Project Odd Duc: The Oil Pipeline

 One of the ugliest spots on my bike are the oil cooler lines.  They aren't the only rusty spot, but the most visible, sticking out like a sore thumb.  Last year, maybe the year before, I got a set of new old ones from eBay and intended to swap them out with the next oil change.  But, there they sat on my messy work bench, stuffed in a box with other Duc odds and ends.  

Recently, I started cleaning up my work space and bought a second tool box so I could fully separate all my SAE and Metric tools.  The Metric went into my fancy new box, and the barely used SAE and specialty tools stayed in the old Craftsman. I still need to address the other cabinet, but those drawers are overflowing, so a larger one is the only fix. While cleaning up the rest of the clutter, I found the oil cooler lines and decided now was the time. 

Soooo much better!

After a general application of PB Blaster and some soak time, the old ones came off without issue. However, the vibration dampeners tore apart when I tried to remove the cooler side connections.  Luckily, I found a set on Amazon and they should be here any day.  I ordered 2 sets so I could keep a spare. With older bikes, that's generally a good idea.   Sometimes, it's the only option, like when I had to order the vacuum port o-rings for the Hurricane. I got them from a manufacturer and could only get them in a large quantity. 

Oil loss was about 4oz not counting what soaked into the headers.

Much better!

There is plenty of other rust to tackle, like the crusty header pipes but that's off season work, along with those pesky leaking head o-rings. Maybe I'll add another bike to the garage this year, so the Duc can be down for extended service and clean up? 

Stay safe out there!

Project Odd Duc: MOAR POWAR!

 Somehow, I got it into my head that the jets on the 900ss were back to factory spec. Might have been because I was working on the Hurricane at the same time? A few weeks ago, I decided to tear down the carbs again because it was still smelling a bit rich at idle. What did I find you ask? Well, jets, jets that were not at stock config.  The main was 127.5, and the pilot was a 40.  The Ducati Bible states that the main should be a 140, with a 42.5 pilot. So, I did what the good book says and fattened it up. 

I also added some filters to the breather lines to keep the yuck out.

With the carbs back on, and the battle with the throttle cables complete (I still need to get a new throttle cable, despite all my effort, I cannot get the throttle to snap closed), I warmed up the bike.  I had the mixtures set at 3.5 turns out and it started without issue. Took it out for spin. 

I never understood all the talk about the 900ss being a wild machine, even with Hunter S. Thompson's tail of the sausage creature, the bike seemed mild.  Fun, but a bit mild. I thought maybe it was because the big twin 1200cc Buell Ulysses set such a high expectation. While it's not match for the XB, the 900ss now feels like I expected it to feel.  The front end feels lighter on throttle, where I used to have a flat spot at 6k-7k, it now pulls hard all the way through! Yeah baby! 

The ability to tune the mixture screws by ear is not something I have gained, I just can't tell the difference enough to know if it's in the sweet spot. So, I did what I did before and tuned them to allow the bike to roughly idle one cylinder.  The horizontal still requires more turns out than the vertical, and I think it's because some chucklehead widened the ports on the throats, and they are not equal size. 

Hard to tell in pics but they are not the same.

So...that is probably the root cause of the mixture discrepancy. Now I am faced with a choice. Do I live with it? Do I get a new carb body and move all the bits over? Or...do I save my pennies and put a set of FCR39s on it and open myself to a whole new world of jetting adventures? ( I really want the FCRs.)

Listen to that sound (and look at the vapor condensation)!

Stay safe out there!