed like the factory one but it seems to last just as long. I think I got the price from Ducati once and it was like $30. My factory switch was made by Cherry and if you look online you can find the replacement but you usually have to buy a certain minimum and it gets kind of pricey. Hope this helps. -Mike

That happened on my bike and I got a new switch from Bob at MotoParadiso. I think he may even have an extra hanging around. - sharyn

Before ripping into it, just try operating the switch with a small knife blade. I've fixed a couple that just needed a little adjustment. loosen the screws that hold the switch to the M/C boby and see if it moves around a little bit. If so, moving it towards the lever just a little may fix the problem. Also a small squirt of Tri- Flow (or similar) may solve the problem ... - Don Hill

I found the microswitch for my bike at Radio Shack. Part #275-016A. for around $2.00. Same specs as original. Rob Smith

Accessories

Italian flag reflectors. I bought mine from Everything Italian. They are 3x7/8 in size and are $4.00. Nice people to do business with. Hope this helps. - Rob Smith

Fuel

Remember, the octane rating system is different in the US. When this system is used, 87 (R+M/2) is called Regular, 89 (R+M/2) is called Plus and 92 (R+M/2) is called Premium.

The bottom line is ... for best performance use a fuel rated as close to the manufacturerąs MINIMUM recommended rating as possible.

The optimum octane rating is actually slightly lower than the manufacturerąs recommended minimum stated in the owners handbook. This is to provide a safety margin in case a particular fuel delivery or brand doesnąt quite reach it's specified octane rating or to compensate for environmental changes. The octane requirement is different depending on the weather and your location.

Modern engine management systems adjust automatically to prevent pinging. Variables that affect pinging, such as coolant temperature, ambient air pressure and air temperature, are constantly monitored by the computer to assure best performance. So if you use a lower octane gas, the knock sensor will simply retard your ignition timing so you get slightly lower performance but avoid engine damage. - Larry Kelly

Breaking in the engine

Break-in is primarily to relieve stresses induced by casting process - not to seat rings. Accomplished with either Dino or Synthetic. It's heat cycles that are important, not number of times the piston travels up and down in cylinder (at 9k rpm, how many times do you think it takes?). You're breaking in the pistons and cylinders - not the rings. - Charlie McCullough

Rear hugger

What size screws are used to mount the rear hugger on '96 900SS/SP? -Mikiel

frame or swingarm? i'd think both are 6mm, though the swinger ones have a wider head. i'm pretty certain that M6x16 or x20 allen heads will work anywhere. - Chris Kelley

Crankcase Venting

I've noted a bit of seepage from the base gaskets on my 900 SS/SP. This is the Duc that has a 944 kit w/ HP pistons and individual Keihin 41 FCR's on short Malosi intakes. It's been suggested that the way I vented is at fault. Just wondering how others do this and their experiences. TIA - Bruce

Nah, venting not likely the reason, the castings and all arenot so great so that seal is not usually the greatest, takes a bit to clean everything up and you should use something like Yamabond on all surfaces and new base gaskets to get a good seal. lots of Ducs leak a bit at the basegasket. With or without good crankcase ventilation. - Rich Roberts

Anodizing

What's the best way to remove anodizing? I've tried Easy-Off oven cleaner (useless) and Aircraft paint stripper (even more useless), but would rather not use Lye. Any other secret family recipies out there? -Sheldon

Call your local anodize house, they strip anodize regularly. If you insist on doing it yourself, email me offline and I'll give you a "recipe" for a chromic acid based stripper. You must dispose of the depleted solution properly as it is not "environment friendly". Just know that all types of chemical anodize stripping involve etching and will impart slight dimensional changes to your part...not to mention disrupt any cosmetic finish. It is possible to restore the dimensional changes during the re-anodize process (depending on the type of anodize), because anodize does impart a buildup on the surface of the part. However, this is a matter best left to those that do it regularly, i.e. your anodize house. Any finish you have on the part will likely be lost. If you have a nice bright machined finish, or polished surface pre-etch, it will matte in appearance post-etch. - Bill

Clutch

Well....since there are no torque values given or any way to know when to stop tightening....how do I know when they are "securely tightened"? It may be intuitive when I get it apart, but I'd rather know the deal before I take it apart. Oh yeah....best place (cheapest) to buy these clutch plates? - Bob

Bob,
When rebuilding clutch packs, I generally use ~8 ft lbs on those spring retainer bolts. Don't want to use too much - the bosses on the clutch drums aren't the strongest - and being aluminium, they won't take too kindly to heavy-handed treatment.

