[Ducati] 12,000 mile maint for 900SSie

Mon Jul 31 17:01:17 EDT 2006

Dave Rudloff said....

Holy crimeny!

I know Ducati maintenance is expensive, but I didn't expect it to be this
high for a 2v bike!  My nearby Ducati dealership quoted me $700 for the 12k
maintenance on my '99 900SS.  I know the 12k is a big one, but does this
sound right to everyone?!?

To which Scott Cloninger responds.....

Dude....it's a frikkin' two valver.  Do the maintenance yourself.  The biggest part of the 12K service is checking the valves and replacing the belts, and if I can do it you can do it.  BTW, your belts should have been replaced four times already by virtue of their age (12K miles or 2 years, whichever comes first) anyway.  

The 12K service should include....

Replace motor oil and filter and clean the pre-filter screen....you'll need oil and filter, obviously, but make sure you have the gaskets for the oil drain plug and the pre-filter screen 

Replace (or clean if you have a K&N) air filter

Replace cam belts.....if you don't know about the 5mm allen trick, just ask the list how to tension your belts

Check valve clearances (and adjust if necessary)....you'll want a good manual, Haynes is pretty good but the factory manual sucks, and a set of feeler gauges.  A good set of gauges will have at least a 0.002" feeler, and maybe even a 0.001" one.  I think Chris Kelley at California Cycleworks keeps gauges for just this purpose.  If you have to make adjustments, holler to the list and we'll tell you about some of the tricks, like plugging the oil return hole in the vertical cylinder so the half rings don't end up in the bottom of the crankcase.  8 )  You'll want to buy a set of valve cover gaskets and replace them since you'll disturb the old ones.

Replace fork oil....you'll need the oil, new o-rings for the fork caps and a tool to set the level of oil in the fork legs.  Race Tech makes a nice one that's easy to use.  BTW, this requires dismounting the forks.

Replace brake fluid....a Mighty-Vac helps with this task

Lubricate cables, bearings, etc. ....don't forget that steering head!!

Check brakes for wear, service as necessary

Change spark plugs.....I would, anyway...they're cheap, and in my opinion it doesn't matter which brand you use

Retorque the head bolts.

These steps are what I'd do at a bare minimum.  You could probably skip the fork oil if they're still damping well, and the steering stem bearings if you're not removing the forks to change the oil.  The rest is really quick and simple.  You should be able to do this in a day, or at least a weekend.  If you need to adjust the valves, as opposed to checking them, you'll need to acquire parts.  If you live near a decent dealer you should be able to pick them up immediately.  If you live near a poor dealer, or have to order them, assume this may take a couple of weeks.

Good luck, either way.  Hope this helps.

Scott Cloninger
Turner of wrenches on a '95 900 SS (among others)

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