Hi fellow Paso riders,


I took my last Paso to a dealer in Northern Italy in 1992 to go home with a brand new 851 strada and to tell you the truth I regreted the move pretty soon.

Back then, I had owned that Paso for about 4 yrs and 50k km, I was 25, took that bike all around Italy and more, I broke in every thinkable way and always fixed it myself, but I was also a kind of a "Richard" and most of those failure where my fault.

I haven't owned a real Duke since the late 90s but my only transportation for the last 5 years ha s been a loyal 1984 Elefant 650 so I didn't really o that far.

A few weeks ago, I had a storm of nostalgia and started looking around for something. It didn't take long to run in a 750P looking of a new nest....
Only a few miles from home she hadn't run for at least 5 yrs, outside didn' look bad at all considering that she spent at least a portion of her lethargy outdoor.
All the pices where there , and the engine was free so I made an offer and she came home with me.
Well... It was a good deal , uncovered it and found basicly just a dirty Paso , with some corrosion here and there but pretty much everything in fair condition.
It's a late USA model with digiplex and mikuni.
My first concern was to put the electric system in safe condition so I lifted every bundle and cleaned de-oxydized all the connections ,including ignition switch and instrument panel.
One of the previous owner tride to fix the hot coils problem and relative discharging battery installing a big battery disconnetct under the seat.
I removed it and installed a master relay that took care also of the hi amp through the ignition switch.
A new set of driven clutch disk as the original where rusted and glued toghether.
The, mik where dried so just cleaned them and coated the rubbers with some vaseline.
Fresh fuel, borrowed the elefant battery and she started right away idling a few minutes later.
After that I replaced the timing belts with some dayco 94820 purchased in Germany for 12.00 eu/each ..( ...got a set for the elefant too as they where 40k old).
Rebuilt the M1R with new seals , the front brakes , cleaned and polished the rims, regreased the wheels bearings (.. I know they are sealed but I open even the new one always and replace the grease ).
Only upset was the chain that looked brand new but ended up breaking a lot of o-rings due to age.
So I decided to remove the swing arm at the same time just to inspect the bearings and the new chain allignment.

Now she is practically finished and ready to hit the road but I need some help from you guys.

As usuall the most difficult part in Italy is to deal with burocracy.
I need to find something to prove the date of construction to my insurance company.
I am pretty sure it is a late 88 but it was registered in Italy in april 1990.
My idea is that this USA red was unsold for a couple of years and returned on the Italian market, the s/n is 754550.

I contacted the mother house in Bologna and they have been all but helpful so far, first stating that was an " 86 edition" than asking me all kind of pictures and docs to finally tell me that they will answer in september which doesn't do me any good.
Anyway I am now looking to any kind of proof, official or unofficial paper to try to convince my insurance company that this bike was not built after 1988 so if any body has ideas they are wellcome.

Hey , sorry for the long post ..I am happy to be back on a PASO and hope to see you guys on the road soon!!

Hello from the U.S.! Your bike looks great, and the silencers look good on it. Best thing I did was replace the Michelins.
I'm new here too, not much activity that I see.

Hello Rampa,

desmoluci is right, the tires should be the next parts to be changed
Check VIN decoded here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=705&start=15
and also the production charts (p.224-225)
https://app.box.com/shared/nzfez3vs4q

The P750 was only produced from 86-88.

G.

I know, the tires are the next thing but these are brand new and still soft. I think I am going to put a few miles on them very easily before getting a pair of GT.

Opefully I ll manage to sort out the burocracy next week and take her out.
Thanks for the links, I did look through those before, the VIN decoder seems to apply to the 17 digits VIN used for the USA.
MY number is ZDM750P-754550-, the classic old style Italian which is also not stamped directly on the steering boss but on a metal plate that has been welded on top of it.
I have no doubts that the number is original from Ducati as they also confirmed by phone.
What I think happened is that a batch of the late 88 originally produced for the US set in the Bologna for a while and when their destination changed to the italian market where renumbered with the classic production S/N.