Use the same value across practically everything (TZ, Duc, etc.). If you're concerned about the fastener, use a little mild locktite to make sure it stays. I don't usually bother since clutch packs are a pretty regular monthly swap-out on something like the TZ. - Charlie McCullough

Hiya All you and you know who you are. I think my latest experience may help other folks who are right cheap bastids and also are new to wrenching on these lovely Ducs. My point is that the other day I tried to replace my worn-to-hell clutch plates with some decent plates from a guy who updated his Monster. The plates (and friction discs) had about 1500 miles on them, which is certainly better than the 35K miles my old plates had. Now I have been using a Haynes manual, which recommends (and I followed directions) that you use 9 steel and 7 friction plates. Furthermore, that is what came off the bike. After replacing the plates (2mm steel, 2mm steel, friction, 1.5mm steel, friction, 2mm steel...) It turned out that the whole kit and kaboodle was too big. And no matter how many times I checked, the stack was too big. I had been Using the Haynes manual to do things thus far. INTERESTINGLY, thanks to my local Duc friend, I found out that the "real" manual states a wholly different set-up. By this I mean that the Italian manual (which I have but never use cuz I do not even understand the English part) says there should be LESS plates. And YES I took out 9 steel/7 friction plates, but the new ones were too thick. Also, none of thes plates were of the 3.5mm variety that were used on older (91/92 I think) 900ss's. They were all in spec. Anyhow, now the clutch is Lovely, But I would never have known this since I only used and trusted the Haynes manual that I had. Just thought I would share. Ride Faster Gabriel

Touring

I'm sure you'll get lots of good suggestions, but here are a few that make my road trips nicer.

1) Tool Kit - make a little kit of 8,10,11,12,13 mm sockets and a little 1/4" ratchet and extension. Leave out the sockets that don't fit anything on your bike. Take the allen wrenches that fit your bike, small needlenose pliers, small vise-grips, the stock (cheap and light) spark plug socket, small crescent wrench, tie wraps, two yards of duct tape wrapped around something small, small screwdriver with interchangable bits, spare master link and clip, a couple feet of safety wire, medicinal whiskey. The idea here is to only take tools to address what you can or want to fix on the side of the road. Here's a pic of a good medium distance toolkit.

2) Creature comfort - bandana for neck to minimize collar chafing and keep wind out (gives you a salty look too :-), a soft washcloth and small bottle of plastic polish for your faceshield, spare foam earplugs, rainsuit (Tourmaster Elite is a good one), rubber gloves to go over your regular gloves in the rain (or if the weather's warm, just a spare set of textile gloves that dry quick). Faceshield-wise, I just use a clear one with black tape at the top for a visor because I hate carrying a dark and a clear one. Sunglasses too. Maybe a small collapsible umbrella for sun shade at the races. Teva sandals.

These are just a few suggestions, there's obviously more to it than that, but I always try to take things that aren't readily available out in the sticks. When in town, just buy it if you need it. Keep it simple.

A tank bag with a clear map pocket is a must. My favorite conveniences on the road are; a bottle of water, a flask of adult beverage, a little bottle of plastic polish, a washcloth, earplugs, bandanna, rainsuit, electric vest, maps. I can forget everything else, but if I have these things at least I have fun riding.

