Ducati 900ss Light Resto/Fix Up

[IanB]

I’m a bit if a sucker for the air cooled 900ss & one popped up on Ebay last year with some tasty extras including an Ohlins shock, Micron exhausts & Kehin FCR 39 flatside carbs.

I asked the owner if the frame was showing any signs of cracking near the headstock, which is a common fault with these bikes. Sure enough he found a hairline crack in the frame & duly removed the bike from sale. After a few exchanges of messages a heavily reduced price was agreed & the bike was mine.

This is part one of this project; fixing it up & riding it for a while. Later in the year Part two will be seeing how light I can make it.


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The bike was located a few hundred miles from where I live so I arranged for a courier to get it for me, meaning the first time I saw it was when the he unloaded it from his van. It looked ok & the previous owner included boxes containing the original parts & also a folder with a large number of receipts & service records for the bike.

Happy New Bike Day!

It sat in my garage until a couple of weeks ago when I got my ducks nearly in a row & I started playing with it. As I have the attention span of a goldfish I managed to persuade a mate who has done a couple of restos to give me moral support with the project & also twirl some spanners.

Stage one was the strip down to see what we were playing with. These bikes are remarkably simple things to take to pieces & despite Ducati’s nodding acquaintance with quality control in this era, there was no real drama apart from one bolt holding on the side stand bracket, which wouldn’t come undone. It resisted the long bar & the hot spanner but finally succumbed to the Makkita 18v drill & a succession of metal drill bits.

This photo was taken before the strip down & you can see the hairline crack left of the headstock, caused by Ducati thoughtfully building in a weakness in the original design. This needs to welded & the top section of the frame braced to ensure it doesn’t happen again. You can buy a bolt-on brace & I do actually have one of these (thanks G.P!), but I decided to have a piece welded in place as a more permanent solution.

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Close up

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Coming next, the strip down

[KungFooBob]

FCR39's... sounds like you need a 944 big bore kit

[IanB]

FCR39's... sounds like you need a 944 big bore kit

I'm told that the 39 FCRs work best with the standard engine capacity & you really need 41s if you go 944 big bore.

Never say never though

[KungFooBob]

Something at the back of my mind says there's a bloke in Trowbridge that fixes the cracked SS frames, that's you neck of the woods isn't it?

[IanB]

The strip down. Back wheel is out & the carbs are off

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Front subframe unbolted
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The old stepladder assist

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We've all got a pink toolbox in the garage right?

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Once the forks & swing arm were removed the frame was lifted off the motor

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Stuff to clean. Or distance test (see how far I can throw it away).

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Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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[IanB]

Something at the back of my mind says there's a bloke in Trowbridge that fixes the cracked SS frames, that's you neck of the woods isn't it?

Indeed mate, watch this space...

[G.P]

Loving that you are doing this mate. Its going to revitalise my 2 x projects.
Great buy, the FCRs and other bits are far more valuable that the cost of the frame fix...

[Rockburner]

Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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Is it just the angle of the photo that makes it look like the right side rail has been bent?

[IanB]

Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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Is it just the angle of the photo that makes it look like the right side rail has been bent?

I hope so! Yes poor photography skills from me with my iphone

[weeksy]

colour scheme ? sticking with the goldy bronze for the frame ?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

FCR39s sound a bit small for 450cc cylinders.

[KungFooBob]

450cc cylinders with a single intake valve.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

450cc cylinders with a single intake valve.

Yup, I knew that, I've got a Kawasaki with 2 valve cylinders.

[BBB]

Keep the pics coming. Can we ask what you paid?

[Skub]

Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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Is that about as far as GP is with his project?

[Taipan]

Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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Is that about as far as GP is with his project?

There's a book running on whether GPs or DTBs KX500 gets finished first. Shortest odds are on neither!

[G.P]

Is that about as far as GP is with his project?

How Very dare you!

Actually for project No.2 its spot on (Although its already powdercoated). I just took the frame down from the shelf to shift it a couple of days ago.
The other one is on its wheels and just needs finishing

[Yorick]

Here we have the frame in all its naked glory ready for welding

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Is that about as far as GP is with his project?

There's a book running on whether GPs or DTBs KX500 gets finished first. Shortest odds are on neither!

DTB?

My first thought was DaveTheBunnie

[G.P]

Derek the Badger - I thought it was just plain Derek Badger, but anyway, his is running I think?

[Skub]

Derek the Badger - I thought it was just plain Derek Badger, but anyway, his is running I think?

It all went quiet after the 'death trap rollers' were manufactured to get it started.