Anyway what I was looking for was some sort of an official document to convince my insurance broker that the byke is oder than 25 and consequentially save 150 bucks, but I think I ll give up on that and buy a std insurance... hell it'aint the first 150 that I trow in the bucket and it wont be the last either.

At this point I am just dying to take her out and see what I got. Front and rear end are fresh, the engine is strong and smooth with new belts and I am not going to open it before it run a few hours.

Sorry... no hooters, but you don't see 2 like these together everyday....

True .I have always thought that if Ferrari made motorbikes they would all look like Ducati's Ha , I drive a 1980 ford Capri (and everyone take the piss ) , but as I regularly ( at the mo ) travel the length of the south Island I see more Ferrari's and than Capri's
As for the tires ( here we go )
I have a whole cupboard full of perfectly good Michelins, all still soft . I aint suggesting you use knackered old tires but Good old tires are ok . I have seen million dollar classics racing on tires made in the 70's

At the risk of causing issues with friends the last Michelin's in Ducati Paso sizes to my understanding were made in 2005. (130/60R16 front, 160/60R16 rear)

The natural rubber product (belt wedge) that goes between the edges of the working belts on a radial tire degrades over time, and result would be a belt edge separation. Also applies to skim rubber used on cables. Not good especially in a corner. To my understanding this was the failure mode in a Firestone Wilderness AT from around 2000 used on the Ford Explorer and can be accessed through the NHTSA site.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/announce/pre ... mmary.html

Many truck fleets typically only run their tires for 5 years before replacement, and are known for getting the most out of their high cost items.

I also have a set of brand new Michelin's (in terms of available tread depth) in my garage from 1997 I think. Will keep them for bike shows should I decide to quit riding.

My $0.02: Check air pressure often. If tire older than 6 years on a bike as stated on the tire DOT, ECE, BIS, or JATMO date, seriously consider getting a newer tire, especially in higher ambient temperatures.

Reference is article from Tirerack.com

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... techid=138

Anyway very nice bike and look forward to seeing more posts.

Now we're cookin'

I put a Metzeler Sport-tec on the front and an ME880 rear on mine and felt a noticeable improvement over "soft" Michelins at first, but after 6k it steers like a truck. I've got new Shinkos ready to go and hoping for the best. I have a few different valve stems ordered.

Hooter pic.

I'll be real interested at how "sticky" the Shinkos are when you get them on.Could they be used for a track day etc.Also the Golden Tyres.I can't find a decent evaluation on them.

Cheers
Andrew

I will let you know when I get them mounted up. I'm probably not the best judge of sticky though, slow old geezer here.

6k ?steers like a truck ? Im not surprized . Id be happy to 3k out of a rear , and maybe 5k for a front

Well,well,well....
amazingly today I got a call from the insurance broker who told me to stop begging and crying because they accepted my byke as an 88 and liability coverage is starting tonight!!!

I know , to most of you, it may seems like a minor issue but ita was a big deal for me, I struggled 2 weeks on this matter and it was driving me crazy.

That means that tomorrow she will leave the property to get her first tank of premium of the new era followed by the official vehicle inspection (...just a 68eu formality if you).

I'll keep her on a short leash for a few days to make sure that all the bugs are crowling out of it (btw..restoring it I found a snail on frame cross member and she now live at home in the turtle cage).
After I think I am going to take her on a road trip to the North of Italy for a few days.
I know, I shouldn't dismiss all your advise about the old michelins but sincerely I d'like to get an idea about their real condition before hangin them on the wall.
Anyway this will be an 800 mls trip to gain confidence with the byke and don't intend to get even close to any limit, her's or mine.

I will keep you posted.


Just for a kick.. this was shot in 1988 the fine lady next to me is my sister in her village costume, hopefully the Paso won't get to offended about the 25lbs I gained since...

That's great news Rampa .There's nothing like bureaucracy to slow down your fun just to turn around and say "ah we were only kidding,here's what you need".
As you already know,take it easy on those tyres.Usually old tyres won't give you any warning when they let go.And post some photos of your trip I'm sure Italy is beautiful this time of year.

Cheers
Andrew