Charlie, I concur. GPS rocks. While there are essentials for the road, such as tools, riding gear, etc, there are some pretty good "optionals" too. Two of the most useful, and pleasing, items I've EVER bought for riding are my Garmin GPS-V (thanks to Arch for introducing me to them), and my Gerbings electric jacket liner. The electric jacket or vest can turn a miserably cold ride into acceptable, and a cold ride into pleasant. I seldom leave the driveway without it in my tank bag.

The GPS with auto-routing is an awesome tool. At the minimum, it lets you know which direction you're going and gives a sense of comfort when navigating. In addition, it lets you explore back roads without getting lost, and gives you a broader picture of where you are in relation to the more well-known roads. For example, the Houston to Austin ride is normally about 3 hours on the backroads, and after 25 years of riding the Houston/Austin area, we thought we knew most of the back roads between them. Arch and I took off one day for Austin, with the goal of riding only the little roads, dirt included. The GPS auto route feature took us on roads we never knew existed, linking them together for a seemingly random, drunkard's walk route to Austin. All in all, probably 90% of the roads we took were new to us. Farm roads, mail routes, dirt roads, through farmland and ranches. It took us 6 hours to get to Austin and it was all a grand adventure. We did the same thing on the way back to Houston the next day, and saw 6 hours worth of different roads again.

Check out GPSDiscount.com for Garmin stuff. They are on top of their game and shipped within a day when I recently bought from them.

Here is what I pack and have done it on a number of sport bikes. I use an: Eclipse sport pack ~$170 (ask about 2nds or returns), Eclipse Magnetic tank bag Dainese Backpack with helmet pouch and back protector

I pack:
Credit card(s)
Cell phone & charger or extra batts.
GPS
Cycle lock cable & padlock
a VERY basic set of open wrenches
small vise grips
allen wrench set
Gerber or similar folding knife / tool / pliers
small roll duct tape
small roll electrical tape
small can WD40 (used as emergency chain lube / wet wire drier / cleaner)
zip ties
Rain gear
clothing for the temps I expect - others purchased as needed!
garbage bags for dirty / wet clothes
depending on the bike I take - one extra clutch / throttle cable / fuses
BMW Co2 tire inflator

other stuff I can't remember right now! - Dave Wright

How to work on your bike

Having dropped about everything one could imagine, I've found:
--never perform any task, no matter how trivial, in a yard with freshly fallen leaves. You won't find it.
--stuff shop towels into open holes
--a dab of grease will stick washers to bolts
--ANY kind of little tray, cup or contrivance you can find to at least limit how *far* something can fall is helpful. Sometimes it's easiest to let it fall but direct its path, eh?
--Those Beautiful Little Dental Picks (TBLDP) can retrieve things (copper sealing washers) that magnets can't
--TBLDP can be used as a 3rd hand to extract something before dropping
--a little plastic can be used to make the fit between hex wrench and hex head bolt snug enough that it won't fall off

I'm sure there're more tricks. I'd love to hear them. Chris Kelley's beaut "Never attach any bolt without torquing it down" (or something like that) came back to haunt me when I found brake caliper bolts loose on a front wheel a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully I investigated the weird feedback it was creating.

Valves

greetings earthlings,

Bought some new valve cover gaskets from my local dealer for my '96 900 SS SP today and noticed a difference from the original gaskets. The new ones were "metal" with an embossed rib in the center around the entire perimeter as well as raised areas at each bolt hole. It seems to me that the raised rib should touch the valve cover. What say those that have used this type of valve cover gasket? Which side against the cover? Got the valves done today and ready to go back together.

Fred,
Yeah, I believe the raised rib goes against the cover. However, I honestly don't believe it makes a difference.

Shawn is correct.

It _does_ , or more accurately it _can_ make a difference. The valve covers are more pliant/less rigid than the heads. Having the ribs against the cover insures that any gap resulting from the cover's surface not being _perfectly_ flat will be sealed.

A note if your mounting them. Get a high temp grease and put a (very) light film on the uderside of the gasket (head side). Makes it easy to remove valve cover in the future and you don't trash the gasket while doing so (comes away from the head easier). For valve covers and other sufaces that have gaskets not under any real internal pressue, I use a light grease film rather than gasket sealant. Easier to work with, not as messy, easier to go back internally in the future...

hi Fred,
they're not exactly "new", having been around for a handful of years. yeah, i don't really know what to think of them. anyone have first hand experience with reusing them? well, on my former 916, i simply replaced the gaskets every time. for the 2V, i've got someone that's making fiber gaskets that i sell. i like the fiber ones because it's real easy to tell when they can't be reused. =)

Fasteners

OK, people, I'm going to just come out and admit it. I've been bitten by the varmint. I've got full-blown varmint syndrome.

I'm not asking for a cure.

I'm asking for a bit of help deciphering fasteners. I've decided I NEED some Ti fasteners here and there and I've found all sorts of beautiful things on Yoyodyne's website. But I don't know how to tell if I need a M6x1.00x110 socket cap with drilled button shoulders and metric banjo fittings hot dipped galvanized anodized billetized cold forged sand cast pickles onions on a sesame seed bun. All I know is I have a screw here and a bolt there and a washer over here. They're about so big, and about yea long. I want to replace them with same-sized titanium bits. Is there an English/fastener dictionary on the web so I can figure out what the hell I'm doing or do I just get one of everything and then order more of the bits that fit?

Pull out the ones you want and measure them length and width with a micrometer.
one number is the width == M6
one is the thread pitch == 1.0
the third is the length == 25mm

You probably won't need to worry about pitch, Fred will get it right.

Love Fred, but you have tons of options...also consider Race-Bolt. And Metec? SImple to distinguish...you have hex head cap screws and socket head cap screws for the most part. The hex head is your standard bolt head...the socket is what most consider to be an allen head. Amongst the socket head options there are button head sockets which are rounded and shorter heads and tapered sockets which seems to be very common in motorsports. length is defined from under head, size is width/thickness and pitch is threads per mm so 1.00 is 1 thread per mm. With that you should be able to order anything you want. Race-Bolt and Metec both have pictures of their bolts on the site. Do a search for Titanium Fasteners and lots of stuff will turn up. Most duc stuff runs 5,6,8 and some 10. Most common is 6mm. Rotor and most pinch bolts are 8mm, with some being 10mm like the 916/996 swingarm pinch bolts. Fred makes special stuff for Ducs and is a good source for that, standard ti fasteners are available from amny sources and the two I mentioned have some of the best prices around. generally I have found a good 50 -100% variance in price and when buying anything greater than onesies twosies it gets expensive. - Rich Roberts

Go to your local auto parts/hardware store/on-line tool spot and get a sizing template for metric fasteners.

Generally just a small metal ruler with appropriate holes drilled in it along with a frew thread pattern outlines along a couple of the edges. Thus equipped you can instantly spec any size fastener.

They go for a couple of dollars. Indispensible if your doing any sort of motor/chassis work. Should be in your tool box along with a good digital micrometer, bore gauge, caliper, dial gauge, timing/degree wheel, etc.........

Will save much angst.......

VIN Numbers

> Can someone please explain what each position of the VIN ID tag on the frame
> stands for ?

US models have a 17 character VIN. European models have a 13-character VIN.
Characters 1-3: World manufacturer code ( i.e. ZDM = Ducati)
Characters 4-8: model information code assigned by manufacturer where (I'm speculating here) Character 4: 1= street version, 3=race version
Character 5: H= Homologation, L= Super Sport, S=Superbike, R=Monster, T=Sport Touring
Character 6: Street Variation A, B, C Race Variation 7, 9
Characters 7-8: engine information code assigned by manufacturer
Character 9: A check digit used to verify the accuracy of the vehicle identification number.
Character 10: Model year code where,
R = model year 1994
S = model year 1995
T = model year 1996
V = model year 1997
W = model year 1998
X = model year 1999
Y = model year 2000
1 = model year 2001
2 = model year 2002
3 = model year 2003
Character 11: Plant of manufacture code.(i.e. B=Bologna, V=Vendor?)
Characters 12-17: Six digit serial number.
- Larry Kelly