Hey guys, firstly thank god you guys are back on deck. Just got back into my SS not long ago, just before the site crashed. Was on here years ago when I first started playing with it but haven't been riding it for a couple of years. Did some mods last time with a 916 front end but with lack of use found it a bit of a waste and also the bike seemed to be changing each time I did get it out and was struggling to get the hang of it, especially with it being the first time on big rear rubber.
Here's a couple of the only pics I've got at present when I was playing last time.

So at present it still has the later remote res clutch and brake with adjustable levers, the 916 switch gear, 38mm Mikuni conversion, 48mm straight through cans and vented clutch.

Otherwise I returned it pretty much to stock.

Found a PDF file on line with the measurements for milling the clutch cover so got an old CAD program off a bloke we do business with who has a small CNC mill (among other things). Taught myself to draw the cutting file and got a second cover just in case. Cost me a carton of beer to get 2 covers machined up

My original cans were a bit sad with some road rash and the ally a bit out of shape. So I cleaned up the end caps and welded up the gouges and repolished them then rolled some 48mm perf tube, filled them with stainless steel wool and stuffed them in some 4" stainless tube. Good as new.


Sounds pretty tough if not a little loud (can a Ducati be too loud). The original cans were missing the db killers and were just the baffle tubes inside, not sure if there was originally anything else but they sounded a bit harsh, more like an open piped Harley than a Duke.

that clutch cover turned out really nice. Hopefully with only 9 struts left it´s still strong enough. Care to share the files or at least the pdf you found ?
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6238
The cans look really good as well.

G.

PS: also you pls add your location to the profile

So where am I at now:
FCR's in next few weeks hopefully. Was tossing up putting a later airbox assembly in which I have but not sure about removing the crossbrace and not sure if adding the later style one will be as effective in the early frame. Might just remove the battery tray so the air filters sit better and move the battery to back in the V like the later bikes. I remember tuning the Mikunis was a pain with battery tray clearance.

Reg/rec is either gone or playing up. Boiled a wet cell battery previously and replaced that with AGM. Getting the charge light on periodically with no real pattern sometimes for ages then goes away for a while. sometimes looks like higher revs could trigger it but not sure. Haven't investigated yet as bike sits on trickle charger when not used and only does bit of commute at present till issues sorted.

Rear brake is nothing at present, fluid in res and no sign of leak so I'm hoping it's just gummed up. Will pull it down when I get a braided line for it as I'm going to undersling it with the later bracket and same time and original hose look scrap.

Going to mill out the webbing in the footpegs and brake and gear levers to look more billet. Got some LSL knurled footpegs coming and some Woodcraft knurled tips if they get back to me on postage.

Set of Arrow carbon highmount cans should also turn up before Christmas.

Clutch is not working properly. Was before when I overhauled it with cover but very notchy now and near impossible to get first gear. Unless I can grab 1st while still moving at a reasonable pace it just won't happen. if stationary no way, same with neutral. Hopefully it's just gummed up. Fluid is full no obvious sign of leakage but there is rust evidence on the plates etc. Hoping a clean up restores it. Thinking of powdercoating or more so HPC coating all the non friction components to improve the look and stop them rusting again. Friction and solid plates seem harder to get than later bikes and dearer. What components like plates and springs if any can be used from later bikes.

Need to strip and paint motor it looks crappy.

Want to paint frame in something similar to the later gold/bronze, and maybe calipers. Forks and triples have been redone in a silver.

Fairing need doing. Ok from distance but no up close. Might do slight variation on original but really keen to do a tricolore scheme but with original graphics.

Oil cooler lines need replacing with some nice braided ones. Originals look tatty and being so thick really clutter up the headstock area. Also tossing up moving cooler down in frame to declutter headstock area more.

Looking at LSL clip-ons too. Mine look crappy. Is the right hand one supposed to be longer forward of the riser section than the left.? Might wait on this as I'm tossing up changing the front end again to something newer and adjustable. Still old school right side up but say YZF600R (2003ish). Wishing now I had retained the superbike front end.

Would also love to do a single seat copy of the original rear replicating the single seat cover. Not sure if I can be bothered doing that much fibreglassing. The Superlight seat looks good as does the F1 single seat but I like the original fairings and have no desire to change for the sake of it but a single seat would be neater than the bolt on cover which on mine doesn't sit perfectly anyway.

So any help with the current issues and advice on the wishlist would be appreciated.

Here are a few pics of how my bike looks now or at least how it did before I started pulling things apart yesterday:





As far as I can tell the engine is standard and has about 48,000klms on it. It would seem though that the bike has seen some track days at least as there is some evidence of lock wiring, the oil filter is locked on with a hose clamp, Oh and it came with a nice shiny Ohlins rear shock.

Battery tray is gone to make room for the FCR's.


Mind you now that I found this I'm not sure I had to remove the battery tray completely. I could probably have gotten away with removing the straps that linked the tray to the crossbrace. Assuming I don't move the crossbrace. Jury still out.
This is a pic of my new battery against my old battery. Same cranking amps but .6kg compared to the old 6kg one.

I started looking at some of the exotic ones the guys on Ducati.MS were talking about but most were pretty expensive to get here in Aus or some of the cheaper ones were lower CCA's to get a small case size (Motobatt). Then I came across these SSB Lithium ones. A little bit dearer than say the correct replacement Motobatt but cheaper than some of the Yuasa's.

Now where to put it. Originally I was going to make a new removeable battery tray and mount it somehow where the later models do, in front of the rear cylinder. Now I am tossing up whether to reinstate some form of smaller battery tray up front as I can still move the crossmember forward and the battery would fit below it. Should be able to still get it in and out through the bottom.
My other easier choice which I am leaning towards is simply strapping it down suitably in the tail section as I don't really use the storage space anyway and am planning a superlight style fixed tail unit anyway. New thicker cabling as necessary was on my to do list as well so kills 2 birds so to speak and the undertail should be the coolest part of the bike.

This is where I am at with the cross brace.

The crossbrace sits about 1/4 over the inlet diameter and about 50mm above.

My intention all along was to remove it and move it forward to the bend in the side rails where the upright rail joins the top and bottom. I was hoping to get away without it for now as it will be a pain getting to the underside of the brace to weld underneath with the bike still mostly together. I've agonised over this off and on all day where I could probably have done it by now. Thinking I might be able to cram a couple of the angled Unifilters in there for the time being, just not sure if they will be too tight against the brace. Ultimately I would like to run big K & N filters or the smaller oval ones that came with the carbs but welding the brace back in would be so much easier and neater (underneath) if I could do it with the frame bare and on the bench. If things go to plan I am hoping to strip the bike down in next couple of months to get the frame powder coated and do the fairing work etc but in the meantime I'd still like to be able to ride it so can't strip it now.

Thoughts? Unifilters as a short term option are cheap. I could also fit some short velocity stacks and then put the mesh strainers on them, the ride to work is not too dusty, but that becomes a dearer option as the carbs did not come with the stacks and for a plastic stack they are stupid prices.

Oh got these little babies turn up in the mail today so be interesting to try them out and see how they go:


They are only the cheap no name ebay ones from Hong Kong. Supposed to be 7 series ally. They certainly look to be of sound quality and actually look pretty good. They are a 25 or 30mm rise so match the layout of the original pretty well and with just mocking up beside the angle looks very similar. I only wanted something fairly simple and not over the top styling wise so they fit the bill there. Only hassle is they only come in a 41mm fitment so I am going to have to shim them up. I asked about 40mm but no go. Would have been nice if they did a 39mm then I would just machine them out but the next size down is 38mm and without seeing them I'm not sure they are thick enough to machine that